This week’s speaker at the National Economists’ Club luncheon, Stephen Fuller, director of the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University, gave an “Update on the Downturn,” and spoke about projections for improvement in the economy both nationally and regionally. 

The good news is that some of the actual numbers, although still negative—are turning out better than projected. For example, as today’s Washington Post reports:

“Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic activity, fell at a 1 percent annual rate in the April-through-June quarter, the Commerce Department said. That compares with a 6.4 percent pace of decline in the first quarter, a revision from an earlier estimate of a 5.5 percent rate of decline.”

            That is half the 2.1 percent drop projected in the George Mason GDP projections Fuller provided. Fuller expects that GDP will turn positive sometime this quarter. All this is, of course, good news for both consumers and small business owners waiting for trends in a more positive—or less negative—direction. 

            As an expert on regional economies, Fuller’s primary focus was on the metropolitan Washington area, which generally fares better than the national average. In this region, job change was positive for three industry sectors over the June 2008-June 2009 period: professional and business services, educational and health services, and the federal government.

            For more details and frequently updated numbers, Dr. Fuller encouraged a visit to the Center for Regional Analysis website.

– Kathryn Tobias, Editor

            Each week while Congress is in session the Office of Advocacy will post a highlights schedule of congressional hearings and committee markups that we think will be of interest to stakeholders in the small business community.  For further information on the hearings in question please contact the relevant congressional committee.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

9:30 am    Hearing

Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on “Regulatory Modernization: Perspectives on Insurance”

Note:  Hearing will follow committee vote on the nomination of Deborah Matz to be a member, Board of Directors, National Credit Union Administration

Witnesses:  Travis Plunkett, Consumer Federation of America; Baird Webel, Congressional Research Service; Hal Scott, Harvard Law School; Martin Grace, Department of Risk Management and Insurance, Georgia State University

Where:        538 Dirksen

Webcast:     http://banking.senate.gov/public/

10:00 am  Hearing

House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment hearing on Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston Ash Slide and the cleanup efforts

Where:        2167 Rayburn

Webcast:     http://transportation.house.gov/

11:00 am  Hearing

House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law hearing on “Medical Debt: Is Our Health Care System Bankrupting Americans?”

                 Witnesses:   Elizabeth Edwards, author and cancer activist; Stephani Woolhandler, Harvard Medical School; John Pottow, University of Michigan Law School; Aparna Mathur, American Enterprise Institute

Where:        2141 Rayburn

Webcast:     http://judiciary.house.gov/ 

11:00 am  Hearing

House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies hearing on meat and poultry import standards

Witnesses:   Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food and Water Watch; Lori Wallach, Director, Global Trade Watch Division, Public Citizen; Kevin Brosch, attorney, DTB Associates

Where:        2362-A Rayburn

Webcast:     http://appropriations.house.gov/ 

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

10:00 am  Confirmation Hearing

Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on David J. Kappos to be Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and other pending nominations

Where:        226 Dirksen

Webcast:     http://judiciary.senate.gov/ 

10:00 am  Confirmation Hearing

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee confirmation hearing on the nomination of John R. Fernandez to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development

Where:        406 Dirksen

Webcast:     http://epw.senate.gov/public/?CFID=16750270&CFTOKEN=1667223 

10:00 am  Hearing

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on peer-to-peer file sharing, including the problem of inadvertent file sharing and security risks associated with the use of Limewire software

Witnesses:   Mark Gorton, Chairman, The Lime Group; Robert Boback, CEO, Tiversa Inc.; Thomas D. Sydnor, II, Center for the Study of Digital Property, The Progress and Freedom Foundation

Where:        2154 Rayburn

Webcast:     http://oversight.house.gov/ 

1:00 pm Hearing

“Oversight of the Small Business Administration and its Programs”

House Small Business Committee. This hearing is held pursuant to H. Res. 40 which requires “each standing committee, or a subcommittee thereof, shall hold at least one hearing during each 120-day period following the establishment of the committee on the topic of waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement in Government programs which that committee may authorize.”

Witness:  Karen Mills, Administrator, Small Business Administration

Where:   2360 Rayburn

Webcast:   http://www.house.gov/smbiz/

2:00 pm    Hearing

House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Domestic Policy hearing on “Examining the Impact of Leafy Greens Marketing Agreements.”  The hearing will examine the safety of ready to eat produce, the successes and challenges posed by the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (CALGMA), as well as its proposed nationalization. The hearing will focus on bagged or value added leafy greens marketed as “ready to eat,” the role of private industry and government in regulating these products, and the economic, environmental, and food safety impacts of that regulation. 

Where:        2154 Rayburn

Webcast:     http://oversight.house.gov/ 

Thursday, July 30, 2009

10:00 am Hearing

“The Future of Specialty Crops for Small Family Farmers”

House Small Business Committee, Subcommittee on Rural Development, Entrepreneurship and Trade

The hearing will examine current Farm Bill programs and how they will apply to fresh fruits and vegetables. The Subcommittee will hear testimony from farmers and producers on the state of the specialty crops industry.

Where:   2360 Rayburn

Webcast:   http://www.house.gov/smbiz/

Friday, July 31, 2009 

10:00 am  Hearing

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee oversight hearing on “Recovery Act: 160-Day Progress Report for Transportation and Infrastructure Programs”

Where:        2167 Rayburn

Webcast:     http://transportation.house.gov/ 

Tuesday, August 4, 2009 

2:30 pm    Hearing

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on pending legislation S. 379 Performance Rights Act, a bill to provide fair compensation to artists for use of their sound recordings

Where:        226 Dirksen

Webcast:     http://judiciary.senate.gov/ 

Thursday, August 6, 2009

 10:00 am  Confirmation Hearing

Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee hearing on the nomination of Winslow Lorenzo Sargeant to be Chief Counsel for Advocacy, Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy and Peggy E. Gustafson to be Inspector General, SBA

Where:        428 A Russell

Webcast:     http://sbc.senate.gov/ 

10:00 am  Hearing

Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security hearing on “Comprehensive Immigration Reform Roundtable: Employment-Based Immigration to Propel America’s Economy While Protecting America’s Workforce”

Where:        226 Dirksen

Webcast:         http://judiciary.senate.gov/

The Office of Advocacy’s mission includes providing research documenting the status of small businesses and the impact of important trends on them.  Areas of continuing interest are listed below.  In addition to increasing knowledge about small business in general, these areas are noteworthy because they may provide policymaking insight or serve as a foundation for further research.

Note that the procedures for submitting proposals are different this year.  These research opportunities are being offered through a broad agency announcement (BAA) with various research areas listed.  Bidders will submit proposals in one or more of the following areas based on this one solicitation.  Bidders are not required to submit a proposal on each topic.

The deadline for submitting proposals is FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2009 – a shorter time period than in the past.  The following issue areas are currently open:

• SBAHQ-09-Q-0014: Research on the Tax Gap and Small Business
• SBAHQ-09-Q-0015: Credit Markets for Small Businesses in the United States
• SBAHQ-09-Q-0016: The Role of H1-B Visa Availability in Small Firm Hiring
• SBAHQ-09-Q-0017: Research on Small Business and Innovation, Job Growth, and Green Entrepreneurship
• SBAHQ-09-Q-0018: Research on Health Insurance and Small Business
• SBAHQ-09-Q-0019: Research on Small Business Procurement
• SBAHQ-09-Q-0020: Research on Veteran Entrepreneurship
• SBAHQ-09-Q-0021: Small Business Industrial Organization Research
• SBAHQ-09-Q-0022: Small Business Research by Graduate Students

The proposal solicitations and synopses are listed in FedBizOpps (https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=agency&mode=form&tab=notices&id=2452a817ef67bc6a1609fffe201f1ed9).  (If this link is not active, go to http://www.fbo.gov and search for Small Business Administration listings, solicitation number SBAHQ072309BAA.)  Each of these research opportunities are small business set-asides.

See the attached performance work statements on FedBizOpps for more information on each issue area.  It is important that all respondents follow the instructions provided for submitting proposals.  Please note that regular mail to government offices in Washington, D.C., experiences significant delays.  Other methods, such as overnight and certified mail, are preferred and are more timely. 

For ideas of previously funded research by the Office of Advocacy, see http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/chron.html.

            Each week while Congress is in session the Office of Advocacy will post a highlights schedule of congressional hearings and committee markups that we think will be of interest to stakeholders in the small business community.  For further information on the hearings in question please contact the relevant congressional committee.

 Tuesday, July 21, 2009

 TBD        Hearing

House Financial Services Committee hearing on the Humphrey-Hawkins Semiannual Monetary Policy Report, current economic conditions, and the outlook for the financial sector and the broader economy

Where:      2128 Rayburn

Webcast:  http://www.house.gov/financialservices/

 Wednesday, July 22, 2009

1:00 pm    Hearing

House Small Business Committee hearing titled “Meeting the Needs of Small Businesses and Family Farmers in Regulating our Nation’s Waters.”

Where:    2360 Rayburn

Webcast: N/A

Thursday, July 23, 2009

 TBD     Hearing

Finance and Tax Subcommittee of House Small Business Committee will hold a hearing titled “Legislative Proposals to Reform the SBA?s Capital Access Programs.”

Where: 2360 Rayburn Bldg

Webcast:          N/A

            Many of Advocacy’s studies over its history have focused on how small businesses, as well as entrepreneurs of all demographic groups, contribute to job creation and economic growth through innovative technologies (see, for example, the study released this week on High-tech Immigrant Entrepreneurship in the United States.

            At a recent National Economists Club meeting, Dr. Robert Shapiro, chair of the ecoIdea Institute, discussed economic growth and its relationship to energy independence. He notes that the pace of innovation seems to be accelerating and asks why. “Part of it is science,” he notes. “This is a period of breakthroughs in genomics and computer science in particular. Part of it is the implications and applications of the enormous advances in information technologies. We can figure out things that before we never had the techniques and person power to take on. And part of it is globalization, which gives almost any organization access to much of the global pool of human capital.”

       If, as climate science implies, there is an urgent need to curtail greenhouse gas emissions, he suggests that “the intersection of climate and economic policy lies in innovation.” He further notes that “the development and spread of particular innovations such as breakthrough nanotechnology-based solar applications…depend on the prospect of securing the returns from others’ use of those innovations… That means that we cannot separate preserving the climate and driving economic growth from protecting intellectual property rights since those rights are the essential basis for those returns.”

            Food for thought. The full presentation podcast is located here.

– Kathryn Tobias, Senior Editor

            Each week while Congress is in session the Office of Advocacy will post a highlights schedule of congressional hearings and committee markups that we think will be of interest to stakeholders in the small business community.  For further information on the hearings in question please contact the relevant congressional committee.

Monday, July 13, 2009

 10:00 am  Hearing

House Financial Services Committee hearing on “Systemic risk of institutions deemed ‘too big to fail’”

Where:        2128 Rayburn

Webcast:     http://www.house.gov/financialservices/

 Tuesday, July 14, 2009

 10:00 am  Hearing

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on pending mining legislation

                 Bills:            S. 796, Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2009

                                    S. 140, Abandoned Mine Reclamation Act of 2009

I               Where:        366 Dirksen

                 Webcast:     http://energy.senate.gov/public/

 10:00 am  Hearing

House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry hearing on the economic conditions facing the dairy industry

Where:        1300 Longworth

Webcast:     http://agriculture.house.gov/index.shtml

            Advocacy’s r3 initiative gained ground with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council “Payments Under Fixed-Price Architecture and Engineering Contracts” (A&E) proposed rule.

            Cureently, FAR 52.232-10 mandates that contracting officers withhold 10 percent of the amounts due on each voucher.  The government retains the withhold amount until the contracting officer determines that the work has been satisfactorily completed.

            The revisions permit contracting officers to use their judgment to determine the amount of payment to withhold to protect the government’s interests rather than automatically withholding 10 percent of each voucher.

            The proposed rule clarifies that the contractor will be paid any unpaid balance due at the successful completion of the design work.

            The retainage rule now must be finalized by the FAR Council.  Advocacy hopes the FAR Council will quickly act to finalize this rule.

            Advocacy has submitted a comment letter to the FAR Council commending them on their response to the small business community’s concerns as expressed through the r3 initiative.  The letter also proposes further reforms of the rule as suggested by small businesses during a meeting with the FAR Council earlier this year.

– Major Clark, Assistant Chief Counsel

            Each week while Congress is in session the Office of Advocacy will post a highlights schedule of congressional hearings and committee markups that we think will be of interest to stakeholders in the small business community.  For further information on the hearings in question please contact the relevant congressional committee.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

5:00 pm    Markup

House Rules Committee markup of H.R. 2965, Enhancing Small Business Research and Innovation Act of 2009

Where:        H-313 Capitol

Webcast:     http://www.rules.house.gov/

7:00 p.m.  Markup

House Appropriations Committee markup of draft FY 2010 Appropriations for Financial Services (includes funding for the SBA)

Where:        2359 Rayburn

Webcast:     http://appropriations.house.gov/

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

10:00 am  Hearing

House Small Business Committee hearing on “The Looming Challenge for Small Medical Providers: The Projected Physician Shortage and How Health Care Reforms Can Address the Problem”

Witnesses:   Robert E. Harbaugh, Penn State University, representing American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons; George F. Sheldon, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, representing American College of Surgeons; Carlo J. DiMarco, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie, PA, and President, American Osteopathic Association; Lori Heim, Physician, Laurinburg, NC, president-elect, American Academy of Family Physicians; Bruce A. Kauk, P – physician, Northland Internal Medicine, Gladstone, Mo.

Where:        2360 Rayburn

Webcast:     http://www.house.gov/smbiz/

10:00 am  Markup

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee markup of draft legislation, S. ____, Affordable Health Choices Act.

Bill Text:     S. ___,  http://help.senate.gov/BAI09A84_xml.pdf

Where:        106 Dirksen

Webcast:     http://help.senate.gov/

10:00 am  Hearing

House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection hearing on “The Proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency:  Implications for Consumers and the Federal Trade Commission”

Where:        2123 Rayburn

Webcast:     http://energycommerce.house.gov/

10:00 am  Hearing

House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing on Regulation of Bottled Water

Witnesses:   John Stephenson, Director, Natural Resources and the Environment Issues, Government Accountability Office; Representative of the Food and Drug Administration (TBA); Joseph K. Doss, President, International Bottled Water Association; Jane Houlihan, Senior Vice President for Research, Environmental Working Group

Where:        2322 Rayburn

Webcast:     http://energycommerce.house.gov/

1:30 pm    Markup

Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government markup of draft Fiscal Year 2010 Appropriations for Financial Services (includes funding for the SBA)

Where:        192 Dirksen

Webcast:     http://appropriations.senate.gov/

2:00 pm    Hearing

Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Financial Institutions hearing on the effects of the economic crisis on community banks and credit unions in rural communities

Witnesses:   Jack Hopkins, President and CEO, CorTrust Bank National Association, Sioux Falls, SD, representing the Independent Community Bankers of America; Frank Michael, President and CEO, Allied Credit Union, Stockton, Calif., representing the Credit Union National Association; Arthur Johnson, Chairman and CEO, United Bank of Michigan, representing the American Bankers Association; Peter Skillern, Executive Director, Community Reinvestment Association of North Carolina

Where:        538 Dirksen

Webcast:     http://banking.senate.gov/public/

Thursday, July 9, 2009

10:00 am  Hearing

House Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Biotechnology, Specialty Crops, and Foreign Agriculture hearing on rural broadband programs

Where:        1300 Longworth

Webcast:     http://agriculture.house.gov/index.shtml

10:00 am  Roundtable

Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee roundtable discussion on “Healthcare Reform:  The Concerns and Priorities from the Perspective of Small Businesses”

Where:        428A Russell

Webcast:     http://sbc.senate.gov/

10:00 am  Hearing

House Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Technology hearing on “Helping Small Business Innovators through the Research and Experimentation Tax Credit”

                 Where:        2360 Rayburn

                 Webcast:     http://www.house.gov/smbiz/

10:00 am  Hearing

House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy hearing on “Trends Affecting Minority Broadcast Ownership”

Legislation: H.R. 848, Performance Rights Act

Where:        2141 Rayburn

Webcast:     http://judiciary.house.gov/

10:00 am  Hearing

House Financial Services Committee hearing on pending legislation, H.R. 3068, Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) for Main Street Act of 2009

Where:        2128 Rayburn

Webcast:     http://www.house.gov/financialservices/

2:00 pm    Hearing

House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives hearing on “Census Data and its Use in Federal Formula Funding”

                 Where:        2154 Rayburn

                 Webcast:     http://oversight.house.gov/