[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 34 (Monday, August 30, 1999)]
[Pages 1664-1665]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7217--Small Manufacturing Week, 1999

August 25, 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.

[[Page 1665]]

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.
    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.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., August 27, 
1999]

Note: This proclamation was released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on August 26, and it was published in the Federal Register on 
August 30.