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15 U.S. Code § 631. Declaration of policy
(a) Aid, counsel, assistance, etc., to small business concerns
The essence of the American economic system of private enterprise is free competition. Only through full and free competition can free markets, free entry into business, and opportunities for the expression and growth of personal initiative and individual judgment be assured. The preservation and expansion of such competition is basic not only to the economic well-being but to the security of this Nation. Such security and well-being cannot be realized unless the actual and potential capacity of small business is encouraged and developed. It is the declared policy of the Congress that the Government should aid, counsel, assist, and protect, insofar as is possible, the interests of small-business concerns in order to preserve free competitive enterprise, to insure that a fair proportion of the total purchases and contracts or subcontracts for property and services for the Government (including but not limited to contracts or subcontracts for maintenance, repair, and construction) be placed with small-business enterprises, to insure that a fair proportion of the total sales of Government property be made to such enterprises, and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of the Nation.
(b) Assistance to compete in international markets
(1) It is the declared policy of the Congress that the Federal Government, through the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, acting through the Associate Administrator for International Trade, and in cooperation with the Department of Commerce and other relevant State and Federal agencies, should aid and assist small businesses, as defined under this chapter, to increase their ability to compete in international markets by—
(A)
enhancing their ability to export;
(B)
facilitating technology transfers;
(C)
enhancing their ability to compete effectively and efficiently against imports;
(D)
increasing the access of small businesses to long-term capital for the purchase of new plant and equipment used in the production of goods and services involved in international trade;
(E)
disseminating information concerning State, Federal, and private programs and initiatives to enhance the ability of small businesses to compete in international markets; and
(F)
ensuring that the interests of small businesses are adequately represented in bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations.