Thompson Bill Passes House "The Educating Entrepreneurs through Today's Technology Act"
July 28, 2009 6:12 PM
Washington, D.C.-Today the House of Representatives passed by voice vote, House Resolution 1807, the Educating Entrepreneurs through Today's Technology Act, introduced by U.S. Representative Glenn `GT' Thompson, R-Howard.
"Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, employing roughly half of U.S. workers, and while our communities are experiencing high unemployment rates, the entrepreneurial spirit remains alive and well," Thompson told the Members. "For many underserved and rural areas, it is critical to have the opportunity and ability to tap into resources that will foster further economic development and provide prospective entrepreneurs with the same access afforded to their suburban and urban counterparts."
The measure will provide high-quality tele-distance training through a competitive grants process administered by the Small Business Administration. The program will promote peer-to-peer networking for small business development, by using technology to deliver information and share data on-line and through videos and satellite communication.
Satellite seminars and online information services will allow prospective and established business men and women to interact with each other to trouble shoot problems and share best practices for interacting with the Small business Administration. This is a good example of the proliferation of online networking sites, where people can exchange their knowledge and information. This one will offer facts and figures on securing financing, navigating government regulations and learning to get a small business off the ground.
For many entrepreneurs, accessing this kind of information requires driving long distances to a Small Business Development Center. This legislation will bring the information to home computers.
In April, when this bill had a hearing before the Small Business Committee, Donna Kilhoffer, the program manager for the Community Education Council of Elk and Cameron Counties testified, "The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in our area. What is lacking is the opportunity and ability to tap into 'the experts'."
This measure will allow people throughout the Nation to tap into the experts.
Thompson's bill passed in May as well when it was included as a part of a larger House-passed bill, (H.R. 2352), the Job Creation through Entrepreneurship Act of 2009. Both measures await action in the U.S. Senate before either can become law.
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Kathryn Holmes
Director, Government Relations
ASME
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