Small businesses could get increased access to loans, overseas markets and government contracts under a bill being prepared in the U.S. Senate, Democratic lawmakers said this morning.

The bill is still taking shape, Reuters reported, but could include provisions suggested by President Barack Obama or already passed by the House of Representatives, lawmakers said.

“This is a priority once we get it all together,” said Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, who said the bill would likely be assembled by the end of May.

With the unemployment rate stuck at 9.7 percent, Democrats have made job creation a top priority ahead of the November congressional elections, though economists say the jobless rate is likely to stay high for the rest of the year.

Small businesses normally account for the bulk of new jobs, and Obama has proposed a series of policies aimed at enticing them to hire. Last month, for example, he signed into law a payroll tax break for businesses that hire unemployed workers.

But a survey released on Tuesday found that small business owners have little confidence in the economy and are in no rush to expand after the worst recession in 70 years.

Among the approaches that could be included in the bill, according to Stabenow and Sen. Mary Landrieu, the Louisiana Democrat who heads the Small Business Committee:

– Raising the limit on Small Business Administration loans from $2 million to $5 million

– Redirecting money from the Troubled Asset Relief Program to small business loans routed through community banks

– Eliminating capital gains taxes on small business stock

– Expanding a tax deduction for start-up costs

– Boosting export programs for small businesses

– Improving access to government contracts and research grants.

Many of the programs have significant Republican support, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has promised to bring the bill up for a vote once it is completed, Stabenow and Landrieu said.

Aside from the tax break legislation signed by Obama in March, the Democrats’ other job-creation efforts this year have been hampered by internal bickering and Republican opposition.