Democrats plug vulnerable members’ small-business records

Democrats on Friday touted the small-business records of several of
their younger members who face uphill reelection battles. 

The leadership office of Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) circulated a
memo that illustrated how several members have voted for legislation
they say will help bring jobs back to the economy.

{mosads}”Democrats
know that small businesses are key to our economic recovery and, since
day one of this Congress, Democrats have focused on a small business
agenda that helps stabilize the economy, spur private sector job growth,
and provides small business owners the tools they need to succeed,” the
document reads. “This Congress has enacted eight separate tax cuts for
small businesses, made health insurance more affordable, and fought to
get credit flowing — time and again, over Washington Republican
opposition.”

The effort, part of the Democrats’ six-week
summer messaging
campaign, is designed to tout Democrats’ accomplishments while
pressuring Republicans on how they would lead if the GOP took control of
Congress.

The already simmering dispute between both parties over
the economy reached a tipping point this week; Democrats went after
House GOP leader John Boehner (Ohio) for giving a major economic
address.

Boehner then called for the ouster of Treasury Secretary
Timothy Geithner and National Economic Council head Lawrence Summers, two
of President Obama’s top advisers. 

Republicans have argued that
the Democrats’ agenda has failed to create jobs, reminded voters that unemployment is still at 9.5 percent, and said Democrats’ big spending bill will plunge the
nation deeper into debt.

The argument has deep implications
for the fall midterm elections — the public has ranked the economy as the
top issue in the contest, in which Republicans are expected to make
gains on Democratic majorities. 

The memo highlighted the votes of
vulnerable Democrats such as Reps. John Boccieri (Ohio), Steve Driehaus
(Oho), Dina Titus (Nev.), Tom Perriello (Va.), Bobby Bright (Ala.),
Harry Teague (N.M.) and Ann Kirkpatrick (Ariz.), among others. Other
members who are not considered vulnerable were also included.

It also highlights the $787 billion federal stimulus act and several other
smaller measures that Democrats say aided small business. 

Read the whole memo:

Memorandum

 

To: Interested Parties

From: Office of the Assistant to the Speaker

Subject: Newest House Democrats Work Hard to Help Small Businesses

Date: August 26, 2010
 

House Democrats are using this week to highlight efforts to assist small businesses both here in D.C. and back home in their districts.  Democrats know that small businesses are key to our economic recovery and, since day one of this Congress, Democrats have focused on a small business agenda that helps stabilize the economy, spur private sector job growth, and provides small business owners the tools they need to succeed. This Congress has enacted 8 separate tax cuts for small businesses, made health insurance more affordable, and fought to get credit flowing – time and again, over Washington Republican opposition. As part of this agenda, the House passed:
 

·         The Recovery Act – which generated $29.5 billion in small business lending and, according to CBO’s latest report, boosted U.S. GDP by up to 4.5 percent in 2Q 2010 (H.R. 1);

·         The Small Business Jobs and Credit Act (H.R.5297);

·         The Small Business and Infrastructure Jobs Tax Act (H.R. 4849);

·         The Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act (H.R. 2847);

·         The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act (H.R. 3548);

·         The Small Business Financing and Investment Act (H.R. 3854); and

·         The Job Creation Through Entrepreneurship Act (H.R. 2352).
 

Central to these efforts have been the Freshman and Sophomore House Democrats.  A total of twelve serve on the Small Business Committee and, as a whole, they have consistently demonstrated their commitment to small businesses over powerful corporate special interests.  In Congress, they have spearheaded legislation and worked closely with small business owners from their districts to make sure that small businesses are represented throughout the legislative process.  Back home, they are hosting small business resource workshops, holding roundtables with local Chambers of Commerce and workers, visiting with small business owners on Main Street tours, spending a day as an employee of a local small business, and many other new and innovative ways of reaching out to their constituents and getting things done for their districts.
 
Examples of Freshman and Sophomore House Democrats Helping Small Businesses
 
·         Congressman Gary Peters (MI-09) played a big role in the Small Business lending package that passed the House last June.  The bill, the Small Business Lending Fund Act of 2010, is comprised of two sections.  The first will promote private sector small business lending using an approach Rep. Peters developed and called for last year.  The second, written by Rep. Peters, will allow states to create or strengthen existing innovative small business lending programs.  This is an example of our newest Members being hands on from the very beginning.  Rep. Peters first started talking to Treasury about this idea in March 2009 and worked with the Michigan’s Governor’s office and the rest of the Michigan delegation to fight for it for over a year.  (H.R. 5297)

·         Congressman John Boccieri (OH-16) is visiting small businesses during his Community Walking Tours of the District. On these Community Walking Tours, Rep. Boccieri meets locally elected officials as they showcase their area’s small businesses and efforts to create local jobs and speaks to the small business owners about what he is doing in Washington to help small businesses hire back workers, create new jobs, and rebuild our local economy.  So far Rep. Boccieri visited officials in Jackson Township, Louisville, Plain Township and East Canton and met with eleven small business owners on those tours.
 
·        Rep. Boccieri also introduced the Back to Work Tax Credit Act, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to expand the work opportunity tax credit to include long-term unemployed individuals.  (HR 3953)
 
·         Congresswoman Dina Titus’ (NV-03) passed the Medicare Premium Fairness Act to make health care more affordable for small businesses.  (H.R. 3631)
 
·        Rep. Titus also had an amendment in the Education and Labor Committee to the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, which increased the size of small businesses that can choose to enter the Exchange in the first two years and will set minimum standards that the Commissioner must follow in year 3.  (H.R. 3200)
 
·        Rep. Titus will host her second small business workshop on August 31, 2010 in order help provide local small businesses with the tools they need to sustain and grow their business during this challenging economic time.  The free small business workshop will focus on issues such as securing contracts with the federal government, financing options available through the SBA and community banks, and best practices for doing business with city and state agencies.
 
·         Congressman Steve Kagen (WI-08) stopped at WireTech to ask Sturgeon Bay business and government leaders to show support for his “Loans for Main Street” amendment to the Small Business Lending Fund Act of 2010.  The two-term representative also toured WireTech’s 6-week-old facility and greeted employees. Earlier in the day, Rep. Kagen had lunch with business leaders in Algoma and visited Hatco Inc. in Sturgeon Bay.
 
·         Congressman Tom Perriello’s (VA-05) Main Street Tour across the 5th District has received significant media attention in his district. (Altavista Journal – 07/14/2010, Martinsville Bulletin – 07/07/2010, The News & Advance – 07/06/2010, ABC16 – 07/09/2010, Danville Register Bee – 07/07/2010)
 
·         Congressman Harry Teague (NM-02) is hosting a series of six Small Business Resource Workshops across the 2nd congressional district.  These events will connect small business owners with federal and local government agencies and lender groups to provide the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the resources available to support small business efforts.
 
·        Rep. Teague also passed the Energy Jobs for Veterans Act, which will compensate small businesses in the energy industry for training veteran hires.  (H.R. 4592)
 
·         Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson (IL-11) introduced the Small Business Credit Expansion and Loan Markets Stabilization Act of 2009 to increase SBA loan sizes.  (H.R.3723)
 
·        Rep. Halvorson is also hosting a series of “Job Hunters Boot Camps” to provide resources to constituents looking for employment and those looking to start their own business.  This includes a seminar for business owners and operators that offers information ranging from tax credits, protesting unemployment insurance claims, and obtaining free legal assistance.  Information will also be available regarding incentives for hiring veterans.
 
·        Rep. Halvorson joined representatives from Fairmont Minerals and US Silica to speak about the importance of the silica industry to the local economy, and about her direct efforts to protect local jobs during the recent consideration of legislation that would have put new one-size-fits-all regulations on the industry, threatening local jobs.  After visiting with representatives from the Silica Industry throughout LaSalle County at Fairmont Minerals in July, Rep. Halvorson took their concerns back to Washington.  Later in July, when legislation being considered in the Education and Labor Committee would have included silica mines in new regulations intended to cover underground coal mining, she worked to amend the bill to exclude aggregate, sand, gravel, and mineral mines.

·        Congresswoman Ann. Kirkpatrick (AZ-01) traveled to Flagstaff, AZ to highlight ongoing efforts to get folks back to work in critical health care fields and ensure people have access to the care they need.  She visited The Peaks Senior Living Community, where she met with facility managers, representatives from the Coconino County Career Services, and two caregivers who have recently graduated from the Allied Health Care job training program.  Afterwards she toured Mountain Heart Cardiovascular & Sleep Facility, an innovative small business that is creating health care jobs in Greater Arizona while making care more affordable to patients.  The two events showcased the economic opportunities and patient benefits they and other important initiatives are creating across Greater Arizona.

·        Rep. Kirkpatrick (AZ-01) will also travel to the Northern Arizona Center for Emerging Technologies (NACET), where she will join with community and business leaders to announce important new resources that will allow them to produce a new generation of renewable energy products and create or retain over 100 jobs across Greater Arizona.

·        Congressman Jared Polis (CO-02) shared tips to help small businesses get credit on the CBS4 Morning News.  (CBS 4 KCNC – 08/25/2010)

·        Congressman Bobby Bright (AL-02) introduced and passed business tax credits that would allow businesses to expense more of their equipment so they can reinvest, grow and create new jobs. This legislation was signed into law into law in 2009 and extended in 2010.  (H.R. 361, H.R. 4655)

·        Rep. Bright also secured nearly $100 million in funding for projects that support military construction and defense work at Ft. Rucker and Maxwell-Gunter AFB.

·        Rep. Bright introduced legislation to help future entrepreneurs create start-up savings accounts.  The Small Business Start-up Savings Accounts Act would create tax preferred accounts that allow individuals to set aside funding for a prospective small business while preventing them from having to use or deplete their savings.  These accounts, which function similarly to a Roth IRA, would allow entrepreneurs to save up to $10,000 per year in after-tax income and grow those savings tax-free to help ensure access to sufficient start-up capital.   (H.R.4309)

·         Congressman Jerry McNerney (CA-11) introduced a bill to close tax loopholes that send jobs overseas and give preferences in government contracts to companies that do not outsource U.S. jobs. (HR 5622)

·         Congressman Chris Carney (PA-10) was highlighted in an article in the Sayre Morning Times – “Small businesses get boost.”  He and USDA Rural Development State Director Thomas Williams Monday announced grant funding and technical assistance for Northern Tier Regional Planning and Development Commission Inc.  The commission is receiving a $98,000 Rural Business Enterprise Grant that will be used to develop a revolving loan fund for small and emerging businesses throughout Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga and Wyoming counties.  (Sayre Morning Times – 08/25/2010)

·         Congressman Walt Minnick (ID-01) passed an amendment to the Small Business Lending Fund Act to include Commercial Real Estate loans in the program to benefit this troubled part of the financial sector.  (H.R. 5297)

·         Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04) launched a project titled 17 Towns in 17 Days this August.  He began his tour with a business walk in Westport, CT. Over the next 17 days, Rep. Himes will visit every town in the district, highlighting each community’s unique strengths and gathering input from individuals in every city and town.

·         Congressman Frank Kratovil (MD-01) worked with federal agencies to ensure that these family-owned small businesses had the workforce that they needed to operate when Maryland’s crab processing companies were unable adequately staff their picking houses because of red tape in Washington.  His efforts helped save thousands of jobs across the Shore—from those working in seafood processing operations to watermen to truck drivers that transport the crab meat.

·        Rep. Kratovil also helped lead the fight to save hundreds of car dealerships following the automobile bankruptcies.  These actions led to the implementation of binding arbitration for dealers who appealed the loss of their franchise agreements and the ultimate decision to overturn the closures of two local dealerships saving dozens of jobs and millions of dollars to the regional economy. Rep. Kratovil’s advocacy specifically helped bring about a reversal of the wind-down notices for two GM dealerships in Maryland’s First District, saving several dozen jobs at each.  (H.R. 2743, H.R. 3288)

·        Rep. Kratovil authored bipartisan legislation to cut taxes on entrepreneurs and newly formed small businesses by increasing the tax deduction for start-up expenses from $5,000 to $20,000. This legislation gained support from over 100 Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle and twice passed the House of Representatives. (HR 1552, HR 4849, HR 5486)

·        To make it easier for small business owners to invest in their business and maintain cash flow, Rep. Frank Kratovil authored a provision, which was signed into law, to extend a key tax deduction that allows expensing up to $250,000 of the total cost of assets purchased for business purposes. (HR 3898, HR 2847)

·        Rep. Kratovil authored an amendment that establishes a Rural Entrepreneurship Advisory Council within the Small Business Administration to foster rural entrepreneurs. This amendment passed the House of Representatives unanimously.(HR 2352)  

·        Rep. Kratovil authored two successful amendments to honor the sacrifices of service disabled veterans by increasing the maximum loan guarantee under the SBA 7(a) lending program, and increasing the maximum allowable award under the Small Business Innovation Research Program for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses.  (HR 3854, HR 2965)

·        Rep. Kratovil toured L-3 Chesapeake Sciences in Millersville, MD, a small company that provides the tools and technology that keep our troops safe abroad, while creating jobs in their community.

·         Congressman Glenn Nye (VA-02) passed the Veterans Business Center Act of 2009, which establishes within the SBA a Veterans Business Center program to provide entrepreneurial training, government procurement assistance, and counseling to veterans.  (H.R.1803)

·        Rep. Nye also introduced the Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Procurement Reform Act of 2009, which amends the Small Business Act to subject to certain penalties any person misrepresenting the status of a business or person as a small business owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans in order to obtain a federal procurement contract.  (H.R.4125)

·         Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37) introduced the America RISING (Realizing the Informational Skills and Initiative of New Graduates) Act of 2010.  This bill would establish a grant program through the Department of Labor to two years worth of salaries for eligible college graduates to be hired by small business enterprises.  (H.R. 5472)

·        Rep. Richardson also introduced the “Not Too Small to Succeed in Business Act of 2010,” which modifies several aspects of SBA’s 8A program to help small and disadvantaged businesses.  This bill would extend the period in which businesses could participate in the program from 9 to 11 years and grant a one-time two year reinstatement in the Section 8(a) program for companies that were graduated from the nine year program.  It would also raise the limits on the definition of economically disadvantaged so the program would reach more small businesses and allow them more room to grow.  (H.R. 4818)

·         Congresswoman Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15) introduced the Small Business Intermediary Lending Pilot Program Act of 2010, a bill that would benefit small businesses in central Ohio and throughout the nation by authorizing a three-year Intermediary Lending Pilot Program, by authorizing $20 million a year for the Small Business Administration (SBA) to make loans that give small businesses access to credit.  This legislation was highlighted in the Columbus Dispatch.  (H.R. 5332, The Columbus Dispatch – 05/20/2010)

·         Congressman Jason Altmire (PA-04) spoke to local entrepreneurs about the economy during his small business workshop on exporting at La Roche College. At this workshop, entrepreneurs interested in exporting received information on how to get started, select markets, evaluate partners, and secure financing. The workshop is one of four small business workshops that Congressman Altmire is holding across western Pennsylvania this summer.

·         Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24) introduced the Early-Stage Business Investment and Incubation Act of 2010, which will direct the secretary of Commerce to establish an early-stage business investment and incubation grant program, and for other purposes..  (H.R. 5411)

·        Rep. Kosmas will highlight local job-creating businesses and innovative entrepreneurs as part of her “Central Florida Innovation Tour.”  Kosmas will visit with small business owners and entrepreneurs to discuss emerging industries, technologies, and ideas that can boost Central Florida’s economy and create high-quality jobs.

·         Congressman Kurt Schrader (OR-05), as a member of the Small Business Committee,  worked with his colleagues on a The Small Business Financing and Investment Act. His bill would update an modernize the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) lending program to increase access to capital, cut red tape, while incentivizing banks to lend.  (H.R. 3854)

·        Rep. Schrader also introduced the Small Business Borrower Assistance Program as an amendment to The Small Business Jobs and Credit Act of 2010. This amendment would provide borrowers in the SBA’s 7a loan program with access to a reserve fund which they can use at their discretion to pay the principal or interest on their small business loan. The SBA would set aside 6% of the loan’s principal value in reserve for the borrower to use in tough economic times. This program is temporary, and will provide a bridge to help small businesses cross over to the other side of this economic downturn.  (H.R. 5297)

·        Rep. Schrader introduced the Home Office Deduction and Simplification Act which would simplify our complex and burdensome tax code. The IRS provides a deduction available for small businesses who work from their home office. But, do to our complex tax code; many businesses do not take this deduction. This bill simplifies the tax code and allows small businesses with the ability to take a standard $1500 deduction for home office expenses. It has been endorsed by numerous business advocacy groups including the United States Chamber of Commerce and The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).  (H.R. 3615)

·         Congressman Martin Heinrich (NM-01) launched a month-long effort to highlight local, high-tech manufacturing businesses in central New Mexico. During the month of August, Rep. Heinrich has met with hundreds of employees and toured numerous businesses that provide quality jobs to New Mexicans.

·        Rep. Heinrich joined U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman to recognize Optomec, Inc. for their exemplary success by presenting the local high-tech manufacturing company with an Export Achievement Certificate. Based in Albuquerque, Optomec is a fast growing supplier of advanced manufacturing equipment for the electronics, photovoltaics, display, and defense industries.

·         Congressman Mark Schauer (MI-07) introduced the Reciprocal Government Procurement with China Creates American Jobs Act, a bill to limit the total value of Chinese goods that may be procured by the United States government during a calendar year to not more than the total value of United States goods procured by the Chinese government if any during the preceding calendar year, and for other purposes.  (HR 5312)

·         Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-03) presented $117,600 in federal funds to four businesses in her district this week.  The companies were awarded the grants through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). REAP grants are made to farmers, ranchers, and rural small businesses to develop renewable energy systems and to make energy-efficiency improvements to their operations.  This was highlighted in her local media.  (WKBN – 08/25/2010)

·        Rep. Dahlkemper also invited local small businesses to a lender-borrower matchmaking event.  She partnered with the Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to host this event.  This event was highlighted in her local press.  (Erie Times-News – 08/11/2010)

·        Rep. Dahlkemper introduced legislation to help small businesses expand through exports. The Small Business Export Enhancement Act of 2010 will help small businesses gain access to new markets and increase their exports by strengthening and improving Export Assistance Centers.  (H.R. 5832)

·        Rep. Dahlkemper introduced legislation to make cost-saving information technology affordable for small group and individual health care practitioners. Het bill, the Small Business Health Information Technology Financing Act, was incorporated into the House Committee on Small Business’ legislation, the Small Business Financing and Investment Act of 2009. (H.R.3014)

·         Congressman Zack Space (OH-18) introduced legislation that passed into law delaying burdensome accreditation requirements on community pharmacies.  (H.R.3663)

·         Congressman Scott Murphy (NY-20) has continued to build on his Renew Upstate New York economic development agenda by touring and meeting with the owner of the Cooperstown Brewery.  He helped keep the Cooperstown Brewery open for business.  After the brewery contacted by the IRS because they had not filled out correct paperwork for their brewer’s notice, Rep. Murphy was able to help expedite the IRS process, and the Cooperstown Brewery was able to start brewing again.  He is continuing to travel around the district to work with private industry and the communities of the 20th District to build on his plan to Renew Upstate New York’s economy.

·        Rep. Murphy also introduced the Business Checking Fairness Act – legislation to level the playing field for small businesses.  The bill repealed an outdated law that prevented small business owners from earning interest on business checking accounts.  The bill was endorsed by the NFIB and was included The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which was signed into law on July 21, 2010. (H.R. 4067)

·        Rep. Murphy introduced the Small Business Tax Relief Act — legislation to repeal Section 9006 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which would require any taxpayer with business income to file form 1099 reporting all purchases of goods and services totaling more than $600 that year.  In addition, the bill would help American businesses be more competitive by closing tax loopholes that encourage corporations to ship jobs overseas.  (H.R. 5982)

·         Congressman Tim Walz (MN-01) visited Rushford Hypersonic to highlight their entrepreneurial spirit and discuss tax credits for small businesses to create jobs and grow in the future.  Rushford Hypersonic LLC is Minnesota’s first rural nanotechnology company and is setting new standards for coating technology.  Fostering the continued growth of Rushford Hypersonic and other small businesses in the region to ensure continued economic recovery in rural southern Minnesota has been and continues to be a top priority for Rep. Walz.

·         Congressman Peter Welch (VT-AL) introduced the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act.  Home Star is a short-term program to create jobs, save energy, and lower families’ energy bills. Home Star will restart the assembly lines at factories that manufacture energy efficiency technologies and will put construction workers back on the job installing these improvements in the homes of millions of American families. In May, Home Star passed the House with bipartisan support.  (H.R. 5019)

·         Congressman Keith Ellison (MN-05) is focusing on events and meetings to promote opportunities for small businesses.  This week, he is hosting an export seminar with Ro Khanna, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Domestic Operations with the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service, who will provide insights on President Obama’s National Export Initiative.

·        Rep. Ellison also visited a UPS facility in Minneapolis to meet with their employees.  The Congressman will then help make deliveries and pick-ups with the driver of an Electric Hybrid package car.

·         Congresswoman Betty Sutton (OH-13) passed the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act (the “Cash for Clunkers” bill) which delivered consumer savings, increased vehicle demand, and helped save American jobs, while cutting greenhouse gas emissions and reducing our dependence on foreign oil..  Her bill was supported by the Big Three unions (AFL-CIO and UAW), car dealers, business groups (NAM and Chamber of Commerce) and the Obama administration.  It benefitted small businesses like auto dealers, scrappers, salvage yards. (H.R. 2751)

·         Congressman John Hall (NY-19) held a roundtable meeting at the New Windsor Community Center with Hudson Valley area representatives from the solar industry to advocate and make plans to “buy and invest locally.” The event drew more than a dozen solar industry representatives, ranging from manufacturers to installers, along with Vinny Cozzolino, founder and CEO of the Solar Energy Consortium (TSEC). Pat Courtney of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) helped coordinate the event.

·         Congresswoman Betsy Markey (CO-04) was a lead in successfully passing the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act.  The two-page bill repeals the special anti-trust exemption that health insurance companies have enjoyed since 1945, and will restore competition to the health insurance market to promote affordability, improved quality, and greater consumer choice in health plans.  (H.R. 4626)

·         Congressman André Carson (IN-07) hosted U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Deputy Administrator Marie Johns at a roundtable discussion with area small business owners and leaders of local, women-owned small businesses.  They discussed the opportunities and assistance that are available through the SBA for expanding their companies. They also discussed the importance of small businesses in growing this economic recovery and what needs to be done to help foster business growth.

·         Congresswoman Donna Edwards (MD-04) is hosting a workshop for small businesses struggling through the recession and seminars on how to contract with the General Services Administration.

·         Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-32) helped pass an amendment to the Small Business Lending Fund Act, which would require linguistically and culturally appropriate outreach for the Small Business Loan Fund, and to the extent possible, the disaggregation of data.  (H.R. 5297)

·         Congressman Heath Shuler (NC-11) has hosted several job fairs, workforce training seminars, and small business information sessions throughout Western North Carolina over the past few months.  His next event is a “Business Funding Forum” which will take place at McDowell Technical College on Wednesday, August 25th.  “The Business Funding Forum” will focus on available financial resources for small businesses in McDowell and surrounding counties.  It will feature several agencies and lending institutions involved in delivering capital to small businesses.  Service providers and lenders will give a brief overview of their organizations, after which they will field questions from the audience focused on financing a startup or existing small business.

·        Rep. Shuler also visited the Champion Credit Union Waynesville office to meet staff and members of Haywood County’s oldest credit union and discuss the importance of access to capital for small businesses.

·         Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01) hosted Department of Commerce Undersecretary John Fernandez on a visit to several places in Maine to meet with local leaders and business owners and discuss economic development opportunities. Their first stop was in Biddeford, a mill town working to revitalize after most of its major employers have left by renovating old mill buildings for a variety of new businesses.   Then they came to Portland to talk at the local Fish Exchange about what is needed for the city to grab more of the fish processing market.  And finally they met with business leaders and officials from Brunswick, a city that is working to develop new economic drivers on the site of a major naval base scheduled to close next year.  Secretary Fernandez said the meetings helped give him a sense of recovery efforts on the ground and local leaders in Maine appreciated the opportunity to get his perspective and find out more about what federal resources are out there to help their efforts.

·         Congressman Steve Driehaus (OH-01) joined local business leaders to discuss small business concerns and initiatives in Congress to assist small businesses.

·         Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) introduced the Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act of 2009 to modify the definition of a small business as stated in the Small Business Act by including the additional requirement that no publicly traded business concern be qualified as a small business.  (HR 2568)

·         Congresswoman Kathy Castor (FL-11) held two small business workshops in the district to explain how to compete for federal contracts, a Recovery Act workshop with Small Business Administration representative to explain to local officials Recovery grant opportunities, a business roundtable with Commerce Undersecretary Frank Sanchez regarding the role of exports in the local economy, and roundtables and meetings with small businesses affected by BP oil disaster.

·         Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (NY-11) introduced a bill which would create grant and mentorship programs for small firms in the construction industry owned by women, vets, and minorities. These programs would enable these firms to ultimately secure surety bonding, a necessary prerequisite to competing for and getting awarded major construction projects.  (H.R. 3771)

·        Rep. Clarke also co-authored the Subcontractor Fairness Act of 2009, a bill which would hold prime contractors accountable to their sub-contractors. This bill would protect the rights of sub-contractors to ensure they would receive their fair share of a contract when a prime had already pledged to include them in the larger contract. Subcontracting is a means by which many small firms achieve growth and she wanted to ensure that the smaller firms were being treated fairly. (H.R. 4134)

·        Rep. Clarke has been the top advocate for the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, a program at the Treasury that supports lending to small businesses and families in underserved areas. She also was one of the earliest supporters of the President’s $30 billion small business lending fund.

·         Congressman Joe Sestak (PA-07) hosted two business procurement summits (one in 2007 and the second in 2009), the most recent was attended by approximately 1,000 people and had exhibitors from over 50 government agencies and major contractors.  Also, his District Office has provided over 140 constituents with small business support.

·        Rep. Sestak introduced the Small Business Contracting Protection Act, which closes a loophole through which large corporations are currently being awarded federal contracts set aside for small businesses.  (H.R. 4420)