For Immediate Release                                                   Contact: Amanda Molk, 202-225-5256
September 23, 2003

Napolitano Chairs CHCI Panel on Hispanic Small Business and International Trade

Congresswoman Grace Napolitano (D-CA38) hosted a panel yesterday and today on international trade opportunities for Hispanic-owned small business as part of the annual Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Issues Conference.  “International trade continues to play an increasingly important role in our economy.  Overall, goods exports grew by 99% from 1990 to 2000, and goods exports to Latin America grew by 137%.  However, many barriers block our Hispanic small businesses, which represent the second fastest growing sector of small business, from capturing our fair share of this growing market, including licensing issues and lack of capital.  This panel explores these issues and makes recommendations for addressing them,” explained Napolitano.

The panelists included representatives from the U.S. Export-Import Bank (ExIm), the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of International Trade, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the Small Business Exporters Association, and the Hispanic small business sector.  They discussed several key issues, including the role of federal agencies in promoting international trade opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises, the future of U.S.- Latin America trade, and the impediments that Hispanic-owned small businesses face in trying to export.

Today the panel presented the following recommendations to the rest of the CHCI Issues Conference participants:

1. Improve coordination among the 19 federal agencies that work on trade issues
2. Raise awareness about the federal programs available to assist small businesses.
3. Ensure that federal agencies and their contractors award contracts and subcontracts to small businesses.

“I want to thank the panelists for taking the time to address these issues.  The CHC International Trade Task Force, which I chair, will be holding a series of meetings to determine the next steps we should take to implement these recommendations and achieve the ultimate goal of expanding international trade opportunities for Hispanic-owned small businesses,” Napolitano concluded.

Representative Grace F. Napolitano, 38th District of California
1609 Longworth Building          Washington, DC 20515          Phone 202-225-5256          Fax 202-225-0027		11627 East Telegraph Road, #100       Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670       Phone 562-801-2134       Fax 562-949-9144
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