Job Creation Through Entrepreneurship Act of 2009

Floor Speech

JOB CREATION THROUGH ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACT OF 2009 -- (House of Representatives - May 20, 2009)

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Mr. HIMES. Mr. Chair, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Entrepreneurship in low-income areas is hindered not just by a lack of capital but by a lack of skills and training. Business skills training in low-income communities works. A recent Center For Employment Training study of 5,000 workers showed an average income boost of $7,500 to $26,000 for individuals receiving 28 weeks of business training. My amendment directs the SBA to invest in 10 Microenterprise Training Centers to provide training and resources to individuals seeking to start new small businesses, including expert-led classes, group workshops and one-on-one instruction. It authorizes no specific amount of new funds. We will look to make a small addition to the SBA operating budget later in the appropriations process.

This amendment is about spurring job creation in low-income communities, those communities that need jobs, that need small businesses most. These are the communities that are hardest hit by economic downturns, the last to recover and, in many instances, the communities that, absent jobs, draw on the public purse for the kind of public support that they need. So in the spirit of this bill, and with the support of the Small Business Committee, I urge my colleagues' positive consideration of this amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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