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[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 57 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 57

   Expressing support for the designation of the week of February 13 
  through February 20, 2021, as ``National Entrepreneurship Week'' to 
    recognize the importance and contributions of entrepreneurs and 
 startups to the economic prosperity of the United States and the well-
           being of every community across the United States.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 12, 2021

 Ms. Klobuchar (for herself and Mr. Scott of South Carolina) submitted 
 the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
                               Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
   Expressing support for the designation of the week of February 13 
  through February 20, 2021, as ``National Entrepreneurship Week'' to 
    recognize the importance and contributions of entrepreneurs and 
 startups to the economic prosperity of the United States and the well-
           being of every community across the United States.

Whereas the experiment of self-governance is a profoundly entrepreneurial 
        undertaking, grounded in the spirit of freedom, adventure, and 
        enterprise;
Whereas the entrepreneurial spirit, which is the ability, freedom, and courage 
        to strike out on one's own and build something new, is central to the 
        identity of the United States and woven into the national consciousness;
Whereas the United States is a nation of entrepreneurs, with small businesses--

    (1) comprising 99 percent of all businesses in the United States; and

    (2) employing nearly half of all workers in the United States;

Whereas the Partnership for 21st Century Skills identified financial, economic, 
        business literacy, and entrepreneurship skills as the types of skills 
        students need in order to enhance workplace productivity and career 
        opportunities;
Whereas students who participate in entrepreneurship education programs have 
        better attendance records, perform better on core subjects, and have 
        lower drop-out rates than those who do not participate in those 
        programs;
Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has--

    (1) closed hundreds of thousands of new businesses, also known as 
``startups'', and small businesses, which has disproportionally affected 
women and people of color; and

    (2) destroyed millions of jobs, heightening the urgency of accelerating 
the post-COVID-19 recovery;

Whereas research has demonstrated that startups--

    (1) are disproportionately responsible for the innovations that drive 
gains in productivity, which, in turn, propel economic growth; and

    (2) account for an outsized portion of net new job creation in the 
United States;

Whereas research has demonstrated that rates of entrepreneurship in the United 
        States have been in decline in recent decades, and that this decline is 
        occurring in all 50 States and across a broad range of industry sectors;
Whereas, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States has seen an 
        increase in startup applications as individuals in the United States 
        embody the entrepreneurial spirit to respond to the crisis;
Whereas, given the importance of a thriving entrepreneurial spirit to 
        innovation, economic growth, job creation, rising wages, and expanding 
        opportunity in the United States, the circumstances surrounding the 
        COVID-19 amount to an emergency;
Whereas reversing the decline in entrepreneurship in the United States requires 
        changes in public policy; and
Whereas National Entrepreneurship Week will focus on innovative ways in which 
        innovation, entrepreneurship communities, and policymakers in the United 
        States can work together to improve the environment for entrepreneurs in 
        the United States with the aim of--

    (1) reversing the multi-decade decline in entrepreneurship; and

    (2) expanding the rate of participation among women entrepreneurs and 
entrepreneurs of color: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates the week of February 13 through February 20, 
        2021, as ``National Entrepreneurship Week'';
            (2) celebrates the importance of entrepreneurs and startups 
        to the United States economy;
            (3) recognizes the contributions entrepreneurs make to 
        expand opportunity, provide more inclusive prosperity, and 
        increase the well-being of every community across the United 
        States;
            (4) affirms the importance and urgency of enacting policies 
        that promote, nurture, and support entrepreneurs and startups; 
        and
            (5) encourages Federal, State, and local governments, 
        schools, nonprofit organizations, and other civic organizations 
        to observe National Entrepreneurship Week annually with special 
        events and activities--
                    (A) to recognize the contributions of entrepreneurs 
                in the United States;
                    (B) to teach the importance of entrepreneurship to 
                a strong and inclusive economy; and
                    (C) to take steps to encourage, support, and 
                celebrate future entrepreneurs.
                                 <all>
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