• Congress Reviews Host Of Small Biz Assistance Proposals
• Energy Costs Draw Ire Among Lawmakers
• Access To Capital For Women

Congress Reviews Host Of Small Biz Assistance Proposals

House Committee on Small Business Chairwoman Nydia Velázquez, D-NY, set a legislation-heavy schedule this week. Several bills intended to address small business ailments will be reviewed: SBA Veterans' Programs Act of 2007 would increase assistance, outreach and development of veteran-owned businesses. SBA Entrepreneurial Development Programs Act of 2007 provides special grants for aging entrepreneurs, disaster recovery and sustainability initiatives, among others. SBA Women's Business Programs Act of 2007 authorizes the National Women’s Business Council to conduct annual studies on problems hindering the success of women entrepreneurs and submit reports to the President and House and Senate Small Business committees. There will also be a bill to amend the Small Business Act to expand and improve the assistance provided by Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) to Indian tribe members, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. The NASE supports the growth and outreach of the SBDC Program, which is designed to deliver up-to-date counseling, training and technical assistance in all aspects of small business management. SBDC services include, but are not limited to, assisting small businesses with financial, marketing, production, organization, engineering and technical problems and feasibility studies. The NASE Advocacy office hosts “Tell Your Micro-Business Story," which gives micro-business owners the chance to speak out on a number of topics such as healthcare, technology and taxes. It also gives the option to allow the NASE to share your micro-business story with your Members of Congress. To share your experiences, visit http://advocacy.nase.org/issues/issues.asp.

Energy Costs Draw Ire Among Lawmakers The House Committee on Small Business is reviewing a proposal that would decrease the impact of rising energy costs on small firms. The Small Energy Efficient Businesses Act would put a comprehensive energy efficiency program in place for small businesses, while modifying existing Small Business Administration programs to help combat energy costs and streamlining the process required to procure loans for energy-saving technology. "Spikes in energy prices like those we have recently experienced can be a major setback for even the best prepared entrepreneur," said Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez. "For small businesses, controlling these costs is important to ensuring entrepreneurs are able to put their resources back into their businesses." In a 2005 NASE survey, over 70 percent of micro-business owners said that rising gasoline prices were significantly or moderately hurting their businesses. Forty-three percent of respondents said they have had to increase prices of service or products because of skyrocketing costs. To read the full text of the bill, visit http://thomas.loc.gov.   Access To Capital For Women   A major factor in starting or growing a business is funding, and a recent report by the Urban Institute looks at what makes the best funding program. The study identified key elements of successful programs, ranging from microenterprise incubators to venture capital funds. Not surprisingly, it found that the programs that were deemed most effective reached a wide variety of women through many different channels; offered a large variety of services beyond business finance and were managed by strong and effective leaders. The report also offered policy recommendations based upon the profiles of various programs at community organizations, banks, and venture capital funds across the nation. The suggestions include supporting the evaluation of microenterprise programs as an employment and training resource and providing funding on the same basis as other work-related programs; tracking loans by type or referral source and changing the nondiscrimination restrictions that limit data collecting and developing hybrid forms of investments that provide “patient capital” and support founding entrepreneurs. The Urban Institute report, titled “Capital Access for Women: Profile and Analysis of U.S. Best-Practice Programs” is available at http://www.urban.org/publications/1001061.html. Visit the NASE Web site at http://women.nase.org/resources.asp for a list of helpful links for women entrepreneurs. Voice Of Change - Write To Congress Washington may seem far away but you can have an impact, according to NASE executive director of the legislative office Kristie Darien. If gas prices are affecting your business, write to your Member of Congress. Health care costs high? Worried about tax gap proposals? Your Member of Congress can do something about it. Keep your letters short and to the point, and only write about one issue per letter. It’s better for the Congressperson to get three letters from you in one day, than for your concerns to be dismissed because your letter covers too much ground. To find your Member of Congress, visit the NASE Advocacy page at http://advocacy.nase.org/ and search by zip code.