Lawmakers kick off Georgia Small Business Initiative

In a recent meeting of the Senate and House Economic Development Committees, Georgia lawmakers kicked off a statewide Small Business Initiative that will run through the remainder of 2007. During this series of meetings, state legislators will hear directly from entrepreneurs and business leaders on how to improve Georgia's climate for small business.

"Georgia currently ranks somewhere in the middle of the pack when it comes to our small business climate," said Sen. Chip Pearson (RDawsonville), chairman of the Senate Economic Development Committee. "We want to hear from entrepreneurs, economists, leaders at the Georgia Department of Economic Development and others on ways that we can improve the existing numbers, because small business is the backbone of our economy."

In the first meeting of the joint panel on small business, Senate and House lawmakers heard from noted economist Raymond Keating of the DCbased Small Business & Entrepreneurship (SBE) Council. Keating explained that Georgia ranks 25th in the Council's 2006 Small Business Survival Index. The SBE Council publishes its Small Business Survival Index on an annual basis to convey the importance of small business to innovation, job creation, economic opportunity and the U.S. economy.

As a strong proponent of economic development in Georgia, Sen. Pearson aims to improve upon these rankings through the work of the Small Business Initiative.

"We're looking to make a positive impact on small businesses in our state by addressing the issues and the current business climate," Sen. Pearson added. "So, we'll meet across the state over the next several months, looking to come up with new ideas and proposals that we can possibly craft as legislation for the 2008 session that would benefit small business."

The membership of the 2007 Small Business Initiative is comprised of the members of the Senate and House Economic Development Committees. Sen. Pearson is the Senate co-chair, while Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Savannah) is the House co-chair. The joint panel meets again on Thursday, August 9, 2007, at the State Capitol in Atlanta.

Sen. Chip Pearson represents the 51st Senate District, which includes Dawson, Fannin, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Pickens and Union counties, and portions of Forsyth and White counties. He may be reached at 404.656.9921 or via e-mail at chip.pearson@senate. ga.gov.