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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 174 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 174

 Honoring the entrepreneurial spirit of small business concerns in the 
United States during National Small Business Week, beginning April 22, 
                                 2007.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 26, 2007

  Mr. Kerry (for himself, Ms. Snowe, Ms. Landrieu, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. 
Lieberman, Mr. Bayh, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Coleman, and Mr. Cardin) submitted 
      the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Honoring the entrepreneurial spirit of small business concerns in the 
United States during National Small Business Week, beginning April 22, 
                                 2007.

Whereas the 25,800,000 small business concerns in the United States are the 
        driving force behind the Nation's economy, creating more than \2/3\ of 
        all net new jobs and generating more than 50 percent of the Nation's 
        nonfarm gross domestic product;
Whereas small business concerns are the Nation's innovators, advancing 
        technology and productivity;
Whereas small business concerns represent 97 percent of all exporters and 
        produce 28.6 percent of exported goods;
Whereas Congress established the Small Business Administration in 1953, to aid, 
        counsel, assist, and protect the interests of small business concerns in 
        order to preserve free competitive enterprise, to ensure that a fair 
        proportion of the total purchases and contracts or subcontracts for 
        property and services for the Federal Government be placed with small 
        business concerns, to ensure that a fair proportion of the total sales 
        of Government property be made to such small business concerns, and to 
        maintain and strengthen the overall economy of the Nation;
Whereas the Small Business Administration has helped small business concerns 
        access critical lending opportunities, protected small business concerns 
        from excessive Federal regulatory enforcement, played a key role in 
        ensuring full and open competition for Government contracts, and 
        improved the economic environment in which small business concerns 
        compete;
Whereas for over 50 years, the Small Business Administration has helped millions 
        of entrepreneurs achieve the American dream of owning a small business 
        concern, and has played a key role in fostering economic growth; and
Whereas the President has designated the week beginning April 22, 2007 as 
        ``National Small Business Week'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) honors the entrepreneurial spirit of small business 
        concerns in the United States during National Small Business 
        Week, beginning April 22, 2007;
            (2) applauds the efforts and achievements of the owners of 
        small business concerns and their employees, whose hard work 
        and commitment to excellence have made them a key part of the 
        Nation's economic vitality;
            (3) recognizes the work of the Small Business 
        Administration and its resource partners in providing 
        assistance to entrepreneurs and small business concerns;
            (4) strongly urges the President to take steps to ensure 
        that--
                    (A) the applicable procurement goals for small 
                business concerns, including the goals for small 
                business concerns owned and controlled by service-
                disabled veterans, small business concerns owned and 
                controlled by women, HUBZone small business concerns, 
                and small business concerns owned and controlled by 
                socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, 
                are reached by all Federal agencies;
                    (B) guaranteed loans, including microloans and 
                microloan technical assistance, for start-up and 
                growing small business concerns and venture capital are 
                made available to all qualified small business 
                concerns;
                    (C) the management assistance programs delivered by 
                resource partners on behalf of the Small Business 
                Administration, such as small business development 
                centers, women's business centers, and the Service 
                Corps of Retired Executives, are provided with the 
                Federal resources necessary to do their jobs; and
                    (D) reforms to the disaster loan program of the 
                Small Business Administration are implemented as 
                quickly as possible; and
            (5) urges that, as was the case in the President's budget 
        for fiscal year 2008, the Small Business Administration 
        continue to be designated as a major agency in the President's 
        budget submitted pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, United 
        States Code, and that the Administrator of the Small Business 
        Administration have an active role as a member of the 
        President's Cabinet.
                                 <all>
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