Rep. Lamonte Bill Would Create State Office to Help Entrepreneurs

Office would connect business owners with resources, aid start-ups

LANSING — Rep. Collene Lamonte (D-Montague) introduced a bill today that would establish the Office of Small Business Development and Entrepreneurship Services, which would be housed within the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

“Small businesses are the backbone of the state’s economy comprising more than 70 percent of the jobs in Michigan, and anything we can do to strengthen them helps us all,” Lamonte said. “The Office of Small Business Development and Entrepreneurship Services would make it easier to start a business and assist business owners seeking to grow existing companies. When our small businesses thrive, they create more jobs, bringing economic security to more Michiganders.”

The office Lamonte’s bill creates would coordinate programs dealing with small businesses, set up a searchable database of business organizations and governmental entities governing business and offer practical how-to advice for entrepreneurs navigating the state’s start-up requirements. Currently, state programs helping entrepreneurs and regulating businesses are scattered among several state departments. In addition, colleges and universities in Michigan have vast amounts of business and entrepreneurial expertise that could be leveraged. Lamonte’s bill would create a one-stop shop where entrepreneurs could find answers to their questions and access invaluable resources.

“The global economy is changing making entrepreneurship more viable and important than ever,” Lamonte said. “It only makes sense to help the people who are trying to create new businesses, jobs, and opportunity in Michigan.”