Political Quotes

“this seemed like a good opportunity to call attention of this body to a bill that I think is worthy of consideration and passage. From Bangladesh to Guatemala, one of the most exciting strategies for fighting poverty in developing countries is microenterprise development. For poor women especially, the practice of extending very small loans and improving access to financial services has revolutionized the lives of poor people and the way in which we think about poverty-focused development. We are now learning that microenterprise development can transform the lives of poor Americans as well. The time has come for us to provide the same support to these hard-working Americans that we have provided so successfully to millions of people around the world. The program for investment in microentrepreneurs, called the PRIME Act of 1999, which is H.R. 413, sponsored by my colleagues the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rush), and I am a cosponsor, that provides us with an opportunity to do just that. Unlike developing countries where access to credit is the biggest obstacle to poor entrepreneurs, American entrepreneurs face significant challenges to access the training and the technical assistance that is necessary to navigate the complex American economy.”