[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 167 (Monday, August 30, 1999)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 47093-47094]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-22646]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 167 / Monday, August 30, 1999 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 47093]]


                Proclamation 7217 of August 25, 1999

                
Small Manufacturing Week, 1999

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                America's free enterprise system is continually 
                energized by the skill, vision, and exceptional 
                performance of our Nation's small manufacturers--those 
                who employ fewer than 500 employees. Though small in 
                size, these companies make enormous contributions to 
                our economy and provide our society and the world with 
                high-quality manufactured goods. More important, small 
                manufacturers are a vital source of new jobs-- almost 1 
                million between 1992 and 1996--and provide a livelihood 
                for nearly 12 million Americans.

                We live in an age dominated by information and 
                technology, where the global marketplace grows ever 
                more complex and interdependent. As large manufacturers 
                expand their reliance on smaller firms for parts and 
                services, the performance of small manufacturers 
                becomes increasingly important to the competitiveness 
                of America's manufacturing sector.

                My Administration, working with the Congress and State 
                governments, has strived to ensure that these small 
                firms have access to the resources, technology, 
                expertise, and training they need to realize their 
                highest potential. By passing two consecutive balanced 
                budgets and signing into law the Taxpayer Relief Act of 
                1997, we have helped to reduce interest rates, ease the 
                tax burden on small firms, and encourage investment and 
                growth. The Small Business Administration, through its 
                vigorous lending and loan guaranty efforts, has 
                improved access to capital so that small manufacturing 
                firms and other small businesses can modernize, expand, 
                and invest in worker training.

                The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) of the 
                Department of Commerce, which is celebrating its tenth 
                anniversary this year, gives small manufacturers a 
                solid foundation on which to build innovative ideas and 
                products. With a network of more than 70 nonprofit 
                centers, the MEP serves small manufacturers in all 50 
                States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 
                providing access to the newest technology, 
                manufacturing processes, and business practices. The 
                MEP's local centers offer personalized guidance to 
                manufacturers on issues ranging from business to 
                technology solutions. And because these centers are 
                linked together through the Department of Commerce's 
                National Institute of Standards and Technology, even 
                the smallest manufacturing firms can enjoy instant 
                access to the most advanced national resources.

                Most important, we are continuing to invest in 
                education and training to give America's working men 
                and women the skills and knowledge they need to succeed 
                in the jobs of the 21st century. The Workforce 
                Investment Act of 1998, which I was pleased to sign 
                into law last year, provides skill grants directly to 
                workers so they can choose the kind of training they 
                want and where they want to obtain it.

                As we observe Small Manufacturing Week, let us pay 
                tribute to America's more than 385,000 small 
                manufacturing firms whose commitment to hard work and 
                excellence has helped set our country on a steady 
                course for continued growth and prosperity.

[[Page 47094]]

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim September 19 through 
                September 25, 1999, as Small Manufacturing Week, 1999. 
                I invite all Americans to observe this week with 
                appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs that 
                recognize the achievements of our Nation's small 
                manufacturers.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord 
                nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and of the 
                Independence of the United States of America the two 
                hundred and twenty-fourth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 99-22646
Filed 8-27-99; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P