Washington, D.C.— Today, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) hosted a hearing focused on improving federal Research and Development (R&D) programs supporting small business innovation. The hearing covered the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, which help entrepreneurs commercialize federal R&D innovation... Read More »
Washington, D.C.— Today, the House Small Business Committee Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development, led by Chairman Jason Crow (D-CO), held a hearing examining how small firms and the federal government can leverage workforce development programs to train and upskill the next generation of infrastructure workers. “It is not enough to create jobs, we need to create ... Read More »
Washington, D.C.— Today, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) issued the following statement in advance of the opening of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Restaurant Revitalization Fund: “Today’s opening of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund marks an important milestone for our nation’s restaurants and bars on their road to recovery. For over a year, these e... Read More »
Washington, D.C.— Today, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) introduced legislation to preserve payment protections for small construction firms working as subcontractors on federal projects. The legislation would exclude the threshold for construction contracts that must be bonded under the Miller Act from periodic inflation adjustment... Read More »
Washington, D.C.— Today, the House Small Business Committee Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access, led by Chairwoman Sharice Davids (D-KS), held a hearing examining the impact of COVID-19 on domestic supply chains and the role of small manufacturers in strengthening them. “Small manufacturers have played a critical role during the pandemic, pivoting quickly to support our commun... Read More »
Washington, D.C.— Today, the House Small Business Committee, led by Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), held a remote hearing exploring the importance of immigrant-owned businesses to the American economy and their role in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. “If our economy is to recover, we need immigrant businesses operating at full strength. As was the case in the aftermath of the Great ... Read More »
Washington, D.C.— Today, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) issued the following statement after President Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress: “For over a year, our nation’s entrepreneurs have suffered through a once-in-a-lifetime crisis. The pandemic closed more small businesses in 2020 than any other year on record and left countless other entre... Read More »
Washington, D.C.— Today, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) issued the following statement recognizing Earth Day: “This Earth Day, it’s more important than ever to celebrate the natural gifts our planet grants us and recommit ourselves to environmental protection. Since last Earth Day, we’ve continued to see the devastating effects of climate change whether it be t... Read More »
The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a once-in-a-lifetime crisis for American small businesses. The pandemic hit small firms the hardest, resulting in the most significant in business ownership in U.S. history. Facing an unprecedented wave of small business closures, Congress acted by creating economic relief programs to help businesses stay afloat through the crisis. Since the passage of the CARES Act, ... Read More »
Washington, D.C.— Today on 4/20, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA), and Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) reintroduced legislation to open several Small Business Administration (SBA) programs to small firms operating in the legal cannabis sector. Chairwoman Velázquez introduced The Ensuring Safe Capital Access for All Small Businesses Act of 2021,... Read More »
Washington, D.C.— Today, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), led a hearing regarding reports of waste, fraud, and abuse in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. The hearing featured testimony from representatives from the Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General (SBA OIG) and the Government Acco... Read More »
Washington, D.C.— Today, the House passed a set of three bipartisan bills to make reforms to critical Small Business Administration (SBA) lending programs. The bills would make multiple improvements to the SBA’s 504 and Microloan programs. “As small businesses look to achieve long term recovery from the COVID crisis, capital access will be more important than ever,” said Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázq... Read More »
Washington, D.C.— Today, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) issued the following statement after President Joe Biden released his $1.5 trillion proposal for discretionary spending in fiscal year 2022: “President Biden’s first budget request to Congress is a welcome change following years of senseless proposed cuts to the SBA under the Trump administration. Sparking... Read More »
Washington, D.C.— Today, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) led nine Committee Democrats in writing to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy regarding the potential negative impacts of his ten-year plan on small businesses. The newly announced plan includes provisions that would slow delivery standards and close post office locations around the country. The changes have s... Read More »
Washington, D.C.— Today, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) issued the following statement after the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced a series of reforms to the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program: “EIDL has been a vital resource for struggling small businesses since it was opened up to firms hurt by the pandemic over a year ago. The ... Read More »
