WASHINGTON (Feb. 19, 2014) — Small Business Majority, a national small business association, has praised the confirmation of Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., as chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
Sen. Cantwell's confirmation “bodes wells for the direction of small employer-related legislative policies and our continued economic recovery,” said John Arensmeyer, founder and CEO of Small Business Majority.
“Cantwell's diverse background, first as a businesswoman and job creator in the private sector, and then working to expand access to capital and encourage investment as a senator, will be a critical asset for her new role,” Mr. Arensmeyer said.
First elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000, Sen. Cantwell was a top executive at RealNetworks, a Seattle-based provider of Internet streaming software and services. She also served in the Washington State and U.S. Houses of Representatives.
Sen. Cantwell is well known for her support of legislation to promote the development of small business, as well as her refusal to accept campaign funds from political action committees.
Small Business Majority, an organization founded and run by small business owners, conducts opinion and economic research to ensure that small business owners are part of the national economic policy debate, according to the group's publicity.