Senator Hassan Joins Colleagues in Launching Bipartisan Senate Entrepreneurship Caucus to Support Innovative Businesses, Strengthen Workforce in New Hampshire

WASHINGTON – As part of her continued commitment to working across party lines to support innovative small businesses and strengthen New Hampshire’s workforce, Senator Maggie Hassan today joined colleagues in launching a new bipartisan Senate caucus to address the most pressing issues facing entrepreneurs. The Caucus will serve as a forum for collaboration and coordination to support entrepreneurs in New Hampshire and across the country.

With startup rates falling to near 30-year lows, the Caucus will focus on diagnosing the causes of this “startup slump” and formulating a comprehensive strategy to counteract it. The Caucus will also serve as a clearinghouse for interested groups to share their ideas with bipartisan policymakers committed to supporting America’s entrepreneurs.

“Entrepreneurs and innovative small businesses are the backbone of our economy in New Hampshire and across the country, and we must do more to make sure they can turn their ideas into thriving businesses that create jobs,” Senator Hassan said. “I am excited to help launch the bipartisan Senate Entrepreneurship Caucus to continue working across the aisle to find new ways to support our entrepreneurs, including reducing the burden of student loan debt that holds far too many entrepreneurs back.”

Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tim Scott (R-SC) will lead the Senate Entrepreneurship Caucus. Other Caucus members are Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO), Chris Coons (D-DE), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John Hoeven (R-ND), James Inhofe (R-OK), Doug Jones (D-AL), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Gary Peters (D-MI), David Perdue (R-GA), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). Formation of the Caucus is supported by the Center for American Entrepreneurship (CAE), Economic Innovation Group (EIG), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Majority, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Main Street Alliance, the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, Small Business Investor Alliance, the American Investment Council, and the National Venture Capital Association.

Senator Hassan has long made promoting entrepreneurship and supporting innovative businesses a top priority. Last year, Senator Hassan hosted the Innovate NH Entrepreneurship Forum, which continued her work as Governor to expand economic opportunity and support job-creating businesses. As part of the “Innovate NH plan” she developed and implemented as Governor, Maggie Hassan successfully worked to strengthen businesses and the workforce by freezing in-state tuition at New Hampshire’s public colleges and universities, doubling the state’s research and development tax credit, providing businesses with technical assistance, increasing international trade assistance, and launching the award-winning Live Free and Start initiative. As Senator, she is building on those efforts. The first bill Senator Hassan introduced in the Senate was the Reigniting Opportunity for Innovators Act, which would help provide student loan debt relief to help young entrepreneurs to start up and grow innovative small businesses. Additionally, the Senator pushed for bipartisan legislation – which has now been signed into law – that supports career and technical education programs to help strengthen the workforce pipeline and give businesses the workforce they need to thrive.

###