Supporting Small Business and Career and Technical Education Act of 2022
Floor Speech
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Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7664) to amend the Small Business Act to include requirements relating to graduates of career and technical education programs or programs of study for small business development centers and women's business centers, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 7664
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Supporting Small Business and Career and Technical Education Act of 2022''. SEC. 2. INCLUSION OF CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION.
(a) Definition.--Section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(gg) Career and Technical Education.--The term `career and technical education' has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302).''.
(b) Small Business Development Centers.--Section 21(c)(3) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(c)(1)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (T), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in clause (v) of the first subparagraph (U) (relating to succession planning), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon;
(3) in second subparagraph (U) (relating to training on domestic and international intellectual property protections)--
(A) in clause (ii)(II), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and
(B) by redesignating such subparagraph as subparagraph (V); and
(4) by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:
``(W) assisting small businesses in hiring graduates from career and technical education programs or programs of study; and
``(X) assisting graduates of career and technical education programs or programs of study in starting up a small business concern.''.
(c) Women's Business Centers.--Section 29(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(b)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
``(4) assistance for small business concerns to hire graduates from career and technical education programs or programs of study; and
``(5) assistance for graduates of career and technical education programs or programs of study to start up a small business concern.''.
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Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7664, the Supporting Small Business and Career and Technical Education Act of 2022, introduced by my colleague from Texas (Mr. Williams) and my colleague from Illinois (Ms. Newman).
After seeing massive layoffs in response to the pandemic, businesses are starting to expand their operations and grow their workforce. Unfortunately, this has created one of the tightest labor markets in U.S. history, and small firms are feeling this acutely.
Oftentimes, small businesses are not only faced with a shortage of applicants, but within that pool, they are seeing a shortage of applicants with the skill sets they need.
One of the best strategies for equipping students with skills needed to enter a market is career and technical education, or CTE. Aimed at secondary and postsecondary students, these programs don't replace academic training but, rather, expand upon it to give young people practical skills they can use, whether they enter the workforce or continue in their studies.
CTE programs can train students with a wide variety of skills in nearly every industry, and this program often works with local businesses to understand what skills are in demand to guide the curriculum.
This legislation directs small business development centers and women's business centers to assist small businesses in hiring graduates of CTE programs while also helping program graduates start their own businesses.
It takes a twofold approach of, one, creating a more adequate pipeline of trained young people for small businesses and, two, supporting those students who want to launch their own enterprise.
SBDCs and WBCs can help fill the gap between training programs and small firms by building awareness and fostering relationships between the private sector and our educational community.
Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Williams and Ms. Newman for their meaningful work on this bill.
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Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.
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Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.
Madam Speaker, while our economy continues to recover and job openings increase, it is important that we ensure there is an adequate pipeline of skilled workers in our small firms.
Fueling our economic recovery relies on them having the resources they need to thrive, including an adequate workforce. H.R. 7664 will go a long way in connecting small employers in need of workers to these programs and connect students to opportunities of launching their own firms.
I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Williams) and the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Newman) for their hard work on this bill.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7664, the ``Supporting Small Business and Career and Technical Education Act of 2022.''
This bill would amend the Small Business Act to include requirements relating to graduates of career and technical education programs, and programs of study for small business development centers and women's business centers.
H.R. 7664 would assist small businesses in hiring graduates from career and technical education programs, and would assist graduates of these programs in starting up a small business.
Small businesses are the engine of our economy, creating two-thirds of the new jobs over the last 15 years, accounting for 44 percent of U.S. economic activity.
According to the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA), small businesses of 500 employees or fewer make up 99.9 percent of all U.S. businesses and 99.7 percent of firms with paid employees.
Not only do small businesses provide millions of jobs, they also advance careers and opportunities.
Successful small businesses put money back into their local community through paychecks and taxes, which can support the creation of new small businesses and improve local public services.
Small business is the portal through which many people enter the economic mainstream.
Business ownership allows individuals, including women and minorities, to achieve financial success, as well as bolster pride in their accomplishments.
While most small businesses are still owned by white males, the past two decades have seen a substantial increase in the number of businesses owned by women and minorities.
The more we create opportunities for career growth and development from a wide array of diverse backgrounds, the more opportunities we create for ourselves and our economy.
A critical workforce challenge currently in the United States is the skills gap, particularly among jobs that require either a high school diploma, postsecondary certificate, or associate's degree.
Jobs requiring these ``middle skills'' outnumber the adults in the workforce who possess them, and this gap presents a barrier to American economic competitiveness.
Due to global shifts in technology, automation and other sectors that had been occurring long before the pandemic, employers were raising alarms over a growing number of vital skills they noticed to be in short supply from incoming applicants.
Graduates from career and technical education (CTE) programs are perfectly suited to fill this gap.
CTE programs help students see the relevance of their studies for their future and motivates them to attend classes and study hard.
In 2019-20 there were 11.1 million CTE participants; 7.6 million at the secondary level and 3.5 million at the postsecondary level.
According to the Texas Education Agency's 2016-2017 Academic Excellence Indicator System State Profile Report, 1,523,779 secondary students in Texas (46.3 percent) were enrolled in Career and Technical Education programs.
We must make sure our legislation reflects the importance and value of small business, CTE program graduates, and the role they will play in growing our economy.
I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 7664, the Supporting Small Business and Career and Technical Education Act of 2022.
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