Small Business Legislation Statement on Signing H.R. 5612 Into Law.

In 1980 we have done more to expand opportunities for small businesses than in any year in the past. Together with the Congress, my administration has discarded the traditional practice of ceremonial support for small business in favor of meaningful changes in policy that actually improve the competitive climate for small business.

Today, I will sign yet another piece of legislation of direct benefit to millions of small business men and women, H.R. 5612. This new law will help small business people pay the cost of a successful defense against an action brought by the Government. This new law will also direct more Federal purchasing to small firms owned by minorities. Finally, this new law will help small businesses win a greater share of our export market.

I have made it a personal goal to see that companies owned by minorities and women get their fair share of Federal procurement. Under my administration, purchasing from these groups has increased markedly, as recommended by the White House Conference on Small Business. However, minority procurement contracts have tended to be short-lived and are often restricted to the service area-such as janitorial and food service work. So, I am particularly pleased that this new law continues for another year the 8(a) pilot program designed to direct more Federal contracts of a long-range and technically sophisticated nature to minority companies—contracts which only recently went almost exclusively to larger companies.

Another section of this legislation provides small businesses with "equal access to justice"—another high priority of the White House Conference on Small Business.

Many small businesses have learned from bitter experience that when an unfair action is brought against it by a Government agency it may be cheaper and easier to pay a fine than to fight for vindication.

This new law will change that. My administration has consistently endorsed the principle that financial relief be available to small businesses that prevail in litigation when the Government's position is found to be arbitrary. Some of the proposals previously advanced were too broad in their application and too expensive, but this legislation strikes a fair balance between the Government's obligation to enforce the law and the need to encourage business people with limited resources to resist unreasonable Government conduct.

Another problem small businesses have long faced is finding ways to sell goods and services abroad. Thousands of small companies want to sell their goods and services overseas, but lack the experience and the capital to do so.

This new law provides a range of export assistance. Some of this assistance will be in the form of loans or loan guarantees from the Small Business Administration. Technical aid will be made available by the SBA and the Department of Commerce. Export promotion centers will be organized to help familiarize small businesses with export sales opportunities and assistance.

I am proud of what my administration has done for our millions of small businesses. The actions we have taken with the Congress and with small business leaders themselves—through the White House Conference on Small Business—will result in a healthier small business community and, consequently, in a more vigorous national economy.

In signing H.R. 5612, I want to congratulate Senators Nelson, Culver, Morgan, Levin, DeConcini, and Stevenson and Representatives Smith, Addabbo, LaFalce, Mitchell, Ireland, Kastenmeier, and Zablocki, as well as Arthur Levitt, Jr., and the other leaders of the White House Conference on Small Business for their work with my administration on behalf of our Nation's small businesses.