Obama Small Business Conference Should Take ‘Reasonable’ Steps to Reduce Unemployment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 17, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. – Since President Barack Obama has said that we need to take all reasonable steps to stimulate the economy and create new jobs, the American Small Business League (ASBL) would like to propose these very reasonable steps to stimulate the economy and cut unemployment: http://whitehouse.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/11/12/white-house-to-host-jobs-forum-in-december/

- Do not change the definition of a small business from being "independently owned" to include firms that are owned and controlled by venture capitalists. This would divert even more small business contracts away from legitimate small businesses and into the hands of wealthy investors.

- Do not attempt to close the Small Business Administration (SBA) by combining it with the U.S. Department of Commerce or any other federal agency.

- Honor your campaign promise to, "end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." The best way to do this would be to back H.R. 2568, the Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act. The Obama Administration is currently awarding billions of dollars a month in federal small business contracts to corporate giants around the world. (e.g. Textron, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Rolls Royce, and Thales) By stopping this problem, H.R. 2568, would redirect more current federal infrastructure spending to small businesses in the middle class than any other proposal to date. http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php

- Implement the 5 percent set-aside goal for women owned firms like you promised during the campaign. http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/SmallBusinessFINAL.pdf

- Restore the SBA's budget and staffing like you promised during the campaign.
The current SBA staffing levels are at their lowest levels in 30 years. http://obama.3cdn.net/d14eb1b3649c4d6745_0evzmv02w.pdf

- Eliminate the SBA fabricated exclusionary rules that reduce contacting opportunities for small businesses.

- Abolish the Comprehensive Test Program, which allows contractors to avoid penalties for non-compliance and avoid submitting reports that are used to track compliance with their small business sub-contracting goals.

- Enforce the "Liquidated Damages" clause in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), which created a penalty for prime contractor non-compliance with its small business sub-contracting plans. This law has never been enforced.

- Aggressively prosecute fraud and misrepresentation in federal small business programs.
Misrepresenting the size of a firm in order to illegally receive federal contracts and subcontracts is a felony with penalties of up to 10 years in prison, a fine up to $500,000, cancellation of all contracts and debarment from selling to the government.

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Please click here to watch a short clip about the ASBL's concerns regarding the Obama Administration's small business conference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JvT7Btd_9s

Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575