Advocating for small business has been a centerpiece of my career, both prior to and during my time in the United States Senate. From my many years as an advisor to former Maine Senator Bill Cohen on small business issues, to my time as New England Administrator for the Small Business Administration, to my tenure as founding director of the Husson College Center for Family Business, and now with my work in the Senate, I have fought for the concerns of the small businesses. I have had a special interest in promoting women entrepreneurs. When I served as the New England chief of the Small Business Administration, I expanded a mentoring program to match experienced women business owners with women who were just starting their own businesses. The guidance and support these women gave one another undoubtedly helped them survive not only economic ups and downs, but also moments of self-doubt and uncertainty. The women mentors often told me that they learned as much as their protegees.
To help celebrate and promote women entrepreneurship, I will participate in a satellite conference broadcast from Washington, D.C., that will join groups at the Husson College Center for Family Business in Bangor, and in Orlando, Florida and Little Rock, Arkansas. Together with President Bush, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and three of my Senate colleagues, we will discuss ways in which the federal government can promote women's entrepreneurship. Participants at the remote locations will be able to pose questions to the panel about programs intended to aid women in their efforts to start and grow small businesses. Our conference is dedicated to exposing women to the ideas and resources needed to succeed in starting or developing a small business — and helping women who're established in business sharpen their entrepreneurial skills.
I believe this is a worthwhile endeavor, for I've always held that small businesses are the true engine of our nation's economy. In Maine, they provide so many good jobs to our citizens and are vital to the health of our state's economy. Government policies must promote and not undermine their continued existence. And I am committed to doing all I can in the Senate to support legislation and policies that encourage the growth of small businesses. In fact, I recently introduced a bill to increase the amount that small business owners can "expense" on their taxes from $24,000 to $40,000, to encourage them to expand their businesses.
There are a number of resources available to entrepreneurs attempting to start a small businesses. The Small Business Administration, for instance, has an Office of Women's Business Ownership which is rich in resources. Its Women's Business Centers provide women with long-term training and counseling in all aspects of owning or managing a business.
Getting started isn't easy and it's important to recognize that it can't be done alone. That is why it is so important that women seize the tremendous resources that exist in our own communities, too. Maine's towns abound with women who have already established successful businesses. It is worth soliciting their advice. There's nothing like first-hand knowledge to pave the way around the pitfalls.
The world of small business is an exciting one. My family's heritage is rooted in small business, and my adult life has been immersed in that realm too. Joining the ranks of small business owners can be a most rewarding experience. Small businesses play critical roles in our communities and our economies. They bring us diversity and freedom from the sameness of giant chains. They are threads that bind a community. And they are sources of local opportunity and good jobs for a great many more women.