Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman from Colorado for yielding. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of this amendment to House Resolution 5297, the Small Business Lending Fund Act of 2010. The amendment offered by my friend from Colorado, Representative Perlmutter, would do a great deal to increase the availability of loans to our Nation's small businesses. Small businesses are the engine that drives our economy. This amendment will allow Colorado banks to amortize, or write down, commercial real estate loan losses over a period of time to ensure an adequate amount of capital for continued lending. The amendment encourages continued lending to small businesses by establishing a graduated scale with a maximum 10-year period of amortization for increased small business lending of 10 percent or more. Enacting commonsense measures such as this will do a great deal to help small businesses, while also protecting many community banks from the volatility that currently surrounds their commercial real estate portfolio. I have run a small business, and access to capital was always a pressing concern. I am glad that Congress is addressing this important issue. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this amendment.”