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Ranking Member Velázquez Pushes for Adequate Funding for Entrepreneurial Development Programs During Committee Hearing

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Washington D.C.— Today, the House Small Business Committee held a hearing reviewing the work of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Entrepreneurial Development (OED), which administers a range of free or low-cost training and counseling services to small businesses across the country.   During the hearing, Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) highlighted the…

Ranking Member Velázquez Pushes for Common-Sense Energy Efficiency Standards for Small Firms During Committee Hearing

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Washington D.C.— Today, the House Small Business Committee held a hearing examining the impact of Department of Energy (DOE) energy efficiency standards on American small businesses. During the hearing, Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) discussed the need for DOE to implement well-crafted common-sense conservation standards that can create certainty for small businesses and help…

Ranking Member Velázquez Leads Seven Committee Democrats to Call on SBA to Release Updated Minority Contracting Statistics

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Washington D.C.— Today, House Small Business Committee Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) led seven Small Business Committee Democrats in sending a letter to the Small Business Administration (SBA) calling on the agency to release updated, disaggregated data of federal contracting spending by race/ethnicity of business owners for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22).    “Given the…

Ranking Member Velázquez Pushes for Well-Crafted, Common-Sense Regulations During Committee Hearing

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Washington D.C.— Today, the House Small Business Committee held a hearing examining the impact of Department of Labor (DOL) rulemaking on American small businesses. During the hearing, Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) discussed the importance of minimizing the impact of rulemaking on small firms by promoting smart, well-crafted, common-sense regulations that unleash innovation and…

Ranking Member Velázquez on September Jobs Report

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Washington, D.C.— Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee, issued the following statement after the Labor Department released its September jobs report showing that nonfarm payroll employment increased by 336,000:          “Today’s jobs report blew away estimates and is more proof that the Biden administration…

Velázquez Probes SBA Efforts to Prevent Fraud and Recover Fraudulent Loans During Committee Hearing

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Washington D.C.— Today, the House Small Business Committee held a hearing examining the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) actions to combat fraud in agency programs and how Congress can support these efforts. During the hearing, Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) discussed the importance of providing the SBA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) with the resources needed to…

Ranking Member Velázquez Probes Impact of NIL Rules on College Athletes During Committee Hearing

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Washington D.C.— Today, the House Small Business Committee held a hearing examining National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rule changes allowing college athletes to profit off their own names, images, and likenesses (NIL). During the hearing, Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) highlighted how these changes could increase gender inequity and predatory agent practices in…

Committee Passes Five Bipartisan Small Business Bills

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Washington D.C.— Today, the House Small Business Committee passed five bipartisan bills to protect small firms from anti-competitive behavior, bolster assistance for rural small businesses, and improve oversight of Small Business Administration (SBA) loan programs.    “These five bipartisan bills will boost SBA initiatives to better assist small businesses, as well as…

Ranking Member Velázquez’s Statement on Recent Court Decisions Impacting SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program

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Washington, D.C.— On July 19, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee issued a decision in Ultima Servs. Corp. v. U.S. Department of Agriculture, enjoining the Small Business Administration (SBA) from using the rebuttable presumption of social disadvantage in the 8(a) program. The SBA has implemented a new process for current and future 8(a) program…

Ranking Member Velázquez on August Jobs Report

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Washington, D.C.— Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee, issued the following statement after the Labor Department released its August jobs report showing that nonfarm payroll employment increased by 187,000:          “Today, the Labor Department reported that our economy created another 187,000 jobs in…

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