Promoting Small Business in Massachusetts
Small businesses are an essential component of the Massachusetts economy, bringing in over $30 billion in revenue and employing approximately 1.5 million people across the Bay State. As the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I have long fought to ensure that small businesses are able to compete on a level playing field. I believe Massachusetts has a proven track record of commerce and innovation that brings prosperity to both the state and our entire nation.
In 2008, I�ve held a series of hearings in Massachusetts to examine issues of importance to our state�s small business owners. In June, I chaired a hearing on the impact of the high cost of home heating oil and its effect on homeowners and small businesses. Witnesses testified about innovative programs and renewable alternatives to help consumers in the Northeast. This followed a May hearing I held in Pittsfield to examine the impact that rising energy costs are having on entrepreneurs and look at innovative solutions small businesses are implementing to deal with these rising costs and create green jobs.
In April 2008, I held a hearing in Framingham to examine the impact of employers who fail to abide by lawful hiring practices and hear what steps Massachusetts has taken to address the underground economy. When employees are paid off the books or misclassified as a �contract employee,� companies are able to avoid paying certain employment taxes and benefits. As small businesses and labor leaders testified, this puts firms that play by the rules at a competitive disadvantage and results in tens of millions of dollars in unpaid income taxes and worker benefits in Massachusetts.
I�ve also been working to make sure those Massachusetts residents who are victims of disasters receive timely assistance from the federal government. In May 2008, disaster legislation I championed was passed into law that will improve and expedite financial assistance to businesses and homeowners impacted by disasters. This year, I�ve worked with other members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation to ensure that residents and small business owners in Peabody and Lawrence have access to all the help they need to get back on their feet after devastating fires.
Too often, red tape and bureaucracy keep small businesses from receiving federal loans, contracts, and counseling assistance they need to get off the ground, create jobs, and provide consumers with the goods and services they have to offer. In order to help address this, I organized and hosted two procurement conferences in Massachusetts to bring together small businesses and contracting officials from the government and private industry in 2007.
In January 2007, I hosted my second annual conference and business expo in Boston with the help of Mayor Thomas Menino, Northeastern University, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, the William Joiner Center at UMASS Boston, the New England Minority Supplier Development Council, the Smaller Business Association of New England, the Center for Women and Enterprise, and the New England Council. An estimated 1,000 people attended.
In May 2006, in cooperation with the Merrimack Chamber of Commerce, my first conference and business expo helped small businesses learn how to navigate the federal contracting system and provided disaster relief assistance in the wake of the devastating regional flooding. The conference, which was held in Lawrence, offered more than 500 small business owners an opportunity to meet with federal, state, and local procurement and development agencies to discuss small business contracts and disaster loans. No small business should have to close its doors because it cannot navigate the red tape of the contracting process, and I am proud that these conferences have enabled small businesses in Massachusetts to get the tools they need to succeed and bring prosperity to communities across the Commonwealth.
In 2006, I toured the Martin Luther King, Jr. Business Empowerment Center in Worcester to promote the center's model of business and workforce development. The MLKJ-BEC provides valuable resources for new businesses just starting out, and its economic impact on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has been estimated at $20 million. I applaud the MLK Center's efforts to support small businesses and the local economy, and I believe their revolutionary approach to serve as an incubator to start-up businesses is a model that could bring success and prosperity to regional economies across Massachusetts and the nation.
In my 22-year tenure on the Committee, I've been a leader in the Senate fighting for the best interests of Massachusetts small businesses, including better access to capital, business counseling and assistance programs, and a fair shot at federal contracts, and I will continue to work to enact proposals that will help Bay State businesses maintain their leading role in America's economy. Please visit my Committee on Small Business
and Entrepreneurship website for more information about my latest initiatives to help Massachusetts' entrepreneurs. |
