Transcripts For CSPAN U.S. House Of Representatives U.S. Hou

Lso, a republican effort to censure Intelligence Committee chair adam schiff. Live coverage of the house now here on cspan. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] recorded v yeas and nays are ordered, or votes objected to under clause 6 of rule 206789 the house will resume proceedings on postponed questions at a later time. That rules and pass the bill, h. R. 4406, as amended. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 4406, a bill to amend the Small Business act, to improve the Small Business Development Centers program and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from new york, ms. Very laz kess, and the gentleman from velazquez, and the gentleman from ohio, mr. Chabot, each will control 20 minutes. The chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from new york. Ms. Velazquez thank you, mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Ms. Velazquez thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Ms. Velazquez i rise today in support of h. R. 4406, the Small Business Development Centers improvement act of 2019. As always, before we address the many benefits of the bill, i just want to thank the Ranking Member and his staff for all of their collaboration and hard work to bring this bipartisan package of bills to the floor. Our committee prides itself on our ability to put the noise aside and get meaningful work accomplished. This these bills are especially critical because hey strengthen the Entrepreneurial Network of Small Businesses contributing to our country every day. It is once again a reminder of the importance of working across the aisle and getting things done for americas 30 million Small Businesses. H. R. 4406 bolsters the Small Business Development Center or sbdc network, which is the Small Business administrations larger entrepreneurial resource partner. The Network Delivers three face to face free face to face counseling and atcost training in alls a pecks of Business Management to new and existing small firms. The Services Include but are in no way limited to assisting Small Businesses with developing a Business Plan, accessing capital, marketing, regulatory compliance, technology development, and International Trade. The business the benefits of the program are tangible to Business Owners and the federal taxpayer. For every federal dollar spent on sbdcs, 2 is returned to the u. S. Treasury. Nearly 3 to the states. And approximately 48 in new capital is generated. Unfortunately over the years, congress has asked them to take on additional responsibilities, ranging from cybersecurity to expert promotion. Increasing the authorization vel to 175 million each year, just as this bill does, would allow the program to grow and reach more american entrepreneurs. H. R. 4406 also requires regular reporting to the congress on new metrics to help us better assess the program and how improvements can be made in the future. Studying a starting a business is not for the faint of heart. And strengthening the network will enable sbdcs to continue providing the in depth Business Training for aspiring entrepreneurs and Small Business owners. I thank mr. Golden and vice Ranking Member radewagen for leading this effort to improve the program, measure its success, and increase awareness of the sbdc program and its many valuable services. I urge members to support this bipartisan piece of legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. The gentleman from ohio is recognized. Mr. Chabot thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Chabot thank you. I rise in support of h. R. 4406, the Small Business Development Centers improvement act of 2019. Before i speak on the bill, id like to thank chairwoman velazquez for working with us in such a bipartisan manner. Its surely refreshing in this. Ge of intense partisanship the programs offered by the s. B. A. , i want to thank the chairwoman again for her leadership on the committee. The Small Business Development Center program or sbdc is the largest of the s. B. A. s Entrepreneurial Development programs with locations in all 50 states and also four territories. In fiscal year 2018, more than a quarter of a million clients received lowcost training and nearly 200,000 clients receive nodcost business consulting. H. R. 4406, this bill, includes several updates based on feedback from h. R. 1702, the Small Business Development Centers improvement act of last year, 2018. Which passed the house in may of 2018. Over 99 of all businesses in our nation are small. And those businesses employ nearly 60 million americans. The u. S. Economy depends on the success of Small Businesses. Providing support to entrepreneurs and Small Business owners must be a priority for this congress. Sbdcs offer that support. They offer minimal or nocost business counseling and training to wouldbe entrepreneurs and existing Small Business owners alike. The support offered at these centers ranges from creating the Business Plans, commercial promotion and branding, and navigating the International Trade market. The importance of the assistance offered at sbdcs cannot really be overstated. Its not just the single entrepreneur that benefits, our nation benefits as well. For every federal dollar appropriated, the sbdc program, 43. 50 in new capital is generated. The legislation we are considering today will only serve to increase the positive impact of sbdcs to our entrepreneurs and national economy. I want to thank the gentleman from maine, mr. Golden, and the gentlelady from american samoa, mrs. Radewagen, for their hard work on this legislation. I urge my colleagues to support the bill and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore does the gentleman reserve the balance of his time . The gentleman reserves the balance of his time. At this time, the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Ms. Velazquez mr. Speaker, i yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from maine, and sponsor of the bill, mr. Golden, chair of the subcommittee on contracting and infrastructure. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from maine is recognized. Mr. Golden thank you, mr. Speaker. And thanks to chairwoman velazquez. Since coming to congress 10 months ago, ive been focused on protecting jobs in the state of maine. And that means helping Small Businesses succeed. Thousands of Small Businesses in my state have launched or grown with help from Small Business Development Centers, or as youve heard them referred to, sbdcs. Just last year, sbdcs served over 1,500 Small Businesses in my state. Helped to start 136 new businesses, and worked to protect or create more than 800 jobs. Here are just a few of the Small Businesses that ive heard from directly in my district about this program. Sbdcs helped the maine meal purchase a building in order to launch their new bills. The milk house reeved received the accounting and tax advice that they needed to help grow their business from an sbdc advisor, important farming and dairy industry right there. Sbdcs helped a ski area in auburn, just across the river from my hometown, to develop a Business Plan so that they could secure the financing that they needed to start to acquire and continue the ski area, which is very important to our community. Particularly during the winter months. I visited each of these businesses and seen their work firsthand. These are just a few of the thousands of sbdc Success Stories in the state of maine. Given the Small Business Development Centers are the largest resource partner to s. B. A. , its particularly important for congress to keep the program up to date and performing at a high level for Small Businesses throughout the country. In maine, the states lead sbdc runs 11 out 11 outreach locations in my Congressional District alone in partnership with Regional Economic development entities, enabling smaul Small Businesses in maines Rural Communities to access valuable assistance. While the centers have had many successes, weve also learned lessons about ways to improve the programs in the years since it was last reauthorized. Thats why im excited to lead this bill, alongside vice Ranking Member radewagen, to reauthorize the program. And i want to thank her for her support of the bill. Its been a pleasure to work with her. The Small Business Development Centers improvement act of 2019 will make a number of positive changes to improve oversite, better enable sbdc tease partner with organizations, bolster the senate Accreditation Process and improve the voice of sbdcs in setting programs direction. Im particularly glad that the bill will help broaden rural Small Business access to this assistance by clarifying that centers are allowed to market and advertise their services. Rural access to s. B. A. Resources is key for states like maine and many Rural Communities all over the country. Finally, the bill will reauthorize appropriations at the level of 175 million for fiscal year 2020 through 2023, reaffirming Congress Commitment to the program. In closing, id like to thank the chairwoman and Ranking Member, in particular their staff, for forging a bipartisan path forward on the reauthorization of this program. Id also like to thank vice Ranking Member radewagen for coleading this bill with me, as well as mr. Evans and mr. Fitzpatrick for joining me as cosponsors. And i would encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill, to keep the sbdc program up to date for the good of americas Small Businesses. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from new york reserves the balance of her time. The gentleman from ohio is choysed. Mr. Chabot thank you, mr. Speaker. We have no further members to speak on the bill and im prepared to close if the gentlelady from new york is ready. Ill be very brief then. The sbdc program positively effects hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs each year and offers a significant return on investment for american taxpayers. This is a good, bipartisan bill. I urge my colleagues to support it. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Ms. Velazquez thank you, mr. Speaker. Americas 30 million Small Businesses account for more than 56 million jobs and create two out of three private sector jobs in the United States. The s. B. A. Offers a wide range of free or lowcost counseling and Training Services through its entrepreneurial ecosystem, to help entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses. H. R. 4406 makes a number of im. Pros improvements to the sbdc program. It will enable more collaboration between the centers and s. B. A. , improve the ability of this committee to oversee its performance, while also clarifying other rules such as confidential requirements. Most importantly this legislation is the muchneeded reauthorization of the program for four years at greater authorization levels. It is time for congress to prove its commitment to entrepreneurs all over the country by strengthening one of the greatest resources, the s. B. A. Sbdc program. It is a commonsense move and once supported by the Small Business Development Centers. I thank the Ranking Member for his support and i urge my colleagues to support the bill. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. The question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h. R. 4406, as amended. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, ms. Velazquez mr. Speaker. On that i ask the speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from new york. Ms. Velazquez on that i ask for the yeas and nays. The speaker pro tempore the yeas and nays are requested. All those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. A sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition . Ms. Velazquez mr. Speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h. R. 44005. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk Union Calendar number 190. H. R. 4405. A bill to amend the Small Business act to improve the womens business Center Program and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from new york, me velazquez, and the gentleman from ohio, mr. Chabot, each will control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from new york. Ms. Velazquez thank you, mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Ms. Velazquez thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Ms. Velazquez thank you. I rise in support of the bill before us today, h. R. 4405, the Womens Business Centers improvements act. Womens Business Center or w. B. C. s are a critical component of s. B. A. s entrepreneurial ecosystem. W. B. C. s were created to assist Small Businesses primarily owned by women, many of whom are socially and economically disadvantaged. The w. B. C. Program funds more than 100 Centers Nationwide and offers a full range of counseling and Training Services for all the stages of business development. Many of the w. B. C. s provide multilingual services, Weekend Hours to accommodate clients who work fulltime, and allow children to attend training sessions with their mothers. They created nearly 12,000 Small Businesses. Also proven to be a great return on investment, just like wshss. For every w. B. C. s. Invested 45 is returned to the economy. Women growing as entrepreneurs, its imperative and vest in modernizing adequately funding the program. Centers s Business Improvement act increases the authorizing level to 31. 5 each year and lifts the Center Grants al to 300,000, allowing more stablished centers to expand their reach to greater number of Women Entrepreneurs, of those who are socially and economically disadvantaged. Additionally, this legislation makes key changes to the w. B. C. s nabling the to serve more of americas early 13 million womenowned Small Businesses. Y eliminating unnecessary reporting requirements and reating a tr