Ambassador Kirk Addresses the National Conference of State Legislatures Fall Forum

Ambassador Ron Kirk addressed elected leaders from throughout the country at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Fall Forum held December 9 - 12 in San Diego, California. The three-day meeting, themed "New Ideas, New Opportunities," featured an array of speakers and presentations who addressed state budgets and economic recovery, education reform, job creation and state innovations.

Ambassador Kirk addressed the state elected leaders at the NCSL opening session. In his remarks, Ambassador Kirk discussed a new initiative recently launched by USTR aimed at increasing exports by small- and medium-sized firms in the United States. Citing trade as a major tool for the country's economic recovery, Kirk said that USTR's new effort to bolster trade opportunities for small- and medium-sized businesses can ultimately grow jobs here at home as companies sell more goods and services worldwide. Small- and medium-sized exporters are more likely to grow faster, add jobs faster, and pay higher wages than their exclusively domestic counterparts, he noted.

Ambassador Kirk told state elected leaders their input and engagement was crucial, as they are often a first point of contact for small business owners and entrepreneurs, and that state policies are instrumental to fostering growth and development in cutting edge industries and communities.

While in San Diego, Ambassador Kirk also meet with members of the National Conference of State Legislatures Labor and Economic Development Committee to discuss increasing exports and growing jobs related to trade. Ambassador Kirk highlighted the importance of states in furthering the Obama administration's goals of protecting intellectual property and the innovations coming from the United States.