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Bipartisan Entrepreneurial Development Bill Promotes Minority, Women Business Ownership, Assistance |
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From PR Newswire: Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) will introduce comprehensive legislation to improve entrepreneurial development programs. In particular, the bill expands women and minority small business ownership opportunities by boosting Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), Women's Business Centers (WBCs), SCORE, and other programs. In Massachusetts alone, SBDCs served over 8,500 entrepreneurs last year and our Center for Women and Enterprise has generated 15,000 jobs over the last 10 years," said Kerry, Chairman of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. "By investing in assistance and development programs that create small business opportunities for women and minorities, we are paving the way for all Americans to improve their entrepreneurial skills," said Senator Snowe, Ranking Member of the Committee. -- Creates a Native American small business development program, an Office of Native American Affairs within the Small Business Administration (SBA), and a Native American grant pilot program to foster increased employment and expansion of small businesses in Indian Country through business counseling services; -- Seeks to address the small business health insurance crisis by creating a competitive, pilot grant program for SBDCs to provide counseling and resources to small businesses about health insurance options in their communities; -- Establishes a pilot program to assist small businesses in complying with federal and state laws and regulations; and -- Creates a Minority Entrepreneurship and Innovation pilot program to provide competitive grants to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges to create a curricula focused on entrepreneurship.
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