The Pueblo Chieftain - Bennet Would Boost SBA Loans

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By Peter Roper

As the Senate debates legislation to help small businesses this week, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet is backing a list of amendments he says will help ease the tight credit market for people seeking business loans.

The amendments that Bennet, a Democrat, is sponsoring would:

* Create federal tax credits for companies that train workers for jobs in clean-energy industries and for companies that invest in small, rural businesses that employ five or fewer workers.
* Raise the Small Business Administration maximum loan to $10 million for applicants needing loans for infrastructure and operations.
* Require the SBA to circulate loan applications among a broader range of lenders to ensure that more loans are made.
* Give the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office an additional $10 million to speed up patent processing.

"Colorado's small businesses and entrepreneurs are the drivers of our economy, creating new jobs and helping to move our country forward," Bennet said in a statement Tuesday. "We have to get the flywheel spinning again so that small businesses have access to the lines of credit they need to grow, create jobs and help the economy recover."

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