On the recordMarch 15, 2011
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 this legislation which, suffice it to say, has been long overdue. It has been on a long journey since 2008 in terms of extensions and reextensions, but we have never been able to accomplish a reauthorization for a variety of reasons which I will explain later in my statement. But I do wish to congratulate the Chair for working mightily on both sides of the aisle and in the committee, accommodating bipartisanship by allowing the new members of the committee--particularly on our side of the aisle where we have five new members of the committee--who were not able to have the opportunity to review this legislation as new Members of the Senate because we had passed this unanimously in the last session of Congress.
