WASHINGTON – United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., today released the following statement after President Barack Obama announced that he is sending a Startup America Legislative Agenda to Congress.

“I welcome President Obama’s announcement that he is asking Congress to pass Startup America legislation to help startup companies and high-growth entrepreneurs. We’ve seen over the past several years that these firms are where job creation is happening, and it is great to see the White House continue to focus on this important issue. These policy initiatives, many of which I have proposed myself, are a great first step toward our shared goal of passing sweeping legislation to help America’s entrepreneurs succeed.

“This announcement also comes on the eve of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee’s first in a series of roundtables to discuss policy options and new ideas for strengthening and encouraging startups and high-growth entrepreneurship towards job creation, and the federal government’s role in creating and strengthening an ecosystem for entrepreneurship. These roundtables, which will include administration officials, will give us an opportunity to review these and other policy ideas that can be included in a comprehensive, bipartisan piece of legislation to jumpstart innovation and job creation, and unleash the next era of entrepreneurship to ensure our nation remains competitive in today’s global economy.”