{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=74D0A29C-5EEA-4632-8FFB-493BB78D7C9D", "Heitkamp Recognized as National Champion for Small Businesses", "2016-11-03", "2016", "2016-11", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "MINOT, N.D. \u2013 U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today was recognized by North Dakota members of the Small Business Investors Alliance (SBIA) as she received the group\u2019s national Champion of Small Business Award for her work to help level the playing field for small businesses across North Dakota and the country so they grow and thrive.\r\nJoining workers and North Dakota SBIA members at NewKota \u2013 a 60-employee Minot-based small business \u2013 Heitkamp emphasized the need to improve partnerships and strengthen bipartisan legislative efforts that have helped NewKota and others grow. With the help of Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs) \u2013 which make long-term investments in Small Business Administration (SBA)-licensed companies like NewKota \u2013 have been able to hire more workers and develop their businesses. Heitkamp\u2019s recognition today builds on her work in the U.S. Senate advocating for a seat at the table for small businesses when it comes to decisions on federal rules that impact them, and for her efforts to make sure small startups between New York and Silicon Valley can access the investments they need to prosper.\r\n\u201cStrong small businesses and startups support workers, families, and communities across North Dakota. That\u2019s why I\u2019ve been working to make sure the rules for small businesses are fair and they are given every opportunity to get off the ground and grow,\u201d said Heitkamp. \u201cIt\u2019s an honor to be recognized by North Dakotans of the Small Business Investors Alliance which is dedicated to securing a prosperous, growth-oriented environment for communities to thrive. In the U.S. Senate, I\u2019ve been pushing for policies that help forge strong public-private partnerships which have allowed companies like NewKota to obtain the long-term investments they need to grow, and I\u2019ll keep looking for ways to make sure small businesses and startups remain part of the fabric of North Dakota's towns well into the future.\u201d\r\nA member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and a subcommittee ranking member on the U.S. Senate Committee in Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Heitkamp is a key advocate for encouraging innovation and entrepreneurial growth in North Dakota \u2013 where businesses make up almost 96 percent of North Dakota\u2019s employers \u2013 and across the country, where small businesses created about two-thirds of net new jobs between mid-2009 and 2011.In March, Heitkamp introduced her Startup Entrepreneur Empowerment Delivery (SEED) Act to addressing a challenge nearly a third startups in the Fargo-Moorhead area face \u2013 difficulty accessing early stage funding to grow their businesses \u2013 by creating a federal pilot program to promote innovative ideas and burgeoning entrepreneurial growth in small communities nationwide. The following month, Heitkamp introduced her bipartisan SEC Small Business Advocate Act to make sure small businesses can advocate for policies to federal rule makers that help them build investments in their companies as well as jobs across the country.\r\nJust last week, Heitkamp was recognized by the National Association of Manufacturers for her outstanding work to stand up for American workers and manufactures by pushing for smart regulatory policies that help level the playing field for small businesses by cutting red tape, and for a and a fully operational Export-Import Bank.\r\nHeitkamp has worked to forge strong relationships with the U.S. Small Business Administration, bringing SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet to North Dakota in July 2015 for the Committee\u2019s first field hearing in North Dakota, and to hear firsthand from women entrepreneurs and to meet with tribal and business leaders an new training, resources and support for Native American small businesses and entrepreneurs.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=74D0A29C-5EEA-4632-8FFB-493BB78D7C9D"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9409100748598576, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}