The U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census calculates the number of small employers in Wisconsin to be 115,541, accounting for 98% of Wisconsin’s employers and 53.4% of its private sector employment. Lack of current statistics prevents formal analysis of developments in the small business sector since the collapse of financial market in September of 2008. Private sector surveys have indicated concerns about cash flow and access to credit in small businesses. The purpose of this public hearing is to gather information about the state of cash flow and access to credit in small businesses in Wisconsin – who needs credit, who gets credit, what are circumstances affecting availability and access. Because this topic covers a broad array of economic sectors, in addition to the general public, a variety of interests have been invited to participate in this public hearing including: academia, small business, financial institutions, economic developers, and governmental agencies.