Some parts of a Senator’s job are just naturally more glamorous than others. Extended floor debates on defense spending for Iraq get lots of airtime and grab lots of headlines. High-profile Foreign Relations and Judiciary Committee hearings draw plenty of fans, watching and waiting to see who’ll end up getting grilled on camera next. But the real business of government gets done on smaller stages and in less flashy ways, too — especially when that business is, well, small.

Senator Kerry’s position as chairman of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurshipmight not seem like the most glamorous job a politician can have. But it gives him the chance to make real differences in real peoples’ lives. And while SBA legislation might not make the front page of the New York Times very often, small businesses are the cornerstone of our nation’s economy. What affects entrepreneurs and small companies has a big effect on all of us. So here’s a rundown of what JK’s been doing in that part of the political arena lately:

— On July 18, JK chaired a hearing on the problems facing small businesses dealing with federal contracts. The hearing focused on barriers to success for small business, such as a maze of complicated regulations, contract bundling, size standards with loopholes that favor big businesses, a lack of protections for sub-contractors, and a General Services Administration schedule that’s difficult to navigate.

“The federal contracting deck is pretty heavily stacked against small businesses,” JK said at the time. “The Bush Administration keeps telling us they’re making progress, but we’re not seeing the results. And that means small firms are having a more difficult time staying competitive and doing business with the government. We can do better, and today’s hearing is a first step towards developing comprehensive contracting legislation that I will introduce later this year.”

You can read the full text of his opening statements for that hearing on the SBC website here.

— On July 23, JK helped prod the Small Business Association into extending immediate disaster relief assistance to the victims of a massive fire at a newly-redeveloped historic mill factory complex in Uxbridge, Massachusetts that affected some 135 small businesses and homeowners.

JK visited the site while the ashes were still warm and met with firefighters and emergency personnel. “The destruction caused by this fire is absolutely devastating, and because of the heroic work of firefighters from dozens of local communities, we can thank God that no one was seriously physically injured,” he said at the time. “Massachusetts has rebuilt after disasters in the past, and we will do so again. But we must not let red tape and delay stand in the way of getting assistance into the hands of businesses that need to rebuild immediately.

Later, he released this followup announcement: “I spoke to SBA Administrator Preston today and urged his immediate attention to aiding the Uxbridge Bernat Mill small businesses. I applaud Mr. Preston and the agency for moving quickly so that every resource is made available to the businesses seeking to rebuild their livelihoods and their community. I will continue to work with the SBA, state officials, and my colleagues to get these Uxbridge entrepreneurs back in business.”

— On July 24, JK signed on as a co-sponsor of a bill to overhaul the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, known as the WARN Act. The 19-year-old law requires many businesses to provide a 60-day notice before a mass layoff or plant closing, but the law is so full of loopholes and flaws that employers skirt it with little or no penalty.

Sen. Sherrod Brown introduced the bill last week – dubbed the FOREWARN Act – that would lengthen the notification period before a plant closing or mass layoff, increase penalties for violators, require more companies to provide notice before layoffs, and allow the Department of Labor and state attorneys general to represent workers in lawsuits.

JK said the bill will “soften the blow that layoffs can cause in our communities. ... Our workers deserve to know in advance if they’re going to lose their jobs. It’s critical that they have time and money to prepare for what lay ahead. When Democrats regained the majority last November, we promised to do everything we could to better protect American workers, and the FOREWARN Act will do just that.”

— On July 25, JK chaired a hearing to examine the SBA’s Disaster Loan program one month before the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The committee heard from former SBA loan officer Gale Martin and SBA Inspector General Eric Thorson about charges that staff improperly cancelled already approved loans, forced loan withdrawals, or disbursed loans without the homeowner’s or business owner’s consent.

“I’m gravely concerned both by the allegations made by Ms. Martin and her colleagues and by Mr. Thorson’s findings,” said JK at the time. “We need to ensure that no victim falls through the cracks, that no one who was relying on the government for a loan to rebuild a business or a home was left wondering why the government let them down. That includes victims of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma still to this day, victims of fire and floods in my own state of Massachusetts, and victims of future disasters. I believe that Administrator Preston has made big strides to right the sinking ship of the SBA’s disaster program, but we can always do better, and we must take action to put the tools in place that will prevent another Katrina-like response to a disaster.”

You can read the full text of his opening statements for that hearing on the SBC website here.

— On July 26, JK attached an amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill that will hold the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) accountable to federal contracting laws. TSA was originally exempted from the Federal Acquisition Regulations in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, but has been plagued by mismanagement and huge cost overruns without the appropriate oversight.

As JK asked at the time, “Why should an agency fraught with wasteful spending and contract mismanagement continue to receive a free ride while every other major federal agency must abide by the law? The taxpayers deserve better. Our small businesses deserve better. This change to bring transparency and accountability to the TSA is long overdue.”

Part of the business of government is governing the businesses that our country is built on, and it’s good to know that a man with Senator Kerry’s credentials and integrity is always on the case — whether the job is glamorous enough to make front page news or not.