Proc. 7312 Title 3--The President They create 80 percent of the new jobs in our economy, and last year they generated 51 percent of our Nation's gross national product--more than $16 trillion. Small business owners are leaders in innovation, creating a wellspring of new technology, new products, and more effective business processes. Recognizing the important role small businesses play in the life of our Na- tion and in the vitality of our economy, my Administration is committed to continuing and expanding their success so that more Americans have the opportunity for prosperity and a secure future for themselves and their families. By balancing the Federal budget, we freed up capital for starting and expanding small businesses. We have put in place policies and pro- grams that grant tax and regulatory relief and expand access to capital and overseas markets for small businesses. And we have strengthened Amer- ica's workforce through investment in education, training, and improved benefits. Through the Small Business Administration, we guaranteed more than $12 billion in loans to nearly 50 thousand companies last year alone; opened the door to $4.2 billion in venture capital investment for 2,000 companies; and provided management and technical assistance to more than 900,000 small businesses. Through our New Markets Initiative and our efforts to bridge the digital divide, my Administration is helping to create opportuni- ties for small businesses by promoting public and private sector investment in underserved communities and expanding e-commerce capability. During Small Business Week, we salute America's millions of small busi- ness owners; men and women of courage and initiative whose future is limited only by their imagination and whose success has created better lives for us all. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitu- tion and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 21 through May 27, 2000, as Small Business Week. I call upon government officials and all the people of the United States to observe this week with appro- priate ceremonies, activities, and programs that celebrate the achievements of small business owners and encourage the development of new enter- prises. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this nineteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON Proclamation 7312 of May 22, 2000 National Maritime Day, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Americans have always looked to the sea as a source of prosperity and se- curity. Bounded by two oceans and the Gulf of Mexico, with the Great 84
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