Small Business : Economic & Development Issues

Small business size standards are of congressional interest because the definition used determines eligibility for Small Business Administration (SBA) loans and consultative support assistance as well as federal contracting preferences and federal tax preferences. Although there is bipartisan agreement that the nation''s small businesses play a key role in the American economy, there are differences of opinion concerning how to define them. The Small Business Act of 1953 authorised the Small Business Administration and made it responsible for establishing size standards for determining eligibility for federal small business assistance. This book provides an historical examination of the SBA''s size standards, small business access to capital and job creation, tighter credit standings and small business employment, 7(a) Loan Guaranty Program, SBA Microloan program, and health care reform and small business.