There it was again.

The witnesses who sat around the table in the Russell Senate Office Building represented a broad swathe of the small business community. They spoke for women, for veterans, for African-American business owners and for Hispanic business owners.

Many of them were old friends.

None of them were microbusiness owners.

None of them hailed from an organization that made a point of speaking for microbusiness owners, either. The lone national organization that does did not have a seat at that particular table.

And yet, oddly enough, the subject of microbusinesses just kept on coming up.

That happens occasionally and it always makes me wonder if, perhaps, the people who have the greatest input into small business policy are beginning to notice all these microbusinesses out here.

Previously, my hopes would be raised only to be dashed again as the legislative season progressed and nothing seemed to really change. And that may well happen again this time.

Then again, maybe this time will be different.

Maybe some of the language of the conversation is changing. Maybe more people will spend more time during hearings and roundtables talking specifically and directly about microbusinesses, rather than making oblique references to “very small firms.”

Then again, maybe I’m a cock-eyed optimist.

But there are some elements present this time around that might vindicate my optimism, not least of which is the fact that at least some of the talk about microbusinesses at that roundtable originated with the Chairwoman.

She seemed to know a little bit about them, too. That is encouraging.

And even if the shift, in the language and in the thinking, doesn’t fully blossom during the 111th Congress, these outbreaks of including microbusiness awareness in the conversation show that it’s coming.

Baby steps. Sometimes, that’s as good as it gets.