SBC 8th Annual Survey/Ex-Im Bank Reauthorization (SIGN LETTER)

Please see link below to our annual survey. The survey takes about 10 to 15 minutes to complete and it sets the agenda for Small Business California for the year. This is our eighth survey. You can see prior surveys by going to www.smallbusinesscalifornia.org.
The results of the survey will go to every state legislator and the Governor. Thank you in advance for completing and please forward to other small business owners.

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22EP7524VUE/

Also, please see letter below from Jody Milanese, Senior Director of Government Affairs from the National Small Business Association. I encourage you all to add your signature. If you have any questions regarding the letter, please do not hesitate to contact Jody at:jmilanese@nsba.biz Her full contact information is also below.

Scott Hauge
President
Small Business California
2311 Taraval Street
San Francisco, CA 94116
shauge@cal-insure.com
415-680-2188

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Good Afternoon –

Throughout the economic downturn, the U.S. Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank has played an integral role enabling U.S. companies to export goods and services around the world thus creating and maintaining thousands of U.S. jobs. Ex-Im Bank remains a catalyst for the expansion of small-business exports while continuing to support businesses confronting aggressive foreign competition.

Unfortunately, Congress failed to enact a long-term reauthorization by Sept. 30 2011, when its renewable charter expired and has since enacted a short-term extension. The current extension is set to expire at the end of May, 2012 and includes no increase in its lending cap which could cause major stoppages in new lending and support to small businesses when they need it most.

Ex-Im Bank currently has more business in its pipeline than it can support given the current cap limitations, and unless Congress acts soon, exporters could see their lender of last resort falter as it waits for the new reauthorization.

It is critical for Congress to ACT NOW and they need to hear from small businesses!

I am encouraging all of you to sign onto the attached letter to House Leadership urging them to act soon on enacting a long-term reauthorization for Ex-Im Bank and include an increase to their statutory cap. Also, please forward this email onto other small businesses that use OR simply support Ex-Im, as we’d like to collect as many signatures from as many districts and states as possible. If you are interested in signing on, please send me:

SIGNATORY NAME
COMPANY NAME
COMPANY LOCATION (CITY, STATE)

Thank you for your help in collecting as many small business signatures as possible. Please let me know if you are willing to sign-on by COB, Friday, Feb. 10.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Jody

Jody MilaneseSenior Director of Government Affairs
National Small Business Association
1156 15th Street, N.W.
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
o. 202-293-8830
f. 202-872-8543

==============Letter below, please edit as you see fit ==================




The Honorable John Boehner The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker Minority Leader
House of Representatives House of Representatives
H-232 Capitol Building H-204 Capitol Building
Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Eric Cantor The Honorable Steny Hoyer
Majority Leader Minority Whip
House of Representatives House of Representatives
H-329 Capitol Building H-148 Capitol Building
Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Speaker Boehner, Leader Cantor, Leader Pelosi and Minority Whip Hoyer,

As small business exporters, we ask you to support the reauthorization of the U.S. Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank prior to the end of this congressional session. As members of the Small Business Exporters Association and its affiliate, the National Small Business, we are urging you to act soon on enacting a long-term reauthorization for Ex- Im Bank which includes an increase to their statutory cap.

The Bank, a self-sustaining federal agency, is the official export credit agency (ECA) of the U.S. It helps finance American exports of manufactured goods and services, with the objective of contributing to the employment of U.S. workforce, primarily in circumstances when alternative financing is not available. Ex-Im Bank remains a catalyst for the expansion of small-business exports while continuing to support businesses confronting aggressive foreign competition.

Unfortunately, Congress failed to enact a long-term reauthorization by Sept. 30 2011, when its renewable charter expired and has since enacted a short-term extension. The current extension is set to expire at the end of May, 2012 and includes no increase in its lending cap which could cause major stoppages in new lending and support to small businesses—like myself—when we need it most.

Ex-Im Bank currently has more business in its pipeline than it can support given the current cap limitations, and unless Congress acts soon, exporters could see their lender of last resort falter as it waits for the new reauthorization. This uncertainty could have a devastating effect on our ability to follow through on sales even though we have buyers who want our products.

The Bank enables U.S. companies — large and small — to turn export opportunities into real sales that helps to maintain and create U.S. jobs and contribute to a stronger national economy. For Fiscal Year 2011, Ex-Im supported an estimated $24 billion in export sales, and 290,000 U.S. jobs at over 3,600 companies. The Bank also set a record in its support of small business at $6 billion—an increase of more than 20 percent since 2010. Moreover, the Bank is highly profitable, returning substantial sums to the U.S. Treasury each year. Since the Bank was last reauthorized, it has returned roughly $3.5 billion to the U.S. Government.

Over the next four years, the demand for U.S. capital equipment and services will likely grow dramatically. Since commercial banks have not fully rebounded from the financial crisis, the Ex-Im Bank’s role as "lender of last resort" will in the coming years be even more critical to leveling the playing field for small U.S. exporters in the international marketplace.

We strongly urge you to support a long-term reauthorization for Ex-Im Bank that increases its exposure cap. Extending and expanding Ex-Im Bank’s authorization will enable thousands of American exporters, both large and small, to compete more effectively against foreign competition that enjoys aggressive support from its own export credit agencies. In order to continue to grow U.S. exports, the U.S. economy, and U.S. jobs, we urge you to reauthorize the Bank as soon as possible.


Sincerely,

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