III 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 154 

Honoring the entrepreneurial spirit of small business concerns in the United 

States during National Small Business Week, beginning May 17, 2009. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 19, 2009 

Ms. LANDRIEU (for herself, Ms. SNOWE, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. KERRY, Mrs. 

SHAHEEN, Mr. WICKER, Ms. CANTWELL, and Mr. ISAKSON) 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 May 17, 2009. 

Whereas the approximately 27,200,000 small business concerns in the United States are the driving force behind 

the Nation’s economy, creating more than 93 percent of 

all net new jobs and generating more than 50 percent of 

the Nation’s non-farm gross domestic product; 

Whereas small businesses play an integral role in rebuilding 

the Nation’s economy; 

Whereas Congress has emphasized the importance of small 

businesses by improving access to capital through the 

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; 


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Whereas small business concerns are the Nation’s innovators, 

serving to advance technology and productivity; 

Whereas small business concerns represent 97 percent of all 

exporters and produce 29 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 and competitive enterprise, to ensure that a fair proportion of the total purchases, contracts, and subcontracts for property and services for the Federal Government are placed with small business concerns, to make 

certain that a fair proportion of the total sales of Government property are 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 with access to 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 

May 17, 2009, as ‘‘National Small Business Week’’: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


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1 (1) honors the entrepreneurial spirit of small 

2 business concerns in the United States during Na3 tional Small Business Week, beginning May 17, 

4 2009; 

5 (2) applauds the efforts and achievements of 

6 the owners of small business concerns and their em7 ployees, whose hard work and commitment to excel8 lence have made them a key part of the Nation’s 

9 economic vitality; 

10 (3) recognizes the work of the Small Business 

11 Administration and its resource partners in pro12 viding assistance to entrepreneurs and small busi13 ness concerns; and 

14 (4) strongly urges the President to take steps 

15 to ensure that— 

16 (A) the applicable procurement goals for 

17 small business concerns, including the goals for 

18 small business concerns owned and controlled 

19 by service-disabled veterans, small business con20 cerns owned and controlled by women, 

21 HUBZone small business concerns, and socially 

22 and economically disadvantaged small business 

23 concerns, are reached by all Federal agencies; 

24 (B) guaranteed loans, microloans, and ven25 ture capital, for start-up and growing small 


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1 business concerns, are made available to all 

2 qualified small business concerns; 

3 (C) the management assistance programs 

4 delivered by resource partners on behalf of the 

5 Small Business Administration, such as small 

6 business development centers, women’s business 

7 centers, veterans business outreach centers, and 

8 the Service Corps of Retired Executives, are 

9 provided with the Federal resources necessary 

10 to do their jobs; 

11 (D) reforms to the disaster loan program 

12 of the Small Business Administration are imple13 mented as quickly as possible; 

14 (E) tax policy spurs small business growth, 

15 creates jobs, and increases competitiveness; 

16 (F) the Federal Government reduces the 

17 regulatory compliance burden on small busi18 nesses; and 

19 (G) broader health reforms efforts address 

20 the specific needs of small businesses and the 

21 self-employed in providing quality and afford22 able health insurance coverage to their employ23 ees. 

Æ 


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