News From the
Committee on Small Business
Nydia M. Velázquez, Chairwoman

For Immediate Release
January 18, 2007

CONTACT: Kate Davis, Austin Bonner (202) 225-4038

Small Business Committee Reorganizes to Provide Entrepreneurs with a Stronger Voice
Velázquez announces reorganization to meet committee's new responsibility

WASHINGTON - With the House Small Business Committee's position to assume a new role in Congress, Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez announced today a reorganization of the subcommittee structure. The committee's goal is to ensure that the needs of small businesses are being fully examined, and that necessary actions are being taken to address those issues.

"With the vital role that small businesses play in today's economy, it is critical that their needs are being met," Chairwoman Velázquez said. "The reorganization of the subcommittee structure will ensure that the committee is best positioned to evaluate the issues small firms face, and to take legislative action to address those needs. This will help guarantee that the committee can successfully fulfill this new function and give small businesses a greater voice in Congress."

To accomplish this, the number of subcommittees will increase from four to five, and each will have its own specific focus and jurisdiction over various SBA programs and small business issues. The five subcommittees are as follows: Subcommittee on Finance and Tax, Subcommittee on Contracting and Technology, Subcommittee on Regulations, Healthcare and Trade, Subcommittee on Rural and Urban Entrepreneurship and Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight.

"This extended ability, and restructuring, ensures the committee is prepared to meet the needs of this nation's small businesses," Chairwoman Velázquez said. "These subcommittees represent the diversity and variations in the challenges facing entrepreneurs today - and guarantees that all of these issues are being addressed by the committee."

The reorganization was necessary due the role that the committee will now play in the legislative process. In the 110th Congress, the Small Business Committee has been given a greater ability to address a broader scope of issues that impact entrepreneurs, beyond the Committee's traditional purview of the Small Business Administration (SBA). This will ensure Congress considers the effects of these initiatives on this nation's 26 million small businesses.

"As drivers of the economy, small businesses deserve nothing less than to have their needs fully examined, and considered, in Congress today," Chairwoman Velázquez said. "With the expanded responsibility and new organization, the committee will be able to ensure the needs of this nation's entrepreneurs are being met so they can move forward as the innovators, and main job creators, of this country."