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IT'S THE BACKBONE OF OUR
COUNTRY, THE MIDDLE CLASS,
MR. PRESIDENT.
IT'S TIME OUR POLITICAL LEADERS
SHOWED SOME BACKBONE IN
SUPPORTING THE MIDDLE CLASS.
MR. PRESIDENT, WITH THAT, I
YIELD THE FLOOR AND NOTE THE
ABSENCE OF A QUORUM.
THE CLERK
WILL CALL THE ROLL.
QUORUM CALL:
MR. PRESIDENT?
THE
SENATOR OHIO.
I ASK UNANIMOUS
CONSENT TO DISPENSE WITH THE
QUORUM CALL.
WITHOUT
OBJECTION.
I ASK TACT SPEAK AS
IF IN MORNING BUSINESS FOR UP TO
TEN MINUTES.
OFFICER WITHOUT OBJECTION.
THANK YOU, MR.
PRESIDENT.
THE SENATE HAS BEEN DEBATING FOR
OVER A WEEK THE ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT REVITALIZATION ACT
OF 2011, WHICH WOULD REAUTHORIZE
FUNDING FOR EXISTING PROGRAMS OF
THE COMMERCE DEPARTMENT'S U.S.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ADMINISTRATION THROUGH 12015.
E.D.A. HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN
NONCONTROVERSIAL, TRADITIONALLY
BEEN A BIPARTISAN JOB-CREATION
BILL, SUPPORTED BY PRESIDENTS OF
BOTH PARTIES, OFTEN SUPPORTED IN
THIS BODY WITHOUT DISSENT.
IT HELPS BROKER DEALS BETWEEN
THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS,
WHICH IS CRITICAL TO OUR
ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND GROWTH.
IT'S PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT TO
ECONOMICALLY DISTRESSED
COMMUNITIES, PARTICULARLY IN
TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES.
EVERY $1 IN E.D.A. GRANT FUNDING
LEVERAGES NEARLY $7 WORTH MUCH
PRIVATE INVESTMENT.
FOR EVERY $10,000 OF E.D.A.
INVESTMENT AND BUSINESS
INCUBATORS OR ACCELERATORS SOME
CALL THEM, WHICH HELP
ENTREPRENEURS "STAR" START UP
COMPANIES, NEARLY 70 JOBS ARE
CREATED.
IN OHIO AND I DON'T THINK -- IN
THE PRESIDING OFFICER'S STATE IS
MUCH DIFFERENT -- WE'VE SEEN
SOME 40 E.D.A. GRANTS WHERE $36
MILLION LEVERAGED INTO $70
MILLION . COLLEGES AND
UNIVERSITIES FROM BOWLING GREEN
IN NORTHWEST OHIO TO OHIO
UNIVERSITY IN SOUTHEAST OHIO TO
MIAMI UNIVERSITY IN SOUTHWEST
OHIO HAVE RECEIVED E.D.A. FUNDS.
SO, TOO, HAVE PORT AUTHORITIES
IN TOLEDO, IN THE WEST, IN
ASHTABULA, IN THE FAR NORTHEAST,
AND IN CLEVELAND AND APA LAY
CHAVMENT IF WE'RE GOING TO
STRENGTH -7B OUR
COMPETITIVENESS, WE WILL NEED TO
EQUIP BUSINESSES WORLD TRADE
CENTER TOOLS THEY NEED TO
THRIEVMENT THAT'S WHAT E.D.A. IS
DESIGNED TO DO.
E.D.A. IS THE FRONT DOOR FOR
COMMUNITIES FACING SUDDEN AND
SEVERE ECONOMIC DISTRESS.
WHEN ECONOMIC DISASTER HITS,
COMMUNITIES TURN TO THE
GOVERNMENT AND IT'S E.D.A. THAT
DOES THE JOB AT LOW COST
LEVERAGING ALL KINDS OF PRIVATE
DOLLARS IS.
IT HAS HELPED DEVELOP THE FORMER
G.M. PLANT IN LORAIN AND A --
THE BILL THE SENATE IS
CONSIDERING WOULD STRENGTH -7B A
PROVEN JOB PROGRAM.
BURDENS.
IT WOULD REDUCE REGULATORY
IT WOULD ENCOURAGE
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS THAT
WE'VE ALREADY SEEN MAKE A
DIFFERENCE IN MY STATE.
THE BILL WOULD BETTER STREAMLINE
E.D.A. COOPERATION WITH OTHER
FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL
AGENCIES TO BETTER ASSIST
COMMUNITIES WITH LOCAL ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT.
I PLAN TO OFFER TWO AMENDMENTS
TO FURTHER STRENGTHEN E.D.A.
ONE WOULD ASSIST FORMER
COMMUNITIES WHERE A PLANT
CLOSURE OR A DOWNSIZING CAUSES
ECONOMIC DISTRESS, LIKE
WILMINGTON OR LORAIN.
THE AMENDMENT GIVES SPECIAL
PRENCHES TO AUTO COMMUNITIES.
THE OTHER WOULD MAKE MORE
COMMUNITIES ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE
FUNDS FOR BUSINESS INCUBATORS.
OHIO IS HOME TO THE NATIONAL
BUSINESS INCUBATOR ASSOCIATION
IN ATHENS.
AND SEVERAL MODEL BUSINESS
INCUBATORS FROM TOLEDO TO SHAKER
HEIGHTS TO YOUNGTOWN.
THIS AMENDMENT WOULD ALLOW MORE
COMPANIES IN OHIO AND MORE
COMMUNITIES IN OHIO TO SUPPORT
HOME-GROWN ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
TWO WEEKS AGO I VISITED, AS I
HAVE IN SEVERAL PLACES AROUND
THE STATE, AN INCUBATOR IN
HOUSE.
SHAKER HEIGHTS CALLED THE LAUNCH
THERE WERE SOME -- THERE WAS AN
OLD CAR DEALERSHIP T CLOSED DOWN
SEVERAL YEARS AGO.
IT WAS RENOVATED WITH RELATIVELY
POLITICAL MONEY.
IT IS NOW THE HOME TO ABOUT 40
ENTREPRENEURS, ONE- AND
TWO-PERSON START-UP OPERATIONS
WITH THE AVERAGE AGE OF THESE
YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS UNDER 30.
MOST OF THE GREAT MAJORITY OF
THESE 35 OR 40 ENTREPRENEURS
WERE THEMSELVES UNDER 30.
AND YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, SOME OF
THESE START-UPS WON'T ECONOMIES
IN TWO YEARS.
SOME OF THEM WILL HAVE GROWN IN
TWO YEARS.
MANY OF THEM WILL BE HIRING LOTS
OF PEOPLE IN THEEES AHEAD.
SOME WILL FAIL, SOME WILL
SUCCEED.
AS I POINTED OUT EARLIER, ONLY
$10,000 OF E.D.A. INVESTMENT AND
A BUSINESS INCUBATOR CREATES
SOMEWHERE IN THE VICINITY OF $ 50,
60, OR 70 JOBS.
WE MUST BETTER CONNECT OUR
ENTREPRENEURS WITH THE RESOURCES
THEY NEED TO TURN IDEAS IN LABS
INTO A PRODUCT IN THE MARKET.
EARLIER THIS YEAR I HELD AND
INNOVATION ROUND TABLE IN
COLUMBUS WITH LEADING OHIO
ENTREPRENEURS AND BUSINESS
LEADERS WHERE WE DISCUSSED THE
NEED TO STRENGTHEN WORKFORCE
VERNTLE PROMOTE BUSINESS
ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SUPPORT
CITY PLANNING.
E.D.A. ASSISTANCE, THEY TELL ME,
IS CRITICAL TO THESE GOALS.
IT'S LEGISLATION WE SHOULD MOVE
FORWARD ON.
I'M SORRY THAT MY FRIENDS ON THE
OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE, WHO
HAVE BEEN SO SUPPORTIVE E.D.A.
IN THE PAST, AS IT'S ALWAYS BEEN
BIPARTISAN, SEEM TO BE STANDING
IN THE WAY OF THIS.
IT'S MORE THAN TO MOVE FORWARD.
I ASK FOR THE SENATE'S SUPPORT.
I YIELD THE FLOOR AND SUGGEST
THE ABSENCE OF A QUORUM.
THE
CLERK WILL CALL THE ROLL.
QUORUM CALL:
THAT THAT SHALL VITIATED.
WITHOUT
OBJECTION.
I ASK UNANIMOUS
CONSENT THAT WE BE IN A PERIOD
OF MORNING BUSINESS WITH
SENATORS ALLOWED TO SPEAK FOR UP
TO TEN MINUTES EACH TO BE FOR
DEBATE ONLY UNTIL 7:30 TODAY.
WITHOUT
OBJECTION.
THE CLERK WILL CALL THE ROLL.
CALL:
MR. PRESIDENT?
THE
ASSISTANT MAJORITY LEADER IS
RECOGNIZED.
I ASK UNANIMOUS
CONSENT THE QUORUM CALL BE
IN MORNING BUSINESS.
SUSPENDED AND ASK TO SPEAK AS IF
WITHOUT
OBJECTION.
IT'S MY HONOR TO
COME TO THE SENATE FLOOR THIS
EVENING TO SPEAK ON THE ISSUE OF
THE DREAM ACT AND TO HAVE AMONG
THOSE IN ATTENDANCE ON THE FLOOR
OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE A