The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) will hold a public hearing to investigate small- and medium-sized enterprises export activities on Tuesday, February 9. The hearing in Courtroom A of the USITC Building at 500 E Street SW will specifically investigate "Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: U.S. and EU Export Activities, and Barriers and Opportunities Experienced by U.S. Firms" and "Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Characteristics and Performance."
USITC will also hold two field hearings in St. Louis, Missouri on Wednesday, March 10 at 9:30 a.m., and in Portland, Oregon on Friday, March 12 at 9:30 a.m. For details on these hearings, visit the USITC website here.
Ambassador Kirk requested an investigation by the USITC to better understand how many of America's small- and medium-sized enterprises export now, their role in generating employment and economic activity in the U.S., and how increased trading opportunities might benefit these businesses and their workers.
The first report, "Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Overview of Participation in U.S. Exports," was published on January 19, 2010, leading up to USTR's January 21 conference "Jobs on Main Street, Customers Around the World: A Positive Trade Agenda for U.S. Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises" and a week-long intensive focus on exporting opportunities and challenges for small-and medium-sized enterprises.
USITC will product two more reports for USTR this year on the topics covered in the February 9 hearing and subsequent field hearings.
