Michael Bennet: “I wish to recognize the Senator from Oregon, Mr. Merkley, for his leadership on this issue and for his willingness, when…”

“I wish to recognize the Senator from Oregon, Mr. Merkley, for his leadership on this issue and for his willingness, when times got tough, to dig even deeper and make sure we get to the balanced approach that is reflected in this amendment. It is a bipartisan amendment, which around this place I think is worthy of all of us taking a moment to recognize, and it is an amendment the people who know most about crowdfunding support. I wish to read several paragraphs from some of those folks. From Launcht, which is a crowdfunding platform, they note that our compromise: [i]s important because, unlike previous bills, for the first time, we have a Senate bill with bipartisan sponsorship, a balance of state oversight and federal uniformity, industry standard investor protections, and workable funding caps. From the National Small Business Association, we hear that our compromise: [w]ould promote entrepreneurship, job creation and economic growth by making it much easier for small companies to raise capital and get new ideas off the ground. This legislation represents a reasonable effort to accommodate differing points of view and to move this important idea forward.…”