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“RECOGNIZING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MINORITY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AGENCY” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E2270 on Sept. 15, 2009.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RECOGNIZING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MINORITY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
AGENCY
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HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON
of texas
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 215 to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Minority Business Development Agency, a member of the Department of Commerce.
Established on March 5, 1969, the Minority Business Development Agency is the only federal agency specifically created to foster the establishment and growth of minority-owned businesses in America. With five regional offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, New York and San Francisco, the Minority Business Development Agency network offers a broad range of services to minority entrepreneurs that are strategically located in areas with large concentrations of minority businesses. As a Representative of an area with a large concentration of minority-owned businesses, and as a business owner myself, I am especially aware of the necessity for the services provided by the Minority Business Development Agency business specialists.
Created in the midst of the Civil Rights Era, the Minority Business Development Agency has participated in many extraordinary events and left an impressionable footprint in its four decades of work. It participated with the International Trade Administration in the first trade mission to Bahrain, and many ITA missions with minority business delegations followed due to the success of this mission. Additionally, the Agency coordinated and supported disaster relief efforts for minority businesses following the devastating aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles riots and the hurricanes that ravaged many of the coastal communities along the Gulf of Mexico.
With a current focus on access to capital for minority-owned businesses, I look forward to celebrating the future success of this organization. I urge my colleagues to join me in commending the Minority Business Development Agency on its 40 years of prosperity and endeavoring to advance minority businesses in our nation.
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