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 increased voter registration and urged the committee to prioritize issues important to American entrepreneurs.
“I had high hopes for my first term here: real opportunities to address actual issues affecting everyday Americans, alongside peers across the aisle. That’s what normally happens on this Committee,” said Ranking Member Thanedar. “Rather than focusing on real-world issues American small business owners think about every day: capital access, a strong workforce, government contracts, and most importantly, the small business boom President Biden has brought America in the wake of the COVID pandemic, we are holding a hearing on a sham investigation”
Under the MOU, the MDOS is allowed to create a unique URL to place on SBA’s website to drive online voting registration. The MOU also permits Michigan state employees to register voters at district office outreach events in Michigan. The voter registration activities the MOU enables will come at a minimal cost—if any—to SBA.
SBA’s assistance to the State of Michigan in registering voters and providing common information complies with President Biden’s Executive Order 14,019 and the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). The NVRA allows states to designate Federal offices as voter registration agencies. Executive Order 14,019 directs each federal agency to evaluate ways to expand access to voter registration and election information. Both the NVRA and EO 14,019 direct activities to occur in a nonpartisan fashion.
Committee Republicans have spent months accusing the SBA of overstepping its mandate and trying to influence elections. These claims have been fueled by heavily edited videos released by the far-right group Project Veritas. In May, Chairman Williams issued subpoenas to the SBA as part of the investigation, breaking with the committee’s long-standing tradition of bipartisanship.
During the hearing, Jennifer Kim, SBA Associate Administrator for the Office of Field Operations, testified on the SBA’s work to expand access to voting.
“I hope that the Committee will recognize this work for what it is: an effort to provide small businesses with an additional resource and to encourage more people to register to vote and be active participants in our vibrant democracy,” said Associate Administrator Kim. “Congress authorized and encouraged this important work more than 30 years ago through the NVRA, and SBA is proud to do its part in connection with the President’s Executive Order.”
