I

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4983

To amend the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to include expansion

of business development by individuals with disabilities among the public

policy goals of State and local development companies.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JULY 26, 2000

Ms. VELA ́

ZQUEZ (for herself, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr.

GONZALEZ, Mr. MOORE, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. BAIRD, Mr. UDALL of

Colorado, Ms. BERKLEY, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, and Mr. PHELPS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Small

Business

A BILL

To amend the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to

include expansion of business development by individuals

with disabilities among the public policy goals of State

and local development companies.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Access to Capital for

5 Individuals With Disabilities Act of 2000’’.
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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

2 Congress finds the following:

3 (1) The United States is experiencing the great4 est period of prolonged economic prosperity in the

5 Nation’s history.

6 (2) More than 99 percent of the employers in

7 the United States are small business owners, and

8 they employ 52 percent of the Nation’s private sec9 tor workers.

10 (3) There are segments of the American popu11 lation that have yet to experience the benefits of the

12 Nation’s historic economic growth.

13 (4) Every American should be able to partici14 pate in our national prosperity and Congress should

15 encourage entrepreneurship among all Americans.

16 (5) Increased access to capital for entre17 preneurs means increased access to opportunity.

18 (6) There are 49,000,000 individuals with dis19 abilities in the United States.

20 (7) Fifteen percent of working age adults in the

21 United States are disabled small business owners.

22 (8) Congress should encourage and increase en23 trepreneurship among individuals with disabilities in

24 the United States.
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1 (9) Increased access to capital for entre2 preneurs who are individuals with disabilities means

3 increased business opportunities for such individuals.

4 (10) Increased business opportunities for entre5 preneurs who are individuals with disabilities will

6 create more jobs for all Americans, benefit the na7 tional economy, and help provide a sense of accom8 plishment and self-worth for the disabled entre9 preneur.

10 SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT BY INDI11 VIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES.

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 501(d)(3)(C) of the Small

13 Business Investment Act (15 U.S.C. 695(d)(3)(C)) is

14 amended by inserting before the comma at the end ‘‘or

15 business development by individuals with disabilities’’.

16 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 103 of the

17 Small Business Investment Act of 1958 (15 U.S.C. 662)

18 is amended—

19 (1) in paragraph (15), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the

20 end;

21 (2) in paragraph (16), by striking the period at

22 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and

23 (3) by adding at the end the following new

24 paragraph:
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1 ‘‘(17) the term ‘disability’ has the meaning

2 given such term in section 3(2) of the Americans

3 with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102).’’.

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