Washington Reps. Dave Reichert (R) and Rick Larsen (D) recently introduced a bill that would help small businesses in Washington and across the country, export their products overseas.
The bipartisan Next STEP Act of 2013 would permanently authorize the State Trade and Export Promotion program, which helps small businesses overcome exporting hurdles.
STEP services are managed and provided at the local level by state government organizations. The Small Business Administration’s Office of International Trade manages the program at the federal level.
“When our small businesses export their products overseas, they create jobs here at home,” Larsen said. “The STEP program has helped hundreds of businesses in Washington State generate millions of dollars of sales. Every dollar we spent through STEP brought back $75 to our state. That kind of success begs repeating.”
The STEP program was created by Congress in 2010 as a three-year pilot program and is set to expire in 2014.
“We must support our small businesses seeking to increase their footprints abroad or those exporting for the first time,” Reichert said. “This bipartisan bill is intended to do just that. With the overwhelming majority of consumers living outside of our borders, we need to work together to encourage small businesses to engage in the global economy, creating jobs here at home.”