Week of February 14 - February 18, 2005

Welcome to the National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship, an initiative of the Public Forum Institute made possible by a grant from the Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City. Through NDE-news, we bring you short summaries and analyses of various trends driving the innovation economy. Subscribe now to receive your weekly copy. Archived issues are available online. Links to the day's entrepreneurship stories from across the nation and around the world are posted each weekday on the NDE main page - bookmark it and stay informed about the latest entrepreneurship news. 

House Committee on Small Business Announces Subcommittee Assignments

Chairman Don Manzullo and Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, the Ranking Democratic Member, announced their sub-committee assignments this week.

• Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform and Oversight: Maintains general oversight and investigative authority over the regulatory and paperwork policies of all Federal departments and agencies.

  • Congressman Todd Akin (R-MO), Chair; Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam), Ranking Member

• Subcommittee on Tax, Finance and Exports: Deals with small business tax policy, general finance issues, export promotion and trade oversight.

  • Congressman Jeb Bradley (R-NH), Chair; Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA), Ranking Member

• Subcommittee on Rural Enterprises, Agriculture and Technology: Promotes business growth and opportunities in rural areas. 

  • Congressman Sam Graves (R-MO), Chair; Congressman John Barrow (D-GA), Ranking Member

• Subcommittee on Workforce, Empowerment and Government Programs: Maintains jurisdiction over Small Business Administration programs as well as oversight and investigative authority over problems small businesses have with attracting and retaining a high quality workforce. The subcommittee will also work to promote business growth and opportunities in economically depressed areas.

  • Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO), Chair; Congressman Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), Ranking Member

For more information, including a full list of Committee members, visit the Committee website: www.house.gov/smbiz 

A Federal Budget Snapshot

President Bush has released his proposed FY 2006 Federal budget, including the newly proposed Strengthening America’s Communities Initiative. The plan contains a number of ideas for streamlining federal programs, including expected cuts in programs such as the Community Development Block Grant program, the Commerce Department’s Advanced Technology Program (ATP) and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program. Meanwhile, the overall proposed budget for the Small Business Administration is $593 million – down slightly (3%) from last year’s total. While this reduction will require “doing more with less,” most important SBA programs will remain in place. This is just the beginning of this year’s budget process so expect the original plan to undergo revisions. 

To learn more about the Strengthening America’s Communities Initiative, visit http://www.commerce.gov/SACI/Talking%20Points_Strengthening%20Communities%
20FINAL%202-03-05.pdf

Update from the States

A new report from the National Governors Association summarizes the latest economic development activities ongoing in the states. Enhancing Competitiveness: A Review of Recent State Economic Development Initiatives assesses a whole range of programs around workforce, technology, tourism, and, of course, entrepreneurial development. Numerous innovative state initiatives are highlighted in the report. These include:

• South Dakota’s High Opportunity Fund: A state-sponsored $12 million venture and seed capital program.

• New Hampshire’s new state network for business incubation.

• Oregon’s virtual permitting process that allows entrepreneurs to obtain permits and licenses on-line. 

• Tennessee’s Office of Diversity Business Enterprise: A statewide one-stop shop for women and minority-owned businesses.

To obtain a copy of Enhancing Competitiveness: A Review of Recent State Economic Development Initiatives, visit http://www.nga.org/cda/files/0501COMPETITIVENESS.pdf

State Management Report Card Shows Virginia & Utah At Top of the Class

If governments want to support entrepreneurs, one effective strategy involves acting like an entrepreneur: managing for results and being accountable to taxpayers. A new report from Governing Magazine ranks how states perform on this front. The fourth annual Management Report Card from the Government Performance Project ranks states according to four categories: money, people, infrastructure and information. This year’s top performers are Virginia and Utah, who both receive A- grades from the project. Utah stood out for its effective management of infrastructure and maintenance projects as well as its strategic planning efforts known as “Utah Tomorrow.” Virginia was especially strong in its financial management efforts, especially its use of six-year budget forecasts to assess the long-term effects of current government spending and activities. 

“Grading the States 05” appears in the February 2005 edition of Governing Magazine. More information is also available at http://governing.com/articles/table.htm or http://results.gpponline.org/

Silicon Valley Index

Silicon Valley is often viewed as “ground zero” for entrepreneurship, but how is the region really performing? The Index of Silicon Valley 2005 offers some useful insights on this issue. The region’s economy continues to prosper on traditional economic performance measures. Venture capital investing is up, R&D spending is up, and new company formation is rising. Yet, at the same time, some warning signs are emerging. The region continues to suffer from a shortage of affordable housing, and the proportion of the population able to afford median-price housing is dropping. In addition, primary school performance continues to decline. Just 47% of Silicon Valley’s third graders perform above the median score on national reading tests. 

To access The Index of Silicon Valley 2005, visit 
http://www.jointventure.org/publications/index/indexofsiliconvalley.html

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