Golden Bill to Build on the Success of Small Business Development Centers Passes Committee
Golden’s bipartisan legislation reauthorizes successful Small Business Development Center program, increases available funding, and makes program improvements. Last year, Maine SBDCs helped over 1,500 small businesses, created or protected more than 800 jobs, and helped launch 136 new businesses
WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) passed a bill to help launch and expand Maine small businesses through the House Small Business Committee today. Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) help Maine small businesses get off the ground and expand their capacity through low- or no-cost business training and advising in areas like business plan development, marketing and sales, e-commerce, and small business strategic planning. Maine has a lead SBDC located at the University of Southern Maine, which operates eleven outreach locations in Maine's Second District.
Golden's Small Business Development Centers Improvement Act reauthorizes the SBDC program, increases the resources available to the program for the first time in more than a decade, and makes important changes to improve SBDCs. The bill, which was introduced with Congresswoman Auma Aumata Coleman Radewagen (AS-At Large), passed the Small Business Committee unanimously today.
"Mainers are self-starters. It's one reason why we have so many small businesses in our state. Small Business Development Centers are key to helping many of these small businesses thrive," said Golden. "From Caribou to South Paris, SBDCs are in communities across our state helping family businesses develop business plans, secure financing, and plan their growth. Our bipartisan bill will help bring this program to more Mainers, saving small businesses thousands of dollars and setting them up to grow and create new jobs."
The Small Business Development Centers Improvement Act would reauthorize the program for the next three years and would increase funding from the $135 million most recently-authorized level to $175 million through 2023. In addition to funding SBDCs, the bill would strengthen SBDCs ability to raise their own funds and explicitly allow the centers to market their services to small businesses.
"We are thankful to Congressman Golden for sponsoring this SBDC reauthorization bill. Reauthorizing the SBDC program will be instrumental in continuing to support entrepreneurs as they start and grow small businesses in Maine and across the country." - Mark Delisle, State Director of the Maine Small Business Development Centers.
The Maine SBDC has offices in Auburn, Bangor, Caribou, Dover-Foxcroft, Ellsworth, Farmington, Fort Kent, Houlton, Machias, Rumford and South Paris, along with additional locations in the First Congressional District.
As the chairman of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure, Golden has prioritized the needs of Maine small businesses during his time in Congress. This month, he held a Congressional field-hearing at the University of Maine Machias to support the development of rural broadband, which is critical for the success of many Maine small businesses. He also sponsored the Future Logging Careers Act, which would assist small logging ventures in Maine by allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to help operate family enterprises.