IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 292 

Congratulating the on-premise sign industry for its contributions to the success of small businesses on the occasion of its 63rd Annual International 

Sign Expo. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 26, 2009 

Mr. KING of Iowa submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on Small Business 

RESOLUTION 

Congratulating the on-premise sign industry for its contributions to the success of small businesses on the occasion 

of its 63rd Annual International Sign Expo. 

Whereas safe, creative, and effective on-premise signage has 

served as a primary catalyst to successful small businesses in America since the establishment of the Nation; 

Whereas most of the companies that manufacture on-premise 

signs in the United States are in and of themselves small 

businesses as described by the Small Business Act and 

generate thousands of manufacturing jobs that stimulate 

the economy and support the local, State, and Federal 

tax bases; 

Whereas the on-premise sign industry in turn sustains millions of additional entities covered under the Small Busimstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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•HRES 292 IH 

ness Act by providing to retail businesses across the 

country an affordable and effective advertising medium 

through which they can communicate to potential customers about goods and services they offer, direct those 

customers to their small business sites, and reinforce the 

memory of existing customers about the locations and the 

nature of these small businesses; 

Whereas the Small Business Act empowers the Small Business Administration to take actions to relieve the competitive disadvantages that small businesses face; 

Whereas one such competitive disadvantage for small businesses is a lack of marketing research and advertising 

budgets to attract and retain customers; 

Whereas the Small Business Administration has recognized 

the value of on-premise signage as a remedy to these 

competitive disadvantages and has taken action to remediate this disadvantage by collaborating with the sign industry to collect educational information about signs and 

to publish that information on its website that is free of 

charge and easily accessible to all small businesses; 

Whereas thousands of manufacturers, users, and suppliers of 

on-premise signs and sign products will attend the 63rd 

Annual International Sign Expo April 15, 2009, through 

April 18, 2009, making the Expo one of the most significant small-business-related events in the country; 

Whereas in 2008 there were nearly 600 companies at the 

Expo displaying nearly 2,000 booths of the most advanced and innovative small business signage products 

the on-premise sign industry has to offer to nearly 

20,000 people from across the Nation and 97 countries 

across the world; and 

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Whereas this unique convergence of signage innovators, customers, and small business owners will create a prime opportunity for further educating the public about the critical role played by the on-premise sign industry to the 

Nation’s small businesses during the current economic 

downturn: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) applauds the U.S. Small Business Adminis3 tration for educating small business owners on the 

4 benefits of using well-placed, well-designed on5 premise signs to overcome competitive disadvantages 

6 in the areas of marketing and advertising; 

7 (2) congratulates the members of the on8 premise sign and sign products industry on the occa9 sion of their 63rd Annual International Sign Expo; 

10 and 

11 (3) encourages the on-premise sign industry to 

12 continue events such as the International Sign Expo 

13 that further educate the small business community 

14 about the benefits of effective signage, and that 

15 produce new and greater understanding of how to 

16 develop safer, more effective, and more affordable 

17 signage products for small businesses, and to con18 tinue to make every effort to assist the Small Busi19 ness Administration in making this information 

20 available to the entire small business community so 

21 as to alleviate its competitive disadvantages in marmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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1 keting and advertising its products and services to 

2 customers. 

Æ 

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