[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9394-9395]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          SMALL BUSINESS WEEK

  (Ms. KELLY of Illinois asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the many 
mom-and-pop shops and small businesses across the country as we 
celebrate National Small Business Week. I know firsthand the difference 
that small businesses make in our communities. Almost 70 years ago, my 
grandmother purchased a little neighborhood store and proclaimed to my 
grandfather, ``We're in the grocery business now.''
  Like most small business families, we took pride in what we did. We 
shared in the trials and triumphs of small business ownership. It was 
challenging, but it was rewarding. Our grocery store was our family 
taking a shot at the American Dream and sharing that success with 
others.
  According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, more than half 
of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create 
about two out of every three new jobs in the United States each year. 
Small businesses are the backbone of our communities--opening new 
storefronts, training American workers, and manufacturing and selling 
goods in our neighborhoods. This may be National Small

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Business Week, but our Nation wouldn't be what it is today without 
every day being a small business day.

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