Small Business Jobs and Credit Act of 2010

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Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of my amendment to H.R. 5297, the Small Business Lending Act of 2010. The concept of this bill is simple: Create a lending fund to help small businesses get important capital. This bill will help stabilize our economy and create jobs. And certainly I want to thank the chairwoman from New York and the gentlewoman from Illinois also for the work that they all have been working on.

My particular commonsense amendment is straightforward. My amendment requires that the Secretary take into consideration those areas with high unemployment rates that exceed the national average. This consideration will increase opportunities for small business development in places where it's needed the most. The national unemployment rate is about 9.7, as of last month. There are certain communities suffering at rates severely above the State and national average for unemployment.

Like many counties across the Nation, counties in my congressional district are particularly higher than the national rate. One of my counties, Starr County in south Texas, has a high of 17.3 unemployment rate. Hidalgo County is another one, at an 11.1 unemployment rate. Again, this is not a partisan matter. Areas throughout the country have unemployment rates that exceed the national average.

This is a matter of importance to every worker and family and businessperson. And that's why this bill is good for the backbone of American small businesses, in many ways, the Nation's economic engine. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.

At this time I will yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge).

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Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Chair, I thank my colleague from Texas, and thank him for the kind words. And I appreciate it. I thank him for the work that he's been doing.

At this time, Madam Chair, I'd certainly just want to ask my colleagues to support this. I'm also a former small businessperson, and I understand how hard capital can be to get to the small businesses. So I would ask Members to support my amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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