Mr. President, I thank the Chair as well. I wish to speak to the amendment offered by the Senator from Pennsylvania. I think it is a critical amendment for the contracting process. As the Chair well understands, because I know the Chair…

Madam President, I certainly concur in the comments that have been made by the Chair of the Small Business Committee, Senator Landrieu, who has exhibited tremendous leadership in bringing these initiatives to the floor for reauthorization…

Madam President, this bipartisan amendment is supported by me; Chair Landrieu; Senator Kerry, the former chair of the committee; Senator Coburn; and Senator Webb. This amendment is based on a report that was conducted by the Small Business…

Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there a sufficient second? There appears to be a sufficient second. The question is on agreeing to the amendment. The clerk will call the roll. The…

Mr. President, unfortunately, all too often it seems Federal agencies do not take into account the impacts to small businesses and job growth before imposing new rules and regulations. And so, I am introducing three amendments to the Small…

At present, TVC still exists, and it is still federally chartered. But as I indicated earlier, it receives no Federal funds, and has no department or agency oversight. So in light of everything I have discussed, and based on the report, it…

Madam President, the report was initiated by the Small Business Committee, and it found, among other things, that the Veterans Corporation failed to support Veterans Business Resource Centers; it had wasteful programs; it lacked…

Mr. President, I will address this amendment later. I wish to add that the Chair and Senator Coburn are both cosponsors of this amendment as well. I thank the Senator from California. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California.

I ask unanimous consent the reading of the amendment be dispensed with. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: (Purpose: To strike the Federal authorization of the National Veterans…

Mr. President, I rise to call up amendment No. 193. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report. The assistant editor of the Daily Digest read as follows: The Senator from Maine [Ms. Snowe], for herself, Ms. Landrieu, and Mr. Coburn…

Mr. President, I thank the Senator from California for yielding to me so I could call up an amendment. I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Amendment No. 193

Madam President, I would like to speak to the amendment that I called up earlier, amendment No. 193. This is a bipartisan amendment that is being cosponsored by the chair of the committee, Senator Landrieu, as well as Senator Coburn, who…

Mr. President, the Biotechnology Industry Organization noted: [t]his bill represents a balanced approach to ensure that America's most innovative small businesses can access existing incentives to grow jobs by commercializing new…

Mr. President, first I wish to commend the Chair of the Small Business Committee. She has done an extraordinary job in bringing this legislation to the floor in a bipartisan fashion, which I think is so essential to ensuring the passage of…

Mr. President, I thank the chairman. The points she raised are very critical because of the contributions these programs have made to our economy, most especially because much of the innovation that occurs in America comes from small…

Mr. President, I rise today to speak about a program designed to address the unique needs of rural schools. The Rural Education Achievement Program, or REAP, is designed to help level the playing field for small and high-poverty rural…

Mr. President, I am proud to once again cosponsor the Fire Grants Reauthorization Act. I am pleased to join with Senators Lieberman, Brown, and Carper in this effort to reauthorize these vital programs. I have always been an ardent…

Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleague from Maryland, Senator Mikulski, in introducing the Positive Aging Act, which will help to increase older Americans' access to quality mental health screening and treatment services in…