WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Small Business is holding a full committee markup on eight bills.

Chairman Roger Williams’ opening statement as prepared for delivery:

Good morning and welcome to today’s markup to discuss eight bills that address the various needs of Main Street America.

Frankly put, our nation’s small businesses, entrepreneurs, and innovators have faced some of the strongest economic headwinds in recent memory over the past two years. 

Here, on this Committee, it is our job to be the strongest advocate for small businesses, as they’re the heart of each of our communities and employers of nearly 62 million Americans. That’s why our work here is so important and why we must get our economy back on track and our workforce motivated.

Furthermore, it is our job to produce policy solutions to ensure the federal government is held accountable, especially on behalf of the American taxpayer.

The contents of these eight bills have been thoroughly discussed by our members. My colleagues and I are proud our hearings are resulting in legislative action to help address the major issues facing Main Street America.

Before us today are bills that address some of the shortcomings of the SBA as identified by the Office of Inspector General. Further, these bills address regulatory burdens, assist veterans and their access to capital, enable follow-up guidance on rulemaking, and support collaborative research for small businesses.

I want to thank our Members for bringing these bills forward as they represent the work and devotion of our Committee as a whole, as well as the Ranking Member and her staff for working hand-in-hand with us to come up with bipartisan policy solutions to address the issues impacting Main Street.

With that, I look forward to today’s markup and I yield to the distinguished Ranking Member from New York, Ms. Velasquez for her opening statement.

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