It's just hard for me to justify to my constituents the amount they are contributing.

We need to continue to innovate if we are going to create good jobs and remain competitive.

I really took to heart some of the ideas that you brought up on the uniformity across agencies.

It just occurred to me that there are a lot of great State resources, too.

I also wanted to follow up on--I know that several of you mentioned immigration reform, which is another whole topic.

We are not asking for a lot, but I think there are high impact opportunities for the Federal government to support the continued growth of the economy here.

Fortunately, two years ago the Small Business Committee was able to pass a six-year reauthorization that significantly increases the amount of R&D dollars going to small businesses.

we need to streamline contracting, which, while still faster and more efficient than most government procurements, is beginning to slow down due to inefficiencies that have crept into the process.

a huge deficit savings over not only the 10-year window, but the 20-year window.

Senator Warren Rudman is the senator who introduced the legislation.

I appreciate the opportunity to be here to share in this discussion and highlight these important issues that you have tabled for today.

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, especially in New Hampshire, and they are often the drivers of innovation and new technologies.