Floor Statements

Mr. President, I rise today to speak in opposition to the Feingold amendment, No. 1402, which the Senate will vote on shortly.

This amendment would restrict Congress's ability to direct spending to meritorious projects for emergency operations centers and predisaster mitigation projects.

The Senate bill includes funding for the North Louisiana Regional Emergency Operations Center in Lincoln Parish, which is a project that I supported, and I would like to say a few words about it.

This EOC will serve 29 parishes in Louisiana that represent 43 percent of the State's land mass and 27 percent of its total population.

It will provide north Louisiana with a command center for emergency response throughout the region and in bordering States. It will also serve as a staging area for emergency responders and resources and offer training opportunities for firefighting and public safety.

Louisiana conducted the largest evacuation in American history last year as Hurricane Gustav approached our shores, and north Louisiana sheltered a majority of those evacuees. When Hurricane Ike struck 12 days later, north Louisiana received thousands of additional evacuees from Texas who fled that storm's path.

Mr. President, I have received letters of support from four statewide agencies and seven sheriffs for this project, and I ask unanimous consent that those letters be printed in the Record.

Supporters include the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Louisiana State Police, Louisiana State Police, Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, and sheriffs from the parishes of Bienville, Claiborne, Jackson, Lincoln, Ouachita, Union, and Webster.

The State of Louisiana has already dedicated $144,000 to this project, and Lincoln Parish has donated land worth $400,000 to accommodate the proposed facility.

This funding represents a shared commitment on the part of State and local government that will ensure cost-efficiency and mission success.

The Constitution provides Members of Congress with the authority and responsibility to provide funding for national programs and priorities.

I support full transparency into the appropriations process, and stand by this funding request on behalf of the people of my State.

Mr. President, I thank my colleague for her passionate remarks about this particular nominee. I am happy to join many of my colleagues in supporting a woman I consider to be an extraordinarily accomplished woman, and I commend President Obama for his selection.

As the Senate Judiciary Committee prepares for its confirmation hearing, I wished to come to the floor to express my strong support for this nominee. As we all know, the Supreme Court serves as the highest tribunal in the Nation. As the final arbitrator of our laws, the Supreme Court Justices are charged with ensuring the American people achieve the promise of equal justice under our law and serving as interpreters of our Constitution. It is a very important charge.

It is our duty as Senators to ensure that the members of this High Court, which we are asked to confirm, serve as impartial, fairminded Justices who apply our laws, not merely their ideology. The American people deserve no less.

A number of my colleagues have expressed concerns regarding this nominee. Those are not concerns I share. Having reviewed her resume, her academic credentials, having reviewed her time on the bench on the Second Circuit, as well as in a trial capacity, she has an expansive judicial record, and I think that provides evidence of the kind of Justice she will be on the Supreme Court.

She has been described as a ``fearless and effective prosecutor.'' She has served for 6 years as a trial judge in New York, as I said, on the Federal district court, and 11 years on the circuit court of appeals. So she has been in the courtroom on both sides of the bench representing a variety of clients, and she has written extensively. I think that record reflects the kind of balance, fairminded, intellectual rigor we are looking for.

Talking about Democratic and Republican Parties, she has been appointed by both a Democratic administration and a Republican administration. So clearly there were some things that were seen in her and her service by President George Bush as well as President Bill Clinton.

She has participated in over 3,000 decisions. She has written over 400 signed opinions on the Second Circuit. If confirmed, Judge Sotomayor would bring more Federal judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any Justice in 100 years. That is a very strong and powerful statement, and I think a compelling statement, to the Members of this body.

I had, as many of us have, the opportunity to meet with Judge Sotomayor in my office earlier this month. In addition to having an impressive professional resume, her personal journey as a young woman from a struggling, very middle-class background from the Bronx also captured my attention. She came up the hard way, with a lot of hard knocks but with a loving and supportive family around her to lead her and guide her. Tutors and teachers saw in this young girl a tremendous amount of promise and potential, and she has most certainly lived up to the promise her mother and grandmother and others saw in her at a young age.

I believe she is the kind of person who will bring not only extraordinary intellect and character and credibility but a tremendous breadth of experience that will be very helpful in dealing with the issues the Court has before it today and will in the near future. She has not only been a champion in many ways, but her life has been an inspiration to all Americans, proving that with determination and hard work anything is possible.

Finally, it goes without saying that she is a historic choice that will bring a wealth of experience and added diversity to the Nation's highest Court. When confirmed, she will become only the third woman to serve on the Nation's highest court and the first Hispanic Justice in the history of the United States. This is truly a remarkable turning point. I wish she could receive, because of her outstanding resume--not just because of her gender and background and culture. I believe her resume should garner the support of a broad range of Members of this body. Hopefully, that is the way it will come out in the final vote. She most certainly, from my review, deserves our support, and I look forward to doing what I can to process her nomination as it is debated by the full Senate.

I thank my colleague from Minnesota, and I yield the floor.

Mr. President, the Small Business Administration has provided critical financial assistance and counseling to America's small businesses since 1953. The services and assistance provided through SBAs programs have been pivotal to this country's economic growth and have helped thousands of American entrepreneurs realize their dream of starting and growing a successful business. In this time of economic uncertainty, reauthorization of these entrepreneurial development programs is essential to moving our Nation forward.

What helps our entrepreneurs helps our entire economy. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, small businesses represent 99.7 percent of all firms, employ more than half of the workforce and account for half of the Nation's Gross Domestic Product. Small business management and technical assistance can potentially help millions of small businesses by teaching entrepreneurs and small business owners fundamental principles and practices regarding cash flow, cost management, how to access to capital and effective business planning. The SBA, through its resource partners such as Small Business Development Centers, SBDCs, Women's Business Centers, WBCs, Service Corps of Retired Executives, SCORE, and others, not only provides technical assistance and information to potential and current small business owners, but helps focus this Nation's entrepreneurial spirit into concrete economic growth.

As Chair of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I have heard from small business owners across the country. They have told me that the programs and services currently offered by the Small Business Administration provide access to important resources that enable them to start, grow and expand their businesses. But more can and must be done to help these entrepreneurs. Through an extensive reauthorization of the entrepreneurial development programs within the Small Business Act, I believe that we can dramatically improve the tools available to small business concerns while simultaneously growing and strengthening our economy.

That is why today I am introducing the Entrepreneurial Development Act of 2009. This legislation will provide SBA resource partners with the tools they need to effectively serve small businesses, giving them more opportunities to help lead the nation back toward economic prosperity.

Before I discuss details of this bill, I first wish to thank Senator Snowe for her continued leadership on small business issues and working with me on this bipartisan effort. Over the past three congresses, the reauthorization of these programs has continued to receive support on both sides of the aisle, demonstrating the importance of reauthorizing essential entrepreneurial development programs.

SBA is utilizing resource partners such as SBDCs, SCORE, WBCs and others to ensure that we are growing the Nation's economy through entrepreneurial development. In 2007, with a modest Federal investment of approximately $97 million in assistance, SBDC clients generated nearly $220 million in additional Federal revenues. Many of the small businesses that received assistance from SBDC's attributed their success to assistance offered by the SBDC. Nationally, this economic activity resulted in approximately $2.26 in revenue for every Federal dollar expended.

This level of return on investment is not unique to SBDCs. According to an SBA report to Congress, SCORE helped create more than 19,000 new small businesses in 2007 at a cost of $29 per business and helped create more than 25,000 new jobs each year.

These programs also provide essential information, training and assistance to a broad and diverse cross-section of communities throughout the country, and serve to further grow a variety of industries. Resource partners such as WBCs and initiatives such as the Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs, PRIME, are dedicated to serving clients who are economically and socially disadvantaged, providing tools and resources to small businesses in those communities that are most in need. According to a study sponsored by the Association of Women's Business Centers, AWBC, 2/3 of WBC clients have household incomes of less than $50,000 and 42 percent are women of color. These programs serve communities with limited access to capital and educational opportunities and provide them with the tools and information they need to start and manage a successful business.

The reauthorization of these programs is critical to effectively provide entrepreneurs with essential assistance and resources to start a successful business. The legislation will also create opportunities for veterans and service disabled small business owners. According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, there are more than 23.8 million veterans in the country, with hundreds of new veterans returning home from service in Iraq and Afghanistan each day. Many of these returning soldiers become entrepreneurs to support

themselves and rebuild their lives after long deployments, which also serves to create new jobs in their communities.

Since the passage of The Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act of 1999, the SBA's Office of Veterans Business Development has been working to provide technical assistance and support to those veterans who have served our country and returned to start or grow a small business. This legislation seeks to ease their transition by providing business counseling and technical assistance through a new network of Veterans Business Centers, modeled after Women's Business Centers and Small Business Development Centers. The Veterans Business Center Program will provide services not only to returning veterans and service disabled veterans, but also to the families, spouses and surviving spouses of these heroic men and women.

The 111th Congress will be the third consecutive Congress during which comprehensive legislation reauthorizing and improving the SBA's Entrepreneurial Programs has been introduced. Ranking Member Snowe introduced S. 3778 in the 109th Congress and former Chairman John Kerry introduced S. 1671 and S. 2920, a bill to which I was a cosponsor, during the 110th Congress. In each previous Congress, this legislation was well received and passed unanimously out of Committee; however, these bills stalled before the full Senate. As Chair of the Small Business Committee this Congress, it is a top priority of mine to finally get this legislation passed and ensure that during this time of economic uncertainty, we are able to provide small businesses with the tools they need to grow and expand their businesses. With this in mind, I will work closely with Ranking Member Snowe and the other members of the Committee in the coming months to get this legislation to the President's desk.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, the Small Business Administration has provided critical financial assistance and counseling to America's small businesses since 1953. The services and assistance provided through SBAs programs have been pivotal to this country's economic growth and have helped thousands of American entrepreneurs realize their dream of starting and growing a successful business. In this time of economic uncertainty, reauthorization of these entrepreneurial development programs is essential to moving our Nation forward.

What helps our entrepreneurs helps our entire economy. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, small businesses represent 99.7 percent of all firms, employ more than half of the workforce and account for half of the Nation's Gross Domestic Product. Small business management and technical assistance can potentially help millions of small businesses by teaching entrepreneurs and small business owners fundamental principles and practices regarding cash flow, cost management, how to access to capital and effective business planning. The SBA, through its resource partners such as Small Business Development Centers, SBDCs, Women's Business Centers, WBCs, Service Corps of Retired Executives, SCORE, and others, not only provides technical assistance and information to potential and current small business owners, but helps focus this Nation's entrepreneurial spirit into concrete economic growth.

As Chair of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I have heard from small business owners across the country. They have told me that the programs and services currently offered by the Small Business Administration provide access to important resources that enable them to start, grow and expand their businesses. But more can and must be done to help these entrepreneurs. Through an extensive reauthorization of the entrepreneurial development programs within the Small Business Act, I believe that we can dramatically improve the tools available to small business concerns while simultaneously growing and strengthening our economy.

That is why today I am introducing the Entrepreneurial Development Act of 2009. This legislation will provide SBA resource partners with the tools they need to effectively serve small businesses, giving them more opportunities to help lead the nation back toward economic prosperity.

Before I discuss details of this bill, I first wish to thank Senator Snowe for her continued leadership on small business issues and working with me on this bipartisan effort. Over the past three congresses, the reauthorization of these programs has continued to receive support on both sides of the aisle, demonstrating the importance of reauthorizing essential entrepreneurial development programs.

SBA is utilizing resource partners such as SBDCs, SCORE, WBCs and others to ensure that we are growing the Nation's economy through entrepreneurial development. In 2007, with a modest Federal investment of approximately $97 million in assistance, SBDC clients generated nearly $220 million in additional Federal revenues. Many of the small businesses that received assistance from SBDC's attributed their success to assistance offered by the SBDC. Nationally, this economic activity resulted in approximately $2.26 in revenue for every Federal dollar expended.

This level of return on investment is not unique to SBDCs. According to an SBA report to Congress, SCORE helped create more than 19,000 new small businesses in 2007 at a cost of $29 per business and helped create more than 25,000 new jobs each year.

These programs also provide essential information, training and assistance to a broad and diverse cross-section of communities throughout the country, and serve to further grow a variety of industries. Resource partners such as WBCs and initiatives such as the Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs, PRIME, are dedicated to serving clients who are economically and socially disadvantaged, providing tools and resources to small businesses in those communities that are most in need. According to a study sponsored by the Association of Women's Business Centers, AWBC, 2/3 of WBC clients have household incomes of less than $50,000 and 42 percent are women of color. These programs serve communities with limited access to capital and educational opportunities and provide them with the tools and information they need to start and manage a successful business.

The reauthorization of these programs is critical to effectively provide entrepreneurs with essential assistance and resources to start a successful business. The legislation will also create opportunities for veterans and service disabled small business owners. According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, there are more than 23.8 million veterans in the country, with hundreds of new veterans returning home from service in Iraq and Afghanistan each day. Many of these returning soldiers become entrepreneurs to support

themselves and rebuild their lives after long deployments, which also serves to create new jobs in their communities.

Since the passage of The Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act of 1999, the SBA's Office of Veterans Business Development has been working to provide technical assistance and support to those veterans who have served our country and returned to start or grow a small business. This legislation seeks to ease their transition by providing business counseling and technical assistance through a new network of Veterans Business Centers, modeled after Women's Business Centers and Small Business Development Centers. The Veterans Business Center Program will provide services not only to returning veterans and service disabled veterans, but also to the families, spouses and surviving spouses of these heroic men and women.

The 111th Congress will be the third consecutive Congress during which comprehensive legislation reauthorizing and improving the SBA's Entrepreneurial Programs has been introduced. Ranking Member Snowe introduced S. 3778 in the 109th Congress and former Chairman John Kerry introduced S. 1671 and S. 2920, a bill to which I was a cosponsor, during the 110th Congress. In each previous Congress, this legislation was well received and passed unanimously out of Committee; however, these bills stalled before the full Senate. As Chair of the Small Business Committee this Congress, it is a top priority of mine to finally get this legislation passed and ensure that during this time of economic uncertainty, we are able to provide small businesses with the tools they need to grow and expand their businesses. With this in mind, I will work closely with Ranking Member Snowe and the other members of the Committee in the coming months to get this legislation to the President's desk.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, as I come to the floor today, America's Main Street businesses are suffering. With cash registers not ringing like they used to, exporting has become a practical solution for entrepreneurs looking to survive and grow.

What helps our entrepreneurs helps our entire economy. Every $1 billion of exports creates more than 14,000 high-paying American jobs. By creating jobs, as well as lessening the trade deficit, an increase in small business exporting will lead us out of this recession and make our Nation better able to compete in the global marketplace.

Small businesses already play a vital role in America's trade and commerce,

representing 97 percent of all exporters. Yet, with only one percent of small firms exporting their goods--making up slightly more than a quarter of the country's export volume--trade remains dominated by larger businesses.

A December 2008 report released by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis noted that U.S. exports of goods and services grew by 12 percent in 2008 to $1.84 trillion. However, this same data showed that during the same time period imports increased 7.4 percent to $2.52 trillion. More involvement of our small businesses in exporting would be an enormous catalyst in reducing the country's trade deficit.

As Chair of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I have heard from small exporters across the country. They have told me that the programs and services we have now at the Small Business Administration, SBA, are just adequate, but improvements are needed. With a few key changes to some of the export assistance and trade programs offered by the SBA, as well as a higher level of advocacy, I believe we can dramatically improve the tools available to small exporters while simultaneously increasing exporting opportunities for all entrepreneurs.

That is why today I am introducing the Small Business International Trade Enhancements Act of 2009. With this important legislation, small firms will have more opportunities to grow their businesses by expanding into international markets, creating jobs and strengthening our economy.

Like many small businesses, one of the biggest hurdles faced by small exporters is access to capital. The current economic conditions exacerbate this problem for small firms. The SBA offers several loan programs to help small exporters, but years of neglect under the previous administration have sometimes rendered these valuable tools both unattractive and impractical for borrowers and lenders alike.

One of the SBA's signature trade assistance products, the International Trade Loan, ITL, program, is a perfect example of this. This program allows exporters to borrow up to $2 million with $1,750,000 guaranteed by the SBA. Exporters can then use this money to help develop and expand overseas markets, upgrade equipment and facilities, or provide an infusion of capital if they are being hurt by import competition.

While the original goal of this program is still very much on target with the needs of larger exporters, it has not evolved to meet the financing needs of small exporters in an ever-changing global economy. The volume of loans made through this program has dropped by more than 63 percent since 2003. The SBA's other signature trade financing products--the Export Working Capital Program and the Export Express program--have also seen significant drop-offs in their loan volume, 26 percent and 23 percent respectively.

With a few small but significant changes to these programs, the SBA will be able to once again provide a user-friendly and attractive financing option that makes sense for both borrowers and lenders. One of the biggest problems with the ITL program, for example, is that a discrepancy between the loan cap and the guarantee often forces borrowers to take out a second loan to take full advantage of the guarantee. Additionally, ITL's can only be used to acquire fixed assets, rather than working capital, a common need for exporters. ITL's also do not have the same collateral or refinancing terms as SBA 7(a) loans.

The provisions in this legislation create a more commonsense product by addressing these concerns. The bill raises the loan guarantee to $2,750,000 and the loan cap to $3,670,000, to make it consistent with the 7(a) loan program. Further, it makes the ITL program more flexible by allowing working capital to become an eligible use for loan proceeds and extends the same terms for collateral and refinancing as with the 7(a) loan program. The end result is a relevant and more practical tool for small exporters.

Making these simple changes to this program will go a long way towards helping small businesses find adequate export financing. The SBA International Trade Loan and other export financing programs, however, leave borrowers without any assistance in identifying which loans are right for them. Local lenders that specialize in export financing can help get these products into the hands of the small exporters that need them the most, but they are not always the most effective means of doing so.

The SBA currently has 17 financial specialists posted throughout the country at one-stop assistance centers operated by the Department of Commerce. These specialists, at a minimal cost to the taxpayer, have facilitated well over $10 billion in exports in the last 10 years, helping to create 140,000 new and higher-paying jobs. Unfortunately, under the previous administration, this program suffered as well. My legislation would restore the staffing levels to what they were in 2002, establishing a floor of 22 financial specialists with priority staffing going to those centers--including one in my home, New Orleans--who have been without a finance specialist since 2003.

With more than 19 Federal agencies involved in export and trade promotion, small exporters often do not know where to turn for help. My legislation would help bring small business trade to the forefront in two ways.

First, it gives the SBA's Office of International Trade, OIT, more resources and a higher profile within the Agency, making it directly accountable to the Administrator instead of part of the Office of Capital Access, OCA, where it is currently held. OIT is doing an adequate job now, but with my proposed changes, the office would have the potential to become a much more valuable partner and visible advocate for small exporters.

In addition to raising the level of advocacy within the SBA, my legislation reasserts the call for a special small business advocate within the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative USTR. The USTR plays an important role in every aspect of trade in this country. While the Office claims to make small businesses a central focus, I believe more can be done to address the needs of our entrepreneurs during trade negotiations. I, along with my Ranking Member on the Small Business Committee, Senator Snowe, and Senator Schumer, reached out to Ambassador Kirk earlier this year asking him to create an Assistant Trade Representative focused on small exporters. Such a move would not be unprecedented. In fact, this very chamber called on the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to create such a position more than 20 years ago.

The Small Business International Trade Enhancements Act of 2009 is an important first step towards ensuring that small firms will have more opportunities to grow. By increasing exporting opportunities for small businesses, we will help them expand into international markets, create new and higher-paying jobs and strengthen the economy. I have heard from some of the members of my Committee, and I know how important this issue is to many of them, including Ranking Member Snowe.

The 111th Congress will be the third consecutive Congress that I have introduced this particular legislation. I introduced it in the 109th Congress as S. 3663 and in the 110th Congress as S. 738. In these previous Congresses we have had some success in moving the bill through committee--a similar version of this bill passed the Senate Small Business Committee twice in the last two Congresses. However, as with other SBA reauthorization legislation, it stalled in the full Senate. As the new Chair of the Small Business Committee this Congress, I have made increasing small business export opportunities one of my top priorities. With this in mind, I will work closely with Ranking Member Snowe and the other Committee members in the coming months to get this legislation to the President's desk.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, as I come to the floor today, America's Main Street businesses are suffering. With cash registers not ringing like they used to, exporting has become a practical solution for entrepreneurs looking to survive and grow.

What helps our entrepreneurs helps our entire economy. Every $1 billion of exports creates more than 14,000 high-paying American jobs. By creating jobs, as well as lessening the trade deficit, an increase in small business exporting will lead us out of this recession and make our Nation better able to compete in the global marketplace.

Small businesses already play a vital role in America's trade and commerce,

representing 97 percent of all exporters. Yet, with only one percent of small firms exporting their goods--making up slightly more than a quarter of the country's export volume--trade remains dominated by larger businesses.

A December 2008 report released by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis noted that U.S. exports of goods and services grew by 12 percent in 2008 to $1.84 trillion. However, this same data showed that during the same time period imports increased 7.4 percent to $2.52 trillion. More involvement of our small businesses in exporting would be an enormous catalyst in reducing the country's trade deficit.

As Chair of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I have heard from small exporters across the country. They have told me that the programs and services we have now at the Small Business Administration, SBA, are just adequate, but improvements are needed. With a few key changes to some of the export assistance and trade programs offered by the SBA, as well as a higher level of advocacy, I believe we can dramatically improve the tools available to small exporters while simultaneously increasing exporting opportunities for all entrepreneurs.

That is why today I am introducing the Small Business International Trade Enhancements Act of 2009. With this important legislation, small firms will have more opportunities to grow their businesses by expanding into international markets, creating jobs and strengthening our economy.

Like many small businesses, one of the biggest hurdles faced by small exporters is access to capital. The current economic conditions exacerbate this problem for small firms. The SBA offers several loan programs to help small exporters, but years of neglect under the previous administration have sometimes rendered these valuable tools both unattractive and impractical for borrowers and lenders alike.

One of the SBA's signature trade assistance products, the International Trade Loan, ITL, program, is a perfect example of this. This program allows exporters to borrow up to $2 million with $1,750,000 guaranteed by the SBA. Exporters can then use this money to help develop and expand overseas markets, upgrade equipment and facilities, or provide an infusion of capital if they are being hurt by import competition.

While the original goal of this program is still very much on target with the needs of larger exporters, it has not evolved to meet the financing needs of small exporters in an ever-changing global economy. The volume of loans made through this program has dropped by more than 63 percent since 2003. The SBA's other signature trade financing products--the Export Working Capital Program and the Export Express program--have also seen significant drop-offs in their loan volume, 26 percent and 23 percent respectively.

With a few small but significant changes to these programs, the SBA will be able to once again provide a user-friendly and attractive financing option that makes sense for both borrowers and lenders. One of the biggest problems with the ITL program, for example, is that a discrepancy between the loan cap and the guarantee often forces borrowers to take out a second loan to take full advantage of the guarantee. Additionally, ITL's can only be used to acquire fixed assets, rather than working capital, a common need for exporters. ITL's also do not have the same collateral or refinancing terms as SBA 7(a) loans.

The provisions in this legislation create a more commonsense product by addressing these concerns. The bill raises the loan guarantee to $2,750,000 and the loan cap to $3,670,000, to make it consistent with the 7(a) loan program. Further, it makes the ITL program more flexible by allowing working capital to become an eligible use for loan proceeds and extends the same terms for collateral and refinancing as with the 7(a) loan program. The end result is a relevant and more practical tool for small exporters.

Making these simple changes to this program will go a long way towards helping small businesses find adequate export financing. The SBA International Trade Loan and other export financing programs, however, leave borrowers without any assistance in identifying which loans are right for them. Local lenders that specialize in export financing can help get these products into the hands of the small exporters that need them the most, but they are not always the most effective means of doing so.

The SBA currently has 17 financial specialists posted throughout the country at one-stop assistance centers operated by the Department of Commerce. These specialists, at a minimal cost to the taxpayer, have facilitated well over $10 billion in exports in the last 10 years, helping to create 140,000 new and higher-paying jobs. Unfortunately, under the previous administration, this program suffered as well. My legislation would restore the staffing levels to what they were in 2002, establishing a floor of 22 financial specialists with priority staffing going to those centers--including one in my home, New Orleans--who have been without a finance specialist since 2003.

With more than 19 Federal agencies involved in export and trade promotion, small exporters often do not know where to turn for help. My legislation would help bring small business trade to the forefront in two ways.

First, it gives the SBA's Office of International Trade, OIT, more resources and a higher profile within the Agency, making it directly accountable to the Administrator instead of part of the Office of Capital Access, OCA, where it is currently held. OIT is doing an adequate job now, but with my proposed changes, the office would have the potential to become a much more valuable partner and visible advocate for small exporters.

In addition to raising the level of advocacy within the SBA, my legislation reasserts the call for a special small business advocate within the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative USTR. The USTR plays an important role in every aspect of trade in this country. While the Office claims to make small businesses a central focus, I believe more can be done to address the needs of our entrepreneurs during trade negotiations. I, along with my Ranking Member on the Small Business Committee, Senator Snowe, and Senator Schumer, reached out to Ambassador Kirk earlier this year asking him to create an Assistant Trade Representative focused on small exporters. Such a move would not be unprecedented. In fact, this very chamber called on the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to create such a position more than 20 years ago.

The Small Business International Trade Enhancements Act of 2009 is an important first step towards ensuring that small firms will have more opportunities to grow. By increasing exporting opportunities for small businesses, we will help them expand into international markets, create new and higher-paying jobs and strengthen the economy. I have heard from some of the members of my Committee, and I know how important this issue is to many of them, including Ranking Member Snowe.

The 111th Congress will be the third consecutive Congress that I have introduced this particular legislation. I introduced it in the 109th Congress as S. 3663 and in the 110th Congress as S. 738. In these previous Congresses we have had some success in moving the bill through committee--a similar version of this bill passed the Senate Small Business Committee twice in the last two Congresses. However, as with other SBA reauthorization legislation, it stalled in the full Senate. As the new Chair of the Small Business Committee this Congress, I have made increasing small business export opportunities one of my top priorities. With this in mind, I will work closely with Ranking Member Snowe and the other Committee members in the coming months to get this legislation to the President's desk.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, today I wish to recognize 72 young musicians from Rosepine High School. On April 29, 2009, these students travelled from the heart of Vernon Parish in Louisiana to compete against 28 bands at the Music in the Parks Festival in Williamsburg, VA. Although Rosepine was the smallest school to compete in their class, hailing from a town of approximately 1,300 people, they received a superior rating and were ranked ``Top of All Bands.''

As a reward for this outstanding accomplishment, the entire band received an educational tour of both historic Williamsburg and Washington, DC. I trust that they were inspired and motivated by their trip to our Nation's Capital.

These bright young stars are proof that with hard work, determination, and the right amount of support and encouragement, anything is possible. I believe that constant support and supervision from families and instructors can guide students to a path of success and achievement. In addition, I would like to congratulate Rosepine's band director, Tra Lantham, and thank him for his dedication and commitment to the students as well as the school's music department.

I ask that these names be printed in the Record. I thank these young people and their parents for coming to our Nation's Capitol to learn about the workings of the U.S. Senate:

Mandi Alford, Samantha Allardyce, Jason Allardyce, Kelvin

Ayala, Lindsey Aycock, Mark Bailes, Matt Blount, Brandon

Boggs, Chloe Brausch, Haley Brown, Hannah Cardy, Zachary

Cardy, Jeffery Cox, Ann Cox, Brittany Darrah, Jacob Dearmon,

Taylor

Deladurantaye, Nick Deladurantaye, Jamison Deladurantaye,

Josh Ducote.

Victoria Evans, Chris Funderburk, Daygan Gardner, Chase

Gill, Austin Granger, Ryan Hess, Chris Hughes, Jessica Islas,

Elizabeth Kellner, Daniel Linn, Kaitlyn Lockhart, Wyatt

Maricle, Blake Maricle, Kaymen Megl, Austin Merilos, Sydney

Merilos, Joseph Myers, Katlyn Peavy, Bradley Richard, Josie

Slaydon.

Courtney Smith, Eden Solinsky, Devin Stephens, Cory

Stephens, Emilee Stewart, Teagan Suire, Dustin Thompson, Tito

Torres, Jossie Willis.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 5 minutes as in morning business.

Thank you, Madam President.

Madam President, I know we are trying to finalize the debate on the underlying credit card improvement bill and support for consumers with personal credit cards. But I thought I would take a moment to come to the floor to speak to the fact that this week is Small Business Week in America. All over our country we are celebrating the entrepreneurial spirit of the over 26 million small businesses in America that serve as a backbone of our economy.

Just yesterday, I was with Administrator Karen Mills of the Small Business Administration, as she opened Small Business Week at one of the local hotels here, where there are hundreds of small business owners receiving awards from all our States for the extraordinary work they have done in opening, starting, and building their businesses, at even these challenging times. In a few minutes, I will be joining her for lunch, as we hand out awards to some of the most innovative small businesses in the world today, not just in America but in the world. It is exciting that many of these small business owners are with us in Washington this week.

So I have come to the floor to speak about our business owners, some of the challenges they are facing, and to acknowledge there will be a resolution we are asking to be cleared this week in honor of these millions of firms.

I say to the Presiding Officer, as you know, Main Street firms pump almost $1 trillion into our economy every year, creating two-thirds of all new jobs, and account for more than half America's workforce. Sometimes when people see corporations and businesses and they read the headlines about General Motors, GE, or other large companies--Exxon, Shell come to mind--those are good examples of national and international companies, but they are not necessarily examples of where all the jobs are, contrary to common belief.

The jobs are hard to see sometimes because they are in small places; in neighborhoods and on main streets and farm roads and on farm-to- market roads throughout our country; they are with small entrepreneurs employing themselves and maybe two or three other people or themselves and maybe 10 or 15 other people. They are building the backbone of the American free enterprise system.

These are the family businesses throughout the country whose thread still weaves the American dream--the dream of working for yourself, being your own boss, setting your own hours, never working less than you would probably at a large company, always working more but being quite rewarding, with a business you can pass down to your children and grandchildren who earn their way in the business. This is what keeps the spirit of America going forward.

These are the businesses we honor this week. They are the technological startups that produce cutting-edge, clean energy sources, lifesaving medical advances, and provide safer equipment for our troops, protecting our way of life. They are the construction companies that build new schools and better homes and businesses that fix our roads and our bridges.

These are the small business entrepreneurs out there whom we honor this week.

As the Presiding Officer and our other colleagues know, small businesses are in a world of hurt. They are in trouble. They are in very troubled waters, in very difficult times.

As America's consumers pinch pennies to pay the bills, small business owners scramble to pay their own bills. Entrepreneurs are, unfortunately, being turned away from many traditional sources of capital financing. Many of these small businesses have never, in their history of business, missed a payment or been late on a payment. Yet we are hearing some very sad and troubling stories in the Small Business Committee, such as that of Robert Cockerham, whose wife, I believe, was with him, if my memory serves. He is a car dealer. He took his life savings and started Car World. Similar to many business owners, he put everything into this business. He became one of the highest selling dealerships in New Mexico. It was an exciting opportunity for him and his family. But yet, as this recession has unfolded, he was forced to close some of his dealerships and lay off workers. He thought most of his tough decisions were behind him, only to find that a bank came in and constricted his line of credit. Again, he had never missed a payment or been late. Unfortunately, now his business is in a very dire situation.

That is why it is important for us to press forward on everything we can, through the Small Business Administration, through the stimulus package, trying to reach business owners such as this who have not done anything wrong. They have simply gotten caught up in one of the worst economic downturns in recent memory. We need to do more, and we will. That is what our efforts are here today, as in the previous weeks, and hopefully in the weeks to come.

I am proud to say we have taken some important steps. But we need to do so much more. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act took bold steps to increase access to capital for our Nation's entrepreneurs. In the Small Business Committee, we worked to temporarily eliminate fees on SBA-backed loans. I am proud to report the week that new rule went into effect, we saw an immediate uptick of 25 percent in new loans being made through the SBA because of the temporary elimination of those fees.

The Recovery Act has helped to stimulate new lending and will, hopefully, continue to do so. We think, based on what is in the Recovery Act, it will pump about $16 billion in new loans and venture capital into small businesses in America.

I continue to be concerned, however, about the road ahead for so many of our small businesses, not only in New York, the State the Presiding Officer represents, but in Louisiana as well, where our unemployment rate, thankfully, is lower than the average but, nonetheless, our businesses are struggling.

We must double our efforts. I wish to work with my colleagues in the House to reauthorize the Small Business Administration and its critical programs. These initiatives have assisted entrepreneurs in starting and growing their businesses and were responsible, according to our records, for 1.5 million jobs being created or sustained last year.

One of these small business owners is Bob Baker, the owner of Baker Sales, a pipe and fence distributor in Louisiana and the State's Small Business Owner of the Year.

I met Bob Baker yesterday. He encourages his employees to take advantage of the free classes the local Small Business Development Center offers. He has taken advantage of the center's counseling to cope with financial difficulties.

These days, Bob reports he is doing better than most small business owners. He has stabilized his line of credit at a local Chase Bank, but he knows right now he cannot expand because of the current situation.

But let me say, if we are going to pull out of this recession--I believe we will--it is going to be because small business pulls us out, not the giant corporations, not the multinationals but the intrepid entrepreneurs who will put their face to the wind and move forward, even in difficult times.

The least we can do is reauthorize our Small Business Administration, make it as robust and effective and agile and muscular as possible, to give them the help they need.

To help Bob Baker, to help Robert Cockerham, and small business owners such as them who have testified before our committee, let us redouble our efforts to get our work done.

In conclusion, we must also make sure the billions of dollars in stimulus money are moving to small businesses, as required by law. I will be having a hearing this week in my committee, and I wish to thank so many of my members, particularly Senator Shaheen, Senator Hagan, and Senator Cardin, who have been particularly aggressive in this effort. I thank them very much.

Again, it is Small Business Week. Pat a small businessperson on the back. Thank him or her for doing his or her work because this will be the group who leads America back to strength.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at 9:30 a.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at 11 a.m., in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate to conduct a business meeting on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at 2:15 p.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at 10 a.m. in room 406 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at 10 a.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at 2 p.m., to hold a hearing entitled ``Pathways to a `Green' Global Economic Recovery.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 2:30 p.m. in room 430 of the Dirksen Senate office building.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Discount Pricing Consumer Protection Act: Do We Need to Restore the Ban on Vertical Price Fixing?'' on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate office building.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Leveling the Playing Field and Protecting Americans: Holding Foreign Manufacturers Accountable'' on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at 10 a.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate office building.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing entitled, ``Public Health Challenges in Our Nation's Capital.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at 2:30 p.m.

I ask unanimous consent that the Landrieu-Snowe amendment No. 1079 be modified as it is presently at the desk.

Madam President, I would like to speak for 3 or 4 minutes. I see my colleague from Iowa is here to speak, so I will not take any more time.

I spoke briefly about this amendment when I introduced it on behalf of Senator Snowe and others who joined us, from both sides of the aisle. I have spoken at some length with the chairman and ranking member as well. I am hoping we could have a positive outcome on this amendment because it is so important to our small businesses in America.

We have been trying with some degree of success to actually help small businesses on Main Street in our communities. I say ``with some success,'' because we all go home on the weekends and we continue to hear very serious complaints from our grocery stores and our hardware stores and our shoe repair shops and our cleaners and our business owners saying: Senator when is any help coming our way? You are giving all of these billions of dollars to Wall Street and to these big banks. Yet we are here really struggling. Is anyone listening to us in Washington?

Olympia Snowe and I, as chair and ranking member of the Small Business Committee, are doing what we can, saying: Yes, we are listening, and we want to be of some help. Every bill that comes to the floor, we try to put a lens on it: How is this helping small business?

This bill is a good step to help consumers, individuals, persons, who have a credit card. Unfortunately, the way the bill is currently drafted, it leaves out small businesses.

My amendment with Senator Snowe will simply put them in this bill so when this bill passes, we can have a real celebration about helping, not just individual cardholders but small businesses that are struggling to keep their doors open.

Madam President, you serve on the Small Business Committee. You have heard the testimony, immediate past testimony, of, really, businesses that have 500 employees that are struggling, to businesses that have 2 employees; from a conservative perspective, from a liberal perspective, that have come before our committee. That is how this amendment came to be.

As I reviewed the underlying bill and thought there were some terrific things in this bill that will help credit card users, let me just quickly say, it bans at any time, for any reason, increases in rates. No more can credit card companies just raise your rate any time for any reason. That is eliminated in this bill.

No longer can credit card companies charge you for a balance that you paid. If you owe $1,000, you send them a check for $900, they can still, under current law, charge you interest on the entire $1,000.

That is not fair. It is not fair to individuals. It is not fair to small businesses. That will be corrected in this bill.

It simplifies disclosures. Yes, I believe in the free market, but I believe in order to have a free market you need to be able to read the print. Sometimes not only is the print small, but it is almost difficult to understand. So it is more simple disclosures.

I think small business owners need that opportunity as well. It prohibits credit card companies from charging interest on transaction fees that they add to monthly bills. So small business will get that benefit.

This is, in conclusion, not going to solve every challenge that small businesses have, but at least they will know there are Members of the Congress, Senators and House Members, who hear them, who are trying to do what we can to respond, and this amendment will actually cover 26 million small businesses in America, in addition to the millions of other credit cardholders, perhaps over 50 million, maybe more. This will include small businesses with less than 50 employees.

I would like to help every business in America. I will continue to work on that. But for this bill, because it was directed to individuals, we thought by keeping it to relatively small businesses, it would fit in the overall scope and framework of this bill.

Senator Snowe and I are going to continue to work to expand credit opportunities for businesses with your help. This bill also is supported by Senator Shaheen, as an original cosponsor, and Senator Cardin. I wish to thank them very much for their support and help.

I see my colleague from Iowa and will reserve the remainder of my remarks for Tuesday, when I hope we can vote on this amendment.

Madam President, I come to the floor to speak about one of the pending amendments, No. 1079. In a few minutes, I am going to make a motion on that amendment.

I did not get to hear all of what the wonderful Senator and colleague from

Missouri said, but I take it that she, like I, supports the underlying bill. I can appreciate the need for this consumer protection. As chairman of the Small Business Committee, I have been hearing literally for months, as has the occupant of the chair, who has sat through hearings with me--we have heard the tragic stories of small businesses that have done everything right--businesses that had excellent business models, people who have been in business for four decades or longer, businesses that have never missed a credit card payment. You have heard their pleas to us to give them some relief.

The consumers generally have said the same. The wonderful thing is that this underlying bill gives some relief to consumers, to personal credit cardholders. I commend Senator Dodd and Senator Shelby for bringing this bill to the floor. It only got out of this Banking Committee, which is tough to get any pro-consumer legislation out of, unfortunately, by only one vote, I understand. But they got it to the floor. It is a very important bill. People cannot have their interest rates raised without notice. They cannot have their balances double charged. In other words, right now, today, if you owed $5,000 on your credit card and you cashed in your savings bonds and everything else and paid $4,500 on that balance to get it down, under the current law, credit card companies can still charge you the full interest on $5,000. That is wrong. These same companies are receiving billions and billions of taxpayer dollars so they can turn around and fleece the people who are sending them the tax dollars to bail them out. It is unconscionable, truly. So the committee acted. They did the right thing. They extended these protections to consumers.

But there were some potential jurisdictional questions, or perhaps an oversight, that the bill does not protect holders of business credit cards. Twenty-five years ago, this wouldn't have been an issue, because most people who were building a business, or financing one, had other avenues of capital.

You can see on this chart the trend in credit card use. In 1993, 16 years ago, 16 percent of business owners said they used credit cards to finance their operations. In that 16 years, it has gone to 60 percent-- from 16 percent to 60 percent. It has become a source of capital and cashflow, a tool, for small business.

Here again is another chart. We have learned this in our hearings we have had. Sources of small business financing in 2009: Credit cards, 59 percent, just about 60 percent; bank loans, 45 percent; vendor credit, 30 percent; used no financing--cash or savings--19 percent; private loans through a friend or family, 19 percent; and SBA loans, 5 percent. That is an important part, although it is small, which helps to finance. It is long term, I might say; our loans are 20, 25, 30 years. Some of these others are only 30- or 60-day loans. It is small, but it is important. We hope with your leadership, Madam President, and that of the Senator from Maine, we can get this number up.

The point of this discussion is this number--60 percent: Small businesses in Louisiana, from New Orleans, to Alexandria, to Shreveport--small business people I see when I am shopping at Costco or at Sam's Club, standing in line, and I know it is not a family because they have four dozen oranges. No family eats that many oranges in a week, so you know they are buying for their small business or restaurant or for their corner store. So we know that these small businesses are relying more and more on credit cards.

In this bill we are voting on, there is no protection for them--zero. This bill only protects personal credit cards, not business credit cards. So the Landrieu-Snowe amendment, cosponsored by the occupant of the chair--and I will get the list of others in a moment--it was cosponsored by several Members of the Senate, and they are Senators Cardin, Shaheen, Brown, Cantwell, Inouye, Klobuchar, Snowe, Collins, and I think others will be joining in support of this amendment. We have decided to offer an amendment that simply says the underlying safeguards for holders of personal credit cards should simply extend to businesses of 50 employees or less, up to $25,000 on their business card, because there are many people who carry a personal card for personal business. Of course, they may carry a business card for business-related business.

I know we have to give consumers relief, but I am here to say, as the chairman of the Small Business Committee, if we don't give our small businesses some relief, we are not going to have an economy to depend on because if we are looking for people to create jobs--which I think is what the President is calling on us to do--those jobs are going to be created by the small businesses of America. That is why in this debate the National Federation of Independent Businesses--not a bastion of liberalism by any means--is supporting this bill, and the American Society of Travel Agents, the American Beverage Licensees, the Consumer Federation of America, the Food Marketing Institute, the National Association for the Self-Employed, representing tens of millions of self-employed individuals--and they find it ironic that we say we are trying to get help to the little guy and we say we are trying to get help from Wall Street to Main Street. Yet every time there are amendments on the floor to actually do that, they never seem to be able to pass.

I know there are arguments that say: Well, we don't know what the effect of this amendment will be. I can tell you what the effect will be. The small businesses in America, the 20 million that will be affected by this, will say: Thank you for not allowing my rates to go up without notice. Thank you for not allowing them to double-charge me if I am paying down $20,000 on my $25,000 balance. Thank you, because I didn't get a penny from the TARP money, but at least I am getting some help through this consumer relief bill.

As I said, the National Federation of Independent Business, the National Small Business Association, the Petroleum Marketers Association of America, the Service Employees International Union, the Small Business Majority, and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Women's Chamber of Commerce, and the Black Chamber of Commerce have all endorsed this bill. We haven't heard yet from the U.S. Chamber, but I am hoping they will step forward--at least the small business section of the U.S. Chamber. I understand they represent large banks, credit card-issuing companies, so it is tough for them. But somebody has to speak up for small business, and I hope that right now my colleagues will consider this amendment.

Again, I am going to have to call it up for action now and actually move to table it, and when I do that, we will not be able to have any discussion on this because that motion is not debatable. That is why I am speaking about it now. But at least we will get on the record how people feel about this, and I am hoping we can get a substantial vote.

I have decided that even if it is just my vote, and the cosponsors and Senator Snowe, at least the small business people in America will know there are some people here who understand they deserve the minimal protections this bill provides, particularly at this time, and that in the next year or two, or three, four, or five--until we get on safe ground--we need to be doing everything we can to help small businesses because without them, there will be no recovery. It is not the large businesses that are going to create these jobs. They are going to contract. They are going to redesign themselves. They are going to contract until things are safe. They are going to poke their head out of that shell when the way is clear. The people who are going to run out in the line of fire are the small businesses these people represent. They are the ones who are going to say: No, I am not going down. I am going to hire. I am going to keep moving forward because I know my idea is good or because I know when we come out of this recession, I will be able to make it. These are the people on whom we will build this recovery, and these are the people who need help today. We don't need to study it for 10 years or look at it for 5 years. These organizations represent the millions of businesses that need help today. So on behalf of this coalition, I think the facts are on our side.

This is not an anti-credit card company amendment, this is a pro- small business amendment. I know people have to make money. Everybody has to make money. And everybody is trying

to do what they can. But there is no excuse right now, when small businesses have to rely--as I said, 60 percent of our small businesses--and this is an average. In some States, it probably could be up to 70 percent of small businesses. In some States, maybe it is below 50 or 45. But it is still a significant number of businesses using credit cards to help finance their business. Let's give them a little help today.

So I move to call up and I ask for the yeas and nays on amendment No. 1079. I further move to table the amendment.

Madam President, I withdraw the request, and I ask for regular order on amendment No. 1079.

Madam President, in order for me to get a vote on this amendment, I am going to have to ask for the amendment to be tabled. I would like to ask for the amendment to be tabled. Of course, I will be voting not to table it and will be asking for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, at this time I would like to remove my motion to table amendment No. 1079, but I would like it to remain pending.

I understand the amendment will still be pending. But when cloture is invoked, unfortunately, this amendment is going to fall because it is not germane to the bill so we will not be able to have a vote on this amendment, which was my hope. But because of time constraints and because of the difficulty of getting Members to the floor for the procedures that we would have to go through to have a vote, I am happy to report that the chairman of the committee has agreed to allow our committee, Small Business, to have jurisdiction over this matter.

We will, in the next few weeks, be putting together a bill on the Small Business Administration Reauthorization, which we have to do by matter of course and responsibility. I appreciate Senator Dodd agreeing to acquiesce to allow our committee to have jurisdiction over this narrow matter. I intend, with the help of my ranking member, Senator Snowe, and the help of, I hope, the vast majority of the members of our committee, both Democrats and Republicans--I hope we will stand together to present at that time legislation that can provide real relief to small businesses that need all the help they can get.

We are not asking for artificially low rates to be set. We are not asking to tie credit card companies' hands in the event that small businesses renege on their payment plans or are late paying. We are just saying, if you are a business operating out there and you have paid your bills on time, you are paying your credit cards, you are meeting your obligations, that your rates cannot arbitrarily be raised.

We understand transactions and contracts between business people. This is not the Government stepping in to try to negotiate. This is simply a level playing field between consumers and small businesses.

Again, because 69 percent of businesses in America today depend on credit cards to finance their operations, I am here to say, and our committee will be back saying to the Members of the Senate, we must get our eyes on small business, on their access to credit, on their ability to survive so this recovery can take root, and we can create the kinds of jobs that will be necessary.

I am sorry because of the time constraints and the unwillingness of some here to be cooperative. But I thank the chair of the committee, Senator Dodd, for allowing our committee to have jurisdiction. I can promise, as the chair of that committee, this amendment will be on the bill when our bill comes to the floor for consideration and we will get a vote. If people want to vote against our amendment--something may not be exact--fine. Let them vote against it. But I want the record to be clear that there are a number of Members of the Senate, hopefully a majority, who believe the same protections extended to consumers for their credit cards would be extended to businesses in America, small businesses--those with 50 employees or less--with at least a $25,000 limit on their credit card. It is not going to be every business in America that will get covered, but it is the small businesses that are having the most difficult time.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I wanted to take a few minutes in reference to the vote we just had. I cast my vote for the nominee, based on not only his experience with the Department, but based on my confidence in the Secretary that the President has appointed to help lead this country to a position of energy security, a position we do not enjoy at this very moment.

Despite the work that has been done here and on the other side of the Capitol in the last couple of years, despite the rhetoric of several decades, we do not enjoy energy security. We have environmental issues, but we have security issues.

I wanted to express this, because there was obviously some hesitancy about this nominee based on an issue, I believe, involving domestic oil and gas production. That is what this vote was about, not about this personal nominee.

This was a vote to express concern, which I share to some degree, that this administration has not positioned itself appropriately and aggressively enough in the area of domestic energy production, of traditional as well as alternative and new sources.

Here I want to express that while I voted yes on this nominee, that I plan, and Members on the Republican and Democratic side plan, to be more vocal in expressing our concern to this administration that the tax proposals on the oil and gas industry are not going to create jobs. We are going to lose jobs, 1.8 million.

While we move to alternative fuels, we are turning our back on traditional natural gas, which is plentiful, which makes money for lots of people, which secures America, strengthens our industry and creates jobs.

So this was a vote to indicate an unsettling on this floor, both from the Republican side and among some Democrats, that this issue needs to be addressed more directly and more aggressively.

I have all the confidence, as I close, in Secretary Salazar. He served right here with us a few years ago. I know he seeks a balance. So I trust that we will start seeing some aggressive comments coming out from the administration as we push forward to keep leasing up in the gulf off the coast of Alaska, opening up Virginia, other parts of the Continental Shelf, as well as the plentiful gas in your own State, and in places such as Pennsylvania and Ohio, where our industries are desperate for this cheap, clean energy source.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I want to speak for a few moments about an amendment that I ask be called up, amendment No. 1079.

Mr. President, I call this amendment up for discussion purposes. I am open to some modification. I want to explain, basically, this amendment. I have spoken with the chairman of the committee that has proposed the underlying bill. He sees merit in this proposal, and I am grateful for that. I want to talk about what the issue is, generally, and then as we proceed to a final vote, I may be open to some modification of this amendment.

As chair of the Small Business Committee, I offer this amendment on behalf of myself and my ranking member, Senator Snowe from Maine, who served for many years as chair of this important committee. We have committed to try to be the very best advocates we can for small businesses in America. There are close to 30 million small businesses that are actually feeling the brunt of this recession--in some ways more than anybody, as the Chair knows. In Illinois, I am sure the occupant of the chair hears on a regular basis from small mom-and-pop operators who have been in business for decades, to the more established but relatively small businesses, restaurants, shoe repair shops, hardware stores--people who have said to me--and I am sure he hears this--``Senator, we have never experienced this kind of difficulty getting access to credit.'' They are angry, and they should be. They are frustrated, because while they understand shared sacrifice, like many hard-working Americans do, they are having trouble understanding how we continue to send billions and billions of dollars to the big banks, the Wall Street companies, to the international companies, and they are having trouble seeing any of that actually hit Main Street, where they are, where they have been, and where they want to stay.

The small businesses are right around the corner and, in some instances, on the same block as the constituents whom we represent--of course, we represent them as well. It came to the attention of this Chair and our ranking member that this bill, which has a lot of merit-- this amendment to consumer protection language is very important, but it has a limit that we are not comfortable with. That limit is that this credit card protection extends only to a natural person, what is defined in the law as a natural person. So it is a personal credit card that you would get that would get this benefit. I think, as chair of the Small Business Committee, representing a broad coalition, that this same benefit should extend at least to small businesses as well, to businesses that are literally trying to keep their access to capital-- not just to keep themselves in business, to keep their communities strong, but to lead our Nation's recovery. The President himself has said he expects that in our recovery--and he is correct--job creation is not going to come from the big businesses, the multinational companies; they are going to be contracting for some time, I suspect. What big business has to do to survive--I have some general understanding of that, but the big risks are going to be taken by the small entrepreneurs who, despite the gloom and doom, have decided their ideas are worth pursuing, and they are going to build this recovery one job at a time.

I don't know why we would even be considering only limiting this help and support to private individuals and leaving small business out. I don't think that is the intention of the chairman of the Banking Committee, as he has indicated to me. So that is basically what our amendment would do. It would simply include small businesses that have $25,000 on their credit card, where they are trying to stay in business, keep their lights on, keep that capital flowing, as other sources dry up, as we have heard, and extend the same protections to them.

I am open to some slight modifications because I understand there may be some objections. I am not clear about where those objections would come from. So right now, let me say again that I offered this in a bipartisan amendment from Senator Snowe and myself. I am happy also that we are joined by Senators Shaheen, Cardin, and others, who have indicated they may want to cosponsor this amendment.

I have a long list of organizations that have endorsed this concept. I will read them into the Record. The Consumer Action Group; Consumer Federation of America; Food Marketing Institute; National Association of College Stores; National Association of the Self Employed; National Association of Theater Owners; American Beverage Licensees; American Society of Travel Agents; National Small Business Association, which brought this issue to my attention; Petroleum Marketers Association; Service Employees International; U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce; National Consumer Law Center on Behalf of Low-Income Clients; National Community Reinvestment Coalition. I understand that also the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the largest organization of independent businesses in the country, is poised to endorse this as well.

So we have a very credible group of organizations that think these protections for credit cardholders should not go to persons but to businesses that arguably need as much, if not more, protection as they attempt to create jobs and keep their businesses open, which is a help to all. So that is the nature of this amendment.

I understand that it is important to bring this debate to a close and, hopefully, we can get there. I do know there are probably 30 other amendments pending and this, of course, is one. I am sure we can find a time that is appropriate for this vote.

I wanted to bring to the attention of the Senate that one of the reasons this issue is becoming so important to small businesses is, if you think about it, only 15 years ago, most people who started their own business would either take out a home equity loan or they might borrow money from a rich uncle or aunt or they would dip into their savings, and this was sort of the traditional way. If they had some status or credit in the community, they could go to their local bank and they might get a loan for their business.

Those times have changed dramatically. I don't have the charts here, but if I could show one, it would show that on the latest survey our committee took, 59 percent of all businesses in

America are using credit cards to finance their business or for their primary cash flow tool. Credit cards for businesses are different. We just had American Express testify this morning. Of course, if you have an American Express business card, their model is different. The good news is that you have unlimited amounts of money that you can borrow. The bad news is that you have to pay it off at the end of the month. So it is more of a cash management tool than it is long-term credit. However, they are useful. But there are Visas and Master Charge and Discover cards and others that people are now putting $50,000 on the card or $75,000 on the card or $100,000 on the card to finance their restaurants and their printing shops and their hardware stores.

This was not true even 25 years ago. This was quite unheard of. So we have to recognize that small businesses today are relying on the good will of these credit card companies. Some of them are more reliable, in my view, than others. But regardless of whether they are doing excellent work or shoddy work--and some of them are doing shoddy work-- this Government has an obligation to say let's make sure the basic consumer protections are there. You cannot raise rates without giving notice. You cannot retroactively raise rates. What we are doing for consumers is good. We need to extend it to small business.

That is the essence of this amendment. I am proud to be joined by Members from both sides of the aisle. I am going to be talking with the chair of the committee. There perhaps could be some modifications where we could agree to this amendment and not have to have a vote, but I don't know. Right now I am intending to have a vote on this amendment.

I appreciate the thousands of business owners who are supporting this amendment through these very reputable organizations that are supporting the extension of these benefits to the small businesses of America that absolutely need our action on this, this week.

I yield the floor.

Cloture Motion

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce two bills, S. 1017 and S. 1018, one that will help to protect and preserve Louisiana's rich cultural and historic legacy, and one that will contribute to historic research and preservation throughout the country.

The first bill will protect and preserve an important and treasured part of our historical legacy--the Cane River National Heritage Area. This breathtaking region in northwestern Louisiana is known for its historic plantations, its distinctive Creole architecture, and its rich cultural legacy. Historically, this region was where the French and Spanish realms intersected as they explored the ``New World.'' Both the Spanish and the French left an indelible imprint on the area's people, on its architecture, and ultimately on the U.S. as a whole.

Congress recognized this lasting legacy when it created the Cane River National Heritage Area in 1994. Today I ask that Congress reaffirm its commitment to this rich legacy and act to reauthorize the Cane River National Heritage Area Commission until 2025.

The central corridor of the heritage area begins just south of Natchitoches, the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase, and extends along both sides of Cane River Lake for approximately 35 miles. The heritage area includes Cane River Creole National Historical Park, seven National Historic Landmarks, three State Historic Sites, and a dense area of historic plantations, homes, and churches. While much of the roughly 116,000-acre heritage area is privately owned, many sites are open to the public.

The community's pride in its history and traditions is legendary. The residents of Northwest Louisiana stand united in their interest and involvement in preserving their traditions and their landscape for future generations. The Heritage Area offers residents a collaborative approach to conservation that does not compromise traditional local control over and use of the landscape.

The landscape of Cane River is an American treasure--one that we must preserve. The Cane River region has been the focal point for American Indian settlements, colonial forts, and Creole plantations. The river itself was a major trade route, one that sparked alliances with American Indians and brought European colonial powers to the area.

To protect their interests, the French established Fort Saint Jean Baptiste in 1714. Shortly thereafter, the Spanish responded by building the presidio known as Los Adaes 15 miles to the west. Settlements spread from these early outposts, and the town of Natchitoches grew up around Fort Saint Jean Baptiste to become the most prosperous town in the region.

As countries came together in this place, so did cultures. American Indians were joined by European settlers, who imported large numbers of enslaved Africans to farm the land. The interaction of these groups led to the development of a distinctive Creole culture, a culture that cut across racial categories and drew from many traditions but remained grounded in French colonialism and Catholicism.

A thriving agricultural economy developed along the banks of the river by the time the region was joined to the United States in 1803, by the Louisiana Purchase. Natchitoches was the region's commercial center. Downriver from the town, in the areas known as Cote Joyeuse ``Joyous Coast'' and Isle Brevelle, large and small plantations produced indigo, tobacco, and later cotton.

The Civil War and its aftermath brought great economic devastation and cultural change to the residents of the Cane River region. Tenant farming and sharecropping replaced slavery, exchanging one labor- intensive system for another. After World War II, mechanized farming permanently supplanted the old agricultural practices that depended on human labor in the fields. As a result, many people migrated to urban centers, leaving the fields behind.

This is the complex past that Congress acted to honor, preserve, and protect when it established the Cane River National Heritage Area in 1994. Today I call upon my colleagues to continue their recognition of the history and culture of this unique region.

The next bill I would like to call up and introduce is related to the Heritage Area, but the entire Nation will benefit from its prompt passage. This bill simply authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement with Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, to construct a curatorial center for the use of Cane River Creole National Historical Park, the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, and the University. These institutions emerged in the Cane River region because its beauty and rich historical legacy have attracted some of the Nation's finest historians and experts in historical preservation from the world over.

Cane River Creole National Historical Park has a veritable treasure trove in its museum collection--boasting more than 1,000,000 objects. Unfortunately, this valuable cultural storehouse has been granted short shrift in terms of Federal funding. Today it is housed in leased space that fails to meet National Park Service museum standards, since there is no land in the area which is above the 500-year floodplain.

But the historical park has a longstanding partnership with Northwestern State University. In 1992, the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training was established at Northwestern University. The National Center for Preservation Technology and Training requires additional space to house equipment and workspace connected with the development and dissemination of preservation and conservation skills and technologies. The University is willing to make available land suitable for the National Park Service to construct a facility for curatorial and workspace needs. This bill simply allows that to happen. Since this Center facilitates the training and research of experts nationwide, I submit that this bill will do much to aid historical preservation efforts in every State, and I ask my colleagues to supports its prompt passage.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce two bills, S. 1017 and S. 1018, one that will help to protect and preserve Louisiana's rich cultural and historic legacy, and one that will contribute to historic research and preservation throughout the country.

The first bill will protect and preserve an important and treasured part of our historical legacy--the Cane River National Heritage Area. This breathtaking region in northwestern Louisiana is known for its historic plantations, its distinctive Creole architecture, and its rich cultural legacy. Historically, this region was where the French and Spanish realms intersected as they explored the ``New World.'' Both the Spanish and the French left an indelible imprint on the area's people, on its architecture, and ultimately on the U.S. as a whole.

Congress recognized this lasting legacy when it created the Cane River National Heritage Area in 1994. Today I ask that Congress reaffirm its commitment to this rich legacy and act to reauthorize the Cane River National Heritage Area Commission until 2025.

The central corridor of the heritage area begins just south of Natchitoches, the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase, and extends along both sides of Cane River Lake for approximately 35 miles. The heritage area includes Cane River Creole National Historical Park, seven National Historic Landmarks, three State Historic Sites, and a dense area of historic plantations, homes, and churches. While much of the roughly 116,000-acre heritage area is privately owned, many sites are open to the public.

The community's pride in its history and traditions is legendary. The residents of Northwest Louisiana stand united in their interest and involvement in preserving their traditions and their landscape for future generations. The Heritage Area offers residents a collaborative approach to conservation that does not compromise traditional local control over and use of the landscape.

The landscape of Cane River is an American treasure--one that we must preserve. The Cane River region has been the focal point for American Indian settlements, colonial forts, and Creole plantations. The river itself was a major trade route, one that sparked alliances with American Indians and brought European colonial powers to the area.

To protect their interests, the French established Fort Saint Jean Baptiste in 1714. Shortly thereafter, the Spanish responded by building the presidio known as Los Adaes 15 miles to the west. Settlements spread from these early outposts, and the town of Natchitoches grew up around Fort Saint Jean Baptiste to become the most prosperous town in the region.

As countries came together in this place, so did cultures. American Indians were joined by European settlers, who imported large numbers of enslaved Africans to farm the land. The interaction of these groups led to the development of a distinctive Creole culture, a culture that cut across racial categories and drew from many traditions but remained grounded in French colonialism and Catholicism.

A thriving agricultural economy developed along the banks of the river by the time the region was joined to the United States in 1803, by the Louisiana Purchase. Natchitoches was the region's commercial center. Downriver from the town, in the areas known as Cote Joyeuse ``Joyous Coast'' and Isle Brevelle, large and small plantations produced indigo, tobacco, and later cotton.

The Civil War and its aftermath brought great economic devastation and cultural change to the residents of the Cane River region. Tenant farming and sharecropping replaced slavery, exchanging one labor- intensive system for another. After World War II, mechanized farming permanently supplanted the old agricultural practices that depended on human labor in the fields. As a result, many people migrated to urban centers, leaving the fields behind.

This is the complex past that Congress acted to honor, preserve, and protect when it established the Cane River National Heritage Area in 1994. Today I call upon my colleagues to continue their recognition of the history and culture of this unique region.

The next bill I would like to call up and introduce is related to the Heritage Area, but the entire Nation will benefit from its prompt passage. This bill simply authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement with Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, to construct a curatorial center for the use of Cane River Creole National Historical Park, the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, and the University. These institutions emerged in the Cane River region because its beauty and rich historical legacy have attracted some of the Nation's finest historians and experts in historical preservation from the world over.

Cane River Creole National Historical Park has a veritable treasure trove in its museum collection--boasting more than 1,000,000 objects. Unfortunately, this valuable cultural storehouse has been granted short shrift in terms of Federal funding. Today it is housed in leased space that fails to meet National Park Service museum standards, since there is no land in the area which is above the 500-year floodplain.

But the historical park has a longstanding partnership with Northwestern State University. In 1992, the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training was established at Northwestern University. The National Center for Preservation Technology and Training requires additional space to house equipment and workspace connected with the development and dissemination of preservation and conservation skills and technologies. The University is willing to make available land suitable for the National Park Service to construct a facility for curatorial and workspace needs. This bill simply allows that to happen. Since this Center facilitates the training and research of experts nationwide, I submit that this bill will do much to aid historical preservation efforts in every State, and I ask my colleagues to supports its prompt passage.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.