On the recordMarch 4, 2011
I rise today to introduce legislation with my colleague and chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Senator Landrieu, to reauthorize the critical Small Business Innovation Research, SBIR, and Small Business Technology Transfer, STTR, Programs. Frankly, after nearly 6 years of debate and discussion, it is well past time for us to pass this legislation and set these programs on a path of certainty. Our Nation's economic recovery is being suppressed by an inflated unemployment rate--which has been at or above 9 percent for 21 consecutive months--and, as a result, a small business community that remains uncertain about the future and unable to invest in their businesses and hire new workers. They are looking for market-based ways to create jobs with limited government intervention and unleash their innovative potential. That is why I am excited about reauthorizing the SBIR and STTR programs, which foster an environment of innovative entrepreneurship by directing more than $2 billion annually in Federal research and development, R&D, funding to the Nation's small firms that are most likely to create jobs and commercialize their products.
