[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 197 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 197
Honoring the entrepreneurial spirit of small business concerns in the
United States during National Small Business Week, which begins on May
15, 2011.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 24, 2011
Ms. Landrieu (for herself, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Mr.
Kerry, Ms. Ayotte, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Cardin, and Mr. Risch)
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, which begins on May
15, 2011.
Whereas the approximately 27,200,000 small business concerns in the United
States are the driving force behind the Nation's economy, creating 2 out
of every 3 new jobs and generating more than 50 percent of the Nation's
non-farm gross domestic product;
Whereas small businesses are the driving force behind the economic recovery of
the United States;
Whereas small businesses represent 99.7 percent of employer firms in the United
States;
Whereas small business concerns are the Nation's innovators, serving to advance
technology and productivity;
Whereas small business concerns represent 97.6 percent of all exporters and
produce 32.8 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 Federal Government purchases, contracts, and
subcontracts for property and services are placed with small business
concerns, to ensure 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 United States;
Whereas every year since 1963, the President has designated a ``National Small
Business Week'' to recognize the contributions of small businesses to
the economic well-being of the United States;
Whereas in 2011, National Small Business Week will honor the estimated
27,200,000 small businesses in the United States;
Whereas the Small Business Administration has helped small business concerns by
providing access to critical lending opportunities, protecting small
business concerns from excessive Federal regulatory enforcement, helping
to ensure full and open competition for government contracts, and
improving the economic environment in which small business concerns
compete;
Whereas for more than 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 15, 2011, as
``National Small Business Week'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) honors the entrepreneurial spirit of small business
concerns in the United States during National Small Business
Week, which begins on May 15, 2011;
(2) applauds the efforts and achievements of the owners and
employees of small business concerns, whose hard work and
commitment to excellence have made such small business concerns
a key part of the economic vitality of the United States;
(3) recognizes the work of the Small Business
Administration and its resource partners in providing
assistance to entrepreneurs and small business concerns; and
(4) recognizes the importance of ensuring that--
(A) guaranteed loans, including microloans and
microloan technical assistance, for start-up and
growing small business concerns, and venture capital,
are made available to all qualified small business
concerns;
(B) the management assistance programs delivered by
resource partners on behalf of the Small Business
Administration, such as Small Business Development
Centers, Women's Business Centers, and the Service
Corps of Retired Executives, are provided with the
Federal resources necessary to provide invaluable
counseling services to entrepreneurs in the United
States;
(C) the Small Business Administration continues to
provide timely and efficient disaster assistance so
that small businesses in areas struck by natural or
manmade disasters can quickly return to business to
keep local economies alive in the aftermath of such
disasters;
(D) affordable broadband Internet access is
available to all people in the United States,
particularly people in rural and underserved
communities, so that small businesses can use the
Internet to make their operations more globally
competitive while boosting local economies;
(E) regulatory relief is provided to small
businesses through the reduction of duplicative or
unnecessary regulatory requirements that increase costs
for small businesses; and
(F) leveling the playing field for contracting
opportunities remains a primary focus, so that small
businesses, particularly minority-owned small
businesses, can compete for and win more of the
$400,000,000,000 in contracts that the Federal
Government enters into each year for goods and
services.
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