Nydia Velázquez

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as a new generation of heroes returns home from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, our Nation has a responsibility to ensure that they can earn a decent living for themselves and their families. When they reenter civilian life, many of our returning soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines will be interested in launching their own businesses. This is not surprising. After all, the attributes it takes to lead a successful business, like perseverance, leadership and strategic thinking, are the same skills that make members of our military effective. Already veterans comprise 14 percent of self-employed Americans. With more veterans returning home from Iraq every day, we can only expect the number of self-employed veterans to spike in coming months. The bill before us today is meant to make specialized services available to veterans so that they can succeed as small business owners. Under this bill, the Small Business Administration is instructed to establish a new Veterans Business Center program. This program will provide veterans with dedicated counseling and business training. There is already an existing Veterans Business Outreach Center initiative at the Small Business Administration, and while that program is limited in its scope, it has already demonstrated that veterans can succeed in business if they have the right tools. Importantly, under this bill, for the first time we will have a dedicated network of entrepreneurial development centers that are designed specifically with veterans' needs in mind. In addition to building on the success of the existing Veterans Business program, this legislation will tackle some of the most difficult challenges blocking veterans from becoming entrepreneurs. Given the ongoing credit crunch, there are specific measures in this bill to help veterans access capital and ensure loans. H.R. 1803 also helps veterans find Federal contracts that are well- suited for veteran-owned businesses. This is a particularly timely program, given the wave of contracts that will be generated from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Equally important, this bill makes clear that as the SBA activates the new network of Veterans Business Centers, it should look first to those areas of the country with large veterans populations. In short, we are bringing small business resources that veterans need to the communities with the most veterans. Mr. Speaker, all of us owe a debt to the men and women who wear our Nation's uniform in defense of our country. While we can never fully repay that debt, we can help our veterans reenter civilian life and pursue the American Dream. The legislation before the House today will help our returning heroes find their piece of the American Dream by launching and building their own businesses. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the sponsor of the legislation, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Nye).

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. If the gentleman is ready to close or yield back, I am ready to close.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Again, Mr. Speaker, let me just take the opportunity to thank Mr. Nye and all the members from the other side on the Small Business Committee who have worked on this legislation. I encourage all the Members to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1807) to provide distance learning to potential and existing entrepreneurs, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1513) to provide for an additional temporary extension of programs under the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, and for other purposes.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. All of us on both sides of the aisle agree that America's small businesses will be the cornerstone of our economic recovery. Not only are small businesses more nimble and better able to respond to economic turbulence, but after losing their jobs many Americans turn to entrepreneurship as a new source of income. This ingenuity has led us out of previous recessions. With the right tools and support, I believe small businesses will again lead our Nation back to recovery. Since January, this Congress has taken important steps to help our small businesses. The Recovery Act is helping address the single biggest challenge facing entrepreneurs today, namely, access to affordable capital. By making improvements to the SBA's capital access programs, this bill will yield $21 billion in new lending and investment for small firms. We have also targeted $15 billion in new tax relief to small businesses through the act, and many small companies are being put back to work rebuilding our economic infrastructure. In fact, small businesses which dominate trades like construction and engineering can expect to see $30 billion in infrastructure opportunities thanks to the Recovery Act. However, our work on behalf of small businesses does not stop there. In May, this body passed bipartisan legislation to update and improve the SBA's Entrepreneurial Development programs. These initiatives have a solid track record of success. Small businesses that use them are twice as likely to succeed. Last year alone, ED programs helped create 73,000 new jobs. The legislation we passed in May will build on this success. Through outreach to targeted communities like veterans, our bill will ensure more companies take advantage of these services. And the legislation responds to current economic pressures by helping dislocated workers start their own enterprises and offering expert consulting to troubled businesses. Finally, in the last month we have worked to update the Small Business Innovation Research program and the Small Business Technology Transfer program. Every year, through SBIR and STTR, some of our largest Federal agencies invest $2.2 billion in small business research. This infusion helps launch 1,500 new companies. The House- passed bill will strengthen the SBIR program in a number of ways. It will make it easier for companies participating in SBIR to access venture capital. We have also adjusted the size of program grants to better reflect the research costs. And we have targeted the program toward commercialization so more products come to the market and there are further opportunities for job creation. Mr. Speaker, all of these measures will update and improve Federal programs that small businesses rely on. As we speak, the committee is continuing work with our counterparts in the Senate to finalize these bills, prepare them for final passage, and get them to the President for his signature. However, as the current programs at the SBA expire at the end of this month, we must pass an extension so that our legislative work can continue. The bill before us will keep existing initiatives at the SBA running for another 60 days. This will allow us time to finalize these measures and prepare them for final passage. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Space exploration has long been a symbol of American innovation. Today, we are in the process of unwinding one of our most high-profile efforts in that arena. In the next year, NASA's space shuttle project will retire for good. As the program comes to an end, so will an estimated 8,000 contracting jobs. While the project is shutting down, its contractors and the innovation behind it shouldn't have to. In the past, these firms contributed a great deal to NASA's space shuttle program. I believe they can do the same for other Federal agencies, and for other space initiatives such as the Mars Lander project. That is why Ms. Kosmas's amendment is so important. By retooling their operations and seeking new markets, space shuttle contractors can continue to offer high-wage jobs to countless Americans, all while maintaining their commitment to science and technology. This amendment offers transitional assistance to displaced firms, helping them identify and vie for other R&D projects. In doing so, it will ensure that even with the loss of the program, we don't lose our most innovative businesses. I urge the adoption of this amendment. I yield to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves) for any comments he wishes to make.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. We are prepared to accept the amendment.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. I urge adoption of the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Chairman, while not opposed to the amendment, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Chairman, the legislation that we're debating today is designed to expand the pool of businesses that participate in the SBIR program. That is why this bill provides grants to economic development organizations so that they can educate rural entrepreneurs as well as businesses owned by women, minorities, and veterans about SBIR. By expanding the set of businesses that compete for grants and contribute creative ideas, we can further spur innovation and encourage the development of new, better products. The amendment offered by the gentleman from Washington strengthens this part of the bill. By utilizing organizations that have experience with the communities we are trying to reach, it will expand the reach of the SBIR and STTR program, making this bill more effective. It only makes sense to have the Small Business Administration leverage the knowledge of groups that already work closely with these populations. These organizations are already familiar with the small businesses in their communities and know which entrepreneurs will make strong SBIR candidates. With this amendment, we will be able to broaden the pool of talent that competes for SBIR grants. That means more ideas, better ideas, and an improved return on investment for the taxpayer. I, therefore, urge the adoption of this amendment and yield to the cosponsor of the bill, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith). (Mr. SMITH of Washington asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Chairman, we are prepared to accept the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Chairman, while I am not opposed to the amendment, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Minnesota for his good amendment. We all know that one area where SBIR has been most successful is medical research. From heart stents to pacemakers, advances in the medical technology field bring important benefits to the lives of ordinary Americans every day. In addition to improving our quality of life, the medical technology industry is an important driver in the American economy. In 2006, this industry employed more than 350,000 people and paid $21.5 billion in salaries. Clearly, this field, which is dominated by smaller firms, plays a vital role in providing jobs and fostering economic growth. Many of these firms got their start thanks to SBIR funding. The kind of high-risk/high-reward research that medical technology companies engage in makes them strong candidates for SBIR grants, so already there is an important relationship between SBIR and advances in the medical technology field. Mr. Paulsen's amendment would codify this relationship by putting a direct reference to medical technology in the act. While a seemingly small change, this amendment will formalize SBIR's support for medical technology research. In that way, the amendment will support future research and may very well lead to the development of the medicines of tomorrow. I believe this is a good amendment, and I yield to the ranking member, Mr. Graves, for any comments that he may have.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Chairman, we are prepared to accept the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I reserve a point of order.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I insist on my point of order. Putting aside the gentleman's comments, let me just say that we spent almost 2 hours, 3 hours here debating the SBIR/STTR, and what we heard is people talking about the economic downturn and how can we grow this economy. This bill deals with title IX of the Small Business Act. As such, Mr. Speaker, under clause 7 of the House rule, the amendment is not in order and is not germane to the underlying bill.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to table the appeal.