The Political Bridge

What is and What is Not Including in the New Jobs Bill

The measure includes funds for:

· Medicaid programs(approximately $23 billion to the States)

· Amtrak construction

· school renovation

· job training

· part-time college jobs

· summer employment for low-income teenagers

· workers in national parks and forests

· very poor people with as little as no income to claim a $1,000-per-child tax credit 

· federal surface transportation programs

 This measure does include (as promised by President Obama) funds to give:

· Social Security recipients $250 payments,

·  tax credits for small businesses that create jobs

· tax credits to people who make their homes more energy efficient

 

Information from the AP

SCORE Honors Congressman John Yarmuth(D-KY) for Contributions to Small Businesses in Louisville

November 16, 2009

 

Media Contacts

Trey Pollard (Yarmuth) 202-225-5401

Jack Bergwerk (SCORE) 502-425-9587

 

( Louisville , KY ) Today, the Louisville chapter of SCORE announced it awarded an honorary membership to Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3) in recognition of his work to help strengthen and develop small businesses in Louisville .

 “John Yarmuth has taken his experience as a small business owner straight to Congress, where he is fighting for solutions to the problems Louisville entrepreneurs face everyday,” said Jack Bergwerk, chairman of the Louisville chapter of SCORE’s Legislative Committee. “Small business owners need an advocate like Congressman Yarmuth in Washington , and SCORE is proud to recognize him for his dedication.”

 Founded in 1964, SCORE – formerly known as the Service Corps of Retired Executives - offers mentoring services and advice to small business owners and developing entrepreneurs. SCORE has provided counseling to more than 8.5 million business owners nationwide, assisting 523,000 in just the last year.

 “The challenges for today’s entrepreneurs are numerous, especially with health care costs out of control and the economy struggling,” said Congressman Yarmuth. “In Congress, I am committed to ensuring small business owners have every opportunity to succeed, and I am proud to be recognized by an organization committed to that same goal.”

 Before being elected to Congress in 2006, Congressman Yarmuth was the founder and publisher of LEO Weekly magazine. Now in his second term, he serves on the Ways and Means Committee and is a member of the Business Owners Caucus.

 SCORE Louisville is a non-profit organization partnered with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Located in the Romano Mazzoli Federal Building , the local chapter holds free marketing and management workshops and offers Louisville small business owners counseling and mentoring services.

Gov. Beshear Announces that $800,000 in American Reinvestment and Recovery Act Funds are Now Available to Kentucky’s Farmers

Governor Steve Beshear's Communications Office

Press Release Date:  Wednesday, October 28, 2009  

Contact Information: 

Jay Blanton
Jill Midkiff
502-564-2611  

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Gov. Steve Beshear today announced that $850,000 in American Reinvestment and Recovery Act funds are now available to Kentucky’s farmers on approved energy efficiency cost-share items.

“In September, I announced the awarding of stimulus funds for on-farm energy efficiency improvements to Kentucky,” said Gov. Steve Beshear. “Now, I am pleased to announce that these funds are available for farmers to access for making their operations more energy efficient.”

The energy stimulus incentive program will provide 25 percent reimbursement of the actual cost of a federally qualified energy saving item, up to $10,000.  Permissible items include, but are not limited to, energy audits, energy efficient farm building components, on-farm energy upgrades and on-farm energy efficiency training.  Only expenditures made after Oct. 15, 2009 will be eligible for reimbursement.

“These on-farm energy efficiency incentives represent only a small part of Kentucky’s State Energy Program award,” said Roger Thomas, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy (GOAP). “But they will provide enormous benefit to Kentucky’s farmers and position Kentucky agriculture as a leader in on-farm energy efficiency.”

Producers may apply for these funds in two ways.  First, producers in all counties who have completed a sign-up period for the County Agricultural Investment Program (CAIP) will have their requests from the “On-farm Energy Efficiency and Production” investment area automatically forwarded to GOAP by their county’s program administrator.

Farmers in each of the 49 counties that will not have completed a sign-up period for CAIP prior to Nov. 15, 2009 may apply directly to GOAP for these energy stimulus incentives. GOAP will accept direct applications from Nov. 2-13, 2009.  For a list of counties that will follow this alternate application process or to download the application, visit agpolicy.ky.gov.

All applications received from across the Commonwealth will be reviewed and scored by a committee comprised of representatives from GOAP, the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board, the UK College of Agriculture and a Rural Electric Cooperative.  A representative from USDA Rural Development and the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet will each serve in an ex-officio capacity.

All applications meeting the minimum requirements of eligibility will be considered for funding.  If the total eligible applications exceed the available funds, the committee will rank the applications using the scoring criteria.  Applicants will be notified of their approval.

Any energy stimulus funds remaining after the 2009 sign-up will be made available to producers in all Kentucky counties in 2010.  Additional information will be disseminated as it is available.

If you have any questions about this application process, please contact Bryan Thomas at (502) 564-4627 or [email protected].

###

Energy bonus incentives are made possible through the Renewable Energy Partnership between  the Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy and  the Energy & Environment Cabinet’s Department for Energy Development & Independence. Funding comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Governor Steve Beshear and the Kentucky Legislature continue to make great strides toward lessening Kentucky’s dependence on tobacco production while revitalizing the farm economy by investing 50 percent of Kentucky's Master Settlement Agreement into the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund.

Senator Olympia Snowe's Next Step for Main Street Credit Availability Act of 2009 (Introduced in Senate)

From Thomas.com

A BILL

To amend the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to stop the small business credit crunch, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Next Step for Main Street Credit Availability Act of 2009'.

SEC. 2. MAXIMUM AMOUNTS FOR 7(a) LOANS.

Section 7(a)(3)(A) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(a)(3)(A)) is amended by striking `$1,500,000 (or if the gross loan amount would exceed $2,000,000' and inserting `$4,000,000 (or if the gross loan amount would exceed $5,000,000'.

SEC. 3. REFINANCING EXISTING 7(a) LOANS.

(a) In General- Section 7(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(34) REFINANCING EXISTING LOANS- A borrower that has received a loan under this subsection may refinance the balance of the loan by applying for a loan from the lender that made the original loan or with another lender.'.

(b) Technical Amendment- Section 7(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(a)) is amended by striking `(32) INCREASED' and inserting `(33) INCREASED'.

SEC. 4. MAXIMUM LOAN AMOUNTS UNDER 504 PROGRAM.

Section 502(2)(A) of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 (15 U.S.C. 696(2)(A)) is amended--

(1) in clause (i), by striking `$1,500,000' and inserting `$4,000,000';

(2) in clause (ii), by striking `$2,000,000' and inserting `$5,000,000'; and

(3) in clause (iii), by striking `$4,000,000' and inserting `$5,500,000'.

SEC. 5. MAXIMUM LOAN LIMITS UNDER MICROLOAN PROGRAM.

Section 7(m) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(m)) is amended--

(1) in paragraph (1)(B)(iii), by striking `$35,000' and inserting `$50,000';

(2) in paragraph (3)(E), by striking `$35,000' each place it appears and inserting `$50,000'; and

(3) in paragraph (11)(B), by striking `$35,000' and inserting `$50,000'.

SEC. 6. ONLINE LENDING PLATFORM.

It is the sense of the Congress that the Administrator of the Small Business Administration should establish a website that--

(1) lists each lender that makes loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration and provides information about the loan rate of each such lender; and

(2) allows prospective borrowers--

(A) to compare rates on loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration; and

(B) to apply online for loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration.

 

Are President Obama's New Small Business Adminstration's(S.B.A.) Initiatives Intended as a Political Plum for Senator Olympia Snowe?

 The New York Times, October 21, 2009

What is striking about the S.B.A. initiatives is not just the size of the increases but whom they appear meant to impress. The new loan limits closely track increases proposed by Olympia Snowe, the senator from Maine (who was the only Republican to vote for the Baucus Health-Care Bill...

In August, Ms. Snowe introduced legislation titled the “Next Step for Main Street Credit Availability Act of 2009.”

(Click Senator Snowe to read more about this Act)