To provide for an additional temporary extension of programs under the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 through December 15, 2007, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3206) to provide for an additional temporary extension of programs under the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 through December 15, 2007, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, the legislation being offered today will extend the authorization of the Small Business Administration and its programs through December 15, 2007.

As Congress moves forward on improving SBA and the services it provides, this short-term extension will ensure that small businesses have many of the tools they need to be successful in today's economy.

I am pleased to say the Small Business Administration Committee has made significant progress in making long overdue improvements to this agency. During the 110th Congress, the House Small Business Committee has successfully reported nearly a dozen bills, each designed to update and upgrade SBA programs to meet the needs of the 21st-century entrepreneur.

Nearly all of this legislation has been passed out of the House, and every single bill has had broad bipartisan support. With their passage, we are well on our way to providing the most significant overhaul of the Small Business Administration and its programs in at least two decades.

During this Congress, the House Small Business Committee has successfully moved forward on legislation that will provide affordable loans to entrepreneurs, prevent large corporations from being awarded small business contracts, and ensure veterans, women, and minority- owned firms have access to the assistance that they need. And in light of the failures we saw during Katrina, the committee reported a bill that will improve SBA's disaster loan program. This has been completed in a span of a little over 6 months.

Our committee has been able to provide these changes due to the outstanding leadership of Ranking Member Chabot and our Chair, Nydia Velazquez. They have worked in a bipartisan manner to provide the necessary tools for this Nation's small businesses.

The extension before us today will allow the committees in the House and Senate to work out the differences in their bills and get them signed into law. These major changes require time to reconcile the House and Senate bills. H.R. 3206 provides the necessary time while ensuring operation of these programs are not interrupted. I urge support of this extension.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of H.R. 3206. This bill is very simple: it extends the authorization of all programs authorized by the Small Business Act, the Small Business Investment Act, and any program operated by the Small Business Administration for which Congress has already appropriated funds. This extension will last until December 15, 2007. This extension is necessary because authorization for various programs operated by the SBA ceases on July 31, 2007, tomorrow.

Working in a bipartisan manner with Chairwoman Velazquez and myself, the committee has ordered 12 bills to be reported out, of which nine have passed this body, the House of Representatives.

While the pace has been furious, more needs to be done in the examination of programs within the committee's jurisdiction. These include small business government contracting programs, investment programs for small businesses, and improving the management of the SBA.

This work cannot be done in a deliberative, thoughtful, and bipartisan manner by midnight tomorrow. Even if the committee and the House finish its deliberations on all aspects of the SBA and its programs, we operate, after all, in a bicameral legislative system. Time is needed for the legislative process in both bodies to function and, if necessary, for the two bodies to meet in a conference to iron out any disagreements concerning each body's deliberations about how best to ensure that the SBA and its myriad programs are best promoting the health of America's entrepreneurs. I urge my colleagues to support

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate

proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 3206, which was received from the House and is at the desk.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read three times, passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record, without intervening action or debate.