U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer’s (MO-9) first piece of legislation, a bill that will make the Small Business Administration’s entrepreneurial development programs more effective and responsive to the needs of small businesses, was voted out of the House Small Business Committee today with strong, bi-partisan support and moves now to the full House for consideration.

 “This legislation is designed to help spur job creation and growth in our small businesses, and I am prepared to fight for it in the House floor on behalf of hard-working Missourians,” Luetkemeyer said. “I also appreciate the bi-partisan support the legislation received so far and look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this legislation to help stimulate the number one job creators in our country, our small businesses.”  

Luetkemeyer’s bill makes several changes to the SBA’s entrepreneurial development programs at no cost to taxpayers. The bill also will expand entrepreneurial job growth by pulling resources for duplicative government programs into a streamlined and effective program to help emphasize job creation and retention.

Under the bill, entrepreneurial development planning standards would be created; there would be greater coordination of SBA entrepreneurial programs; there would be maintenance of an entrepreneurial development database; and community specialists would be introduced to serve in all SBA district offices.

Luetkemeyer’s original legislation, known as the Expanding Entrepreneurship Act of 2009, now moves to the floor as part of the Job Creation through Entrepreneurship Act of 2009, introduced by Luetkemeyer and Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC).