S6196 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 5, 1995

these occupied territories—the Croatian Government may not have taken

the action it did on Monday. Let us not

forget, the occupied areas are part of

the territory of Croatia. So while the

international community should urge

the Croatian Government and its forces

to fully respect the human and civil

rights of the population in the areas

they have retaken, it should not urge

Croatia to give up control of reclaimed

territory.

NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS

fWEEK—1995

Mr. PRESSLER. Mr. President, I rise

today to recognize some very special

businesses in my home State of South

Dakota during National Small Business Week. Through work on the Senate Committee on Small Business for

17 of my 21 years in Congress, I know

small businesses have not always enjoyed the recognition and attention

they deserve. For too long, America’s

entrepreneurs have been taken for

granted. These dynamic men and

women play a critical role in this Nation’s economy. During the last major

recession, small businesses created 4.1

million jobs, while large firms reduced

employment by 500,000 jobs. Without

the spirit, drive, and determination of

small businesses, our economy would

not have been able to break out of the

economic stagnancy of the early 1990’s.

Clearly, this sector of our economy is

finally getting the respect it is due.

Wile credit availability has improved

significantly and now appears stable,

we must continue to monitor this situation. Without adequate financing, entrepreneurs will not be able to get out

of the gate. Likewise, I am encouraged

by recent efforts in Congress to decrease the burdens of Federal regulations and paperwork. And while the

Senate still is deliberating S. 565, the

Product Liability Fairness Act of 1995,

I hope we will be able to protect small

manufacturers from frivolous lawsuits

by enacting sensible tort reforms.

Though we have worked to level the

playing field for small businesses,

small firms now face unique problems.

America and the world are in the

throws of an information technology

revolution. The ability of an enterprise

to use high-technology tools very well

may dictate whether the business survives. We must ensure established and

fledgling small businesses are able to

be players in the technological arena.

We must ensure small firms wishing to

provide high-technology goods and

services have access to credit and capital. Because the very nature of capital

assets tends to be less tangible, small

firms may have difficulty securing the

traditional forms of collateral lenders

often seek. Is it possible to put a value

on the time, effort, and knowledge of a

software developer? I do not know.

However, from my position as chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, I

hope to identify solutions to these potential roadblocks.

Mr. President, I would be remiss if I

also did not raise some of the unique

challenges rural small businesses face.

South Dakota’s 1995 Small Business

Person of the Year has defied conventional wisdom that says a successful

manufacturing business must be located in an urban area. In 1982, Randy

Boyd returned to his native Geddes,

SD, where he joined his father in a gunsmith and gun repair business. By 1986,

their operation hired three employees

to assist in the manufacturing of gunstocks for shotguns and big game rifles. Since then, their venture has expanded to 25 full time, 10 part-time,

and 10 contract employees. Boyd’s Gunstock Industries, Inc., currently is one

of the country’s leading gunstock manufacturers.

I commend Randy Boyd for the well

deserved honor of being named South

Dakota Small Business Person of the

Year. He is an inspiration to other entrepreneurs with a dream and a willingness to work hard to see that

dreams take shape.

During my visit with Randy this

week, I learned he would like to expand

Boyds’ Gunstock even further. Unfortunately, he has encountered a limitation many burgeoning small businesses

face in rural States like South Dakota.

Randy wants very badly to keep his operation in the small city of Geddes. In

order to overcome the community’s

limited work force, Randy has aggressively pursued workers from surrounding communities. Though such efforts

have been successful for Randy in the

past, he is discovering that the city of

Geddes lacks affordable housing for

these new employees. Indeed, it would

be a tremendous loss for the community if this opportunity is lost.

I will be working with Randy and the

community of Geddes to try to resolve

a problem that has become all too common for communities across my State.

Private investments in real estate

must be both appealing and lucrative.

As I said during my visit with Randy,

I will promote tax incentives that, in

turn, will promote economic growth. It

is important that we continue to cultivate a climate that will stimulate

small business growth. We must reward

and encourage entrepreneurs such as

Randy Boyd to continue their efforts.

I again congratulate Randy for his

success and the success of Boyds’ Gunstock. I also would like to recognize

some of my State’s other businesses

leaders. I congratulate: Arlin W. Anderson of the South Dakota American

Legion, Veteran Small Business Advocate of the Year; William F. Carlson of

Tower Systems, Inc., Small Business

Exporter; John E. Brewer of Rushmore

State Bank, Financial Services Advocate; Eileen Lunderman of the

Sincangu Enterprise Center, Minority

Small Business Advocate; Brenda Wade

Schmidt of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Media Advocate, and Jan

Steensland of Eyes on You magazine,

Women in Business Advocate.

Each of these individuals has played

a very important role in making small

businesses the driving force behind

South Dakota’s vibrant economy. I am

proud of their generous efforts. They

have contributed tremendously to their

neighbors and friends. It is the duty of

Congress and the Federal Government

to allow them to continue making such

important contributions. Often this

can best be achieved staying out of

their way.

Again, Mr. President, I salute South

Dakota’s 1995 National Small Business

Week Award winners and thank them

for their efforts.

WAS CONGRESS IRRESPONSIBLE?

THE VOTERS HAVE SAID YES

fMr. HELMS. Mr. President, as of the

close of business yesterday, Thursday,

May 4, the Federal debt stood at

$4,854,832,235,127.63. On a per capita

basis, every man, woman, and child in

America owes $18,429.03 as his or her

share of that debt.

Mr. DORGAN. I make a point of

order that a quorum is not present.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The

clerk will call the roll.

The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.

Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I

ask unanimous consent that the order

for the quorum call be rescinded.

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. JEFFORDS). Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I

rise to speak for a short period of time

about several key pieces of reform legislation. I ask unanimous consent I be

allowed to speak as in morning business.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without

objection, it is so ordered.

POLITICAL REFORM LEGISLATION

LONG PAST DUE

fMr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I

rise to express my deep concern—and

even some indignation—that several

key pieces of reform legislation continue to be bottled up in the Congress,

including the gift ban, the lobbying reform bill, and tough, sweeping campaign finance reforms. I am more convinced than ever that one of the key issues, maybe the root issue of American

politics, is the way in which we now

have to finance campaigns. And the

sooner we move toward a system where

we are able to get a lot of the bigger

money out of politics and have a level

playing field for incumbents and challengers and figure out how to do this in

a sane way, the sooner we will have a

much better political system.

The lobbying disclosure bill, a key

piece of legislation that Senator LEVIN

has taken important leadership on, is

really simple and straightforward. But

just to summarize, what this legislation says is that those who are actually