[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9816]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            50TH ANNIVERSARY OF NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS WEEK

  (Mr. FITZPATRICK asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. This week marks the 50th anniversary of National 
Small Business Week.
  Each year, we devote one week to recognize the importance of small 
businesses and to honor their successes. While it is admirable to 
devote a week to small businesses, what we have to remember is that 
every week is small business week and that the family farm, which we 
discussed here on the floor today, was, in fact, the original small 
business. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the 
engines of job creation. Over half of Americans own or are employed by 
a small business.
  Mr. Speaker, there are 30 million small businesses in the United 
States, and they create seven out of every 10 new American jobs each 
and every year. Small businesses are the key to economic prosperity. 
The government does not create jobs; American small businesses create 
jobs.
  The government and its lawmakers should do everything in their power 
to cultivate an ideal environment for small businesses to grow and 
prosper by removing roadblocks to growth and by building economic 
certainty. We need to keep the focus on the American worker and on 
small businesses. We need to remember that every week is small business 
week.

                          ____________________