Olympia Snowe: “Today I offer a few remarks regarding National Small Business Week, which President Bush designated for April 22-28…”

“Today I offer a few remarks regarding National Small Business Week, which President Bush designated for April 22-28, 2007. As ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, one of my top priorities is to champion our Nation's small businesses and to promote their needs and concerns. Our top job creators deserve nothing less. This week, I have already discussed how Congress must solve the small business health insurance crisis and bolster the state of our Nation's small manufacturers. Today, I would like to spend a few minutes on the critical role small businesses play in the American economy. In the back of our minds, we in Congress all know how vital small businesses are to economic growth. But when we come to the floor to speak about small businesses issues, we are generally trying to fix a specific problem. We generally gloss over the overall impact small businesses have on driving our Nation's economy. The Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy, an independent voice for small businesses within the Federal Government, has published a wide variety of statistics regarding small firms. This data, which shows that small businesses are responsible for 50 percent of nonfarm economic output, or gross domestic product, clearly reflects how vital small businesses are to job creation and the Nation's economy.”