Political Quotes

“I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment to the Small Business Lending Fund Act. The amendment I offer today does two things to improve the underlying bill's State Small Business Credit Initiative program. First, it ensures that State-run venture capital programs are eligible to participate in the program. Second, it clarifies that State financing programs will be eligible for the program as long as their use of the new funds meets the business-sized requirements in the bill. The programs created in the Small Business Lending Fund Act build on the proven potential of existing State lending programs. In Maine, these programs have been enormously effective at getting small businesses the access to capital and to the technical support they need. My amendment ensures that States are able to maintain their existing initiatives while taking advantage of the new programs created in this bill. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and the underlying bill. I reserve the balance of my time.”