Washington, D.C.— Today, the House Small Business Committee Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations held a hearing examining the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Michigan Department of State (MDOS) to promote voter registration in Michigan. During the hearing, Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) emphasized the advantages of increase... Read More »
Washington, D.C.— Today, the House Small Business Committee Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure held a joint hearing with the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity examining the current state of veteran entrepreneurship in the United States. During the hearing, Ranking Member Hillary Scholten (D-MI) highlighted the importance of veteran entrepreneurs to the overall... Read More »
I must admit, when I heard the title of this hearing, I was terrified. The censorship industrial complex? That sounds frightening! The thought that thousands of universities, NGOs, and government agencies are partnering to silence any dissenting views is a horrifying proposition. Are they really trying to silence our cherished small businesses? Thankfully, the idea itself is fiction, cynically cre... Read More »
Washington, D.C.— Today, the House Small Business Committee held a hearing reviewing the federal government’s efforts to combat mis- and disinformation from foreign actors. During the hearing, Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) dispelled unfounded claims of government censorship of small businesses and discussed the need for the committee to focus on issues that small businesses care about. ... Read More »
Washington, D.C.— Today, House Small Business Committee Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) introduced the Prison to Proprietorship Act, a bill to increase access to entrepreneurial training for the currently and formerly incarcerated. “Research has shown that the strongest predictor for recidivism is poverty. The stigma of incarceration often deprives returning citizens the ability to earn a... Read More »
I’d like to start off by thanking Associate Administrator Frost for joining us here this morning. Ms. Frost, welcome to the committee. The COVID-19 pandemic posed a historic threat to our nation’s small businesses. The number of active business owners in the US plummeted by 3.3 million, or 22 percent, over a two-month period from February to April 2020. The drop in business owners was the largest ... Read More »
Washington, D.C.— Today, the House Small Business Committee held a hearing reviewing the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Capital Access (OCA). During the hearing, Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) focused on OCA efforts to prevent fraud and abuse, recent changes to the 7(a) program, and how Congress can continue to empower the office to reach more small businesses. According... Read More »
We all know that small businesses are the lifeblood of the economy, but that is especially the case in health care, where small companies are at the forefront of technological innovation and are developing many groundbreaking new products. And their influence is growing each year. According to one study, the proportion of new drugs discovered by small startups more than doubled between 2009 and 20... Read More »
Washington, D.C. –Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee, issued the following statement regarding subpoenas issued by committee Republicans to the Small Business Administration (SBA): “Today, the House Small Business Committee issued a subpoena for the first time in over a decade. During my over 20 years as the top Democrat on this Committee, t... Read More »
Washington, D.C.— Today, the House Small Business Committee held a hearing examining the impact of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), legislation to crack down on foreign and domestic criminals who exploit weak federal laws to engage in illegal activity through anonymous shell companies. During the hearing, Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) highlighted the relatively simple reporting re... Read More »
Washington, DC - Today, the House passed four bipartisan small business bills, including legislation to better support underserved entrepreneurs and address the challenges facing small government contractors. “As we recognize National Small Business Week, we have much to celebrate as we’ve seen more than 17 million new businesses starts since President Biden took office,” said Ranking Member Nydia... Read More »
Washington, DC - Today, the House Small Business Committee passed seven bipartisan small business bills to better support underserved entrepreneurs, increase access to capital, and improve federal procurement rules for small firms. “These seven bills will make needed improvements to SBA programs and services – from focusing on rural, disaster, and disabled communities to improving the SBIC program... Read More »
Main Street businesses are the lifeblood of our nation’s economy, driving innovation and job creation, and helping millions of Americans achieve the American dream. As such, they are key to our federal tax strategy. When our tax system works for them, it brings the most value. However, despite their fundamental importance, small firms are often used as bargaining chips in the discourse around tax ... Read More »
Washington, DC – Today, Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabel Guzman testified before the House Small Business Committee on agency priorities and the agency’s FY 2025 budget justification during a full committee oversight hearing. During the hearing, Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) highlighted small businesses' progress under the Biden administration, examined the agenc... Read More »
Washington, DC— Today, House Small Business Committee Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) released a report exploring the impact of the increasing popularity of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) on America’s small content creators. GenAI threatens the livelihoods of small creators, given the technology’s ability to generate content faster and cheaper than creative professionals and t... Read More »