Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1166 is identical to legislation the House passed unanimously December 5, 2001. Unfortunately, this bill did not pass the Senate last year. We are here today to try again. This bill simply establishes a 3-year pilot program providing grants to the Small Business Development Centers for assisting Native Americans, Native Alaskans, and Native Hawaiian populations with their small business development needs. Few people realize that 60 percent of our Native American population lives in or adjacent to Indian lands that suffer from an average unemployment rate of 45 percent. One-third of Native Americans live below the poverty level. However, the number of businesses owned by Native Americans grew by 84 percent between 1998 and 1997, as compared to all other businesses, which grew at only 7 percent over the same time period. It is quite clear that the entrepreneurial spirit of Native American small business ownership is the key to economic growth and revitalization of these often forgotten communities. Instead of creating a new program, H.R. 1166 uses the existing Small Business Development Center network to develop culturally sensitive entrepreneurial counseling and technical assistance programs for Native Americans.”