News from U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe
Chair, Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
For Immediate Release: June 29, 2006
Contact:  Chris Chichester, 202-228-5843

SNOWE:  COMMITTEE APPROVES PRESTON AS NEXT SBA ADMINISTRATOR

Calls for “Strong And Unwavering Leadership” On Behalf of America’s 25 Million Small Businesses

            (Washington, DC)  – U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), Chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, today issued the following statement after the Committee reported out the nomination of Steven C. Preston as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration by a vote of 18-0:   

“The Small Business Administration has been a critical partner to millions of small firms as well as aspiring entrepreneurs as they embark on a path to prosperity and job creation.  Today, the agency faces enormous challenges.  The next SBA Administrator must be prepared to confront the national health care insurance crisis, tax code reform, the enforcement of government-wide small business contracting rules, oversight of SBA lending programs and compliance with regulations such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.   

“If confirmed, Mr. Preston must do everything he possible can to prevent another bureaucratic fiasco that defined the agency’s response to the Gulf Coast hurricanes.   To achieve that goal, I’ve urged Mr. Preston to develop a comprehensive and flexible natural disaster response plan, find a remedy for every problem that impedes the agency’s front-line employees from working in disaster zones and always be able to immediately adjust to changing circumstances.     

“The next SBA Administrator has to be fully committed to supporting the agency’s mission – to assist, counsel, and protect the interests of small businesses.   I expect Mr. Preston to provide strong and unwavering leadership at this pivotal juncture on behalf of America’s 25 million small businesses and their employees.”

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