Washington, DC - Today it was announced that Michigan’s unemployment rate for April was 12.9 percent, up 0.3 percent from the previous month.  While the State’s unemployment figures last month did not rise as quickly as the nation’s unemployment rate, which is now at 8.9 percent, Michigan’s unemployment numbers remain some of the highest in the nation.

Even before those numbers were announced, Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) decided to support H.R. 2352, the Job Creation Through Entrepreneurship Act.   This bipartisan legislation marks the first major overhaul in a decade of the Small Business Administration’s entrepreneurial development programs, which helped create 73,000 jobs last year alone.

“Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and millions of Americans dream of going out on their own and starting a business,” said Congressman Dingell.  “Some Americans have no choice but to go into business for themselves, because there are so few jobs out there. We need to make that easier, not harder.  This bill will do just that by giving these innovative entrepreneurs the ability to rise up and lead our economy into a period of recovery.  It has been estimated that for every $1 spent on small business programs, there is a $2.87 return to the Treasury.  These programs already have a successful track record: they have created new thousands of new jobs and spurred businesses to success.”

Because of this bill, popular existing programs, like the Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), Women’s Business Centers (WBCs), and the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), will be expanded or improved.  The legislation also creates a nationwide network of Veterans Business Centers and would establish a green entrepreneurial development program, which will provide education, classes and one-on-one instruction in starting a business in the fields of energy efficiency, green technology, or clean technology.