Kerry pledges to overhaul SBA in chairman's role

[The Straight Story]

Kerry pledges to overhaul SBA in chairman's role

By Jenny Mandel
[e-mail]

When he takes over as chairman of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee in January, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., will focus on strengthening the Small Business Administration and boosting federal contracting opportunities for minority groups.

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Kerry said the SBA's budget has been cut by nearly 40 percent -- more than any other federal agency -- over the last six years. The committee will seek to reverse those cuts and improve employee morale, he said, also noting he would like to see the SBA administrator job restored to the Cabinet level. The Clinton administration elevated the position to that status, but President Bush downgraded it when he took office.

In addition, Kerry has listed two other priorities: reforming SBA's Disaster Loan Program, which was slow to help Gulf Coast business owners in the aftermath of last year's hurricanes, and improving the effectiveness of its loan and counseling programs for minority entrepreneurs.

He also wants to see a set-aside program for women-owned small businesses fully implemented. Plans for that program, first authorized in 2000, were made available for comment in June, after the Women's Chamber of Commerce successfully sued the administration for delays in implementing it.

Beefing up an under-used SBA preference program for service-disabled veterans is also on Kerry's to-do list.

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=35588&dcn=todaysnews

Like Kerry or not, or other dems, I think we will start to see positive changes in this country as they get to work.

The past issues with candidates I am willing to put behind me, and judge by what they will do - and not what they did or did not do. Here is a time for a second chance, political games over with, reasons why someone did something erased. Now is the time for our elected democrats to stand and steer this ship in the right direction.

[ray of light]

1. kick