Nydia Velázquez

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate Congressional Research Service Senior Specialist, Dr. Robert Jay Dilger on his retirement, and to thank him for his years of outstanding and dedicated service to Congress. For more than a dozen years, Dr. Dilger has been CRS's expert on small business. During that time, he has provided the House Small Business Committee and its staff--and numerous other congressional offices--with an unparalleled level of information and independent research on federal policies that affect small businesses. His work at CRS is the gold standard for legislative support and policy analysis for Congress. Prior to CRS, Dr. Dilger had a distinguished career in academia. He became a recognized national authority on federalism, authoring nine books and numerous articles. Bob graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a bachelor's degree in political science and holds a Ph.D. from the Department of Politics at Brandeis University. Early in his career, he held positions with the National League of Cities, the U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, and the Brookings Institution before joining the faculty at the University of Redlands in California. There he served as professor and chair of the Department of Political Science. He then moved to West Virginia University where he was the founding Director of the Institute for Public Affairs. In addition, Bob taught undergraduate and graduate courses and chaired graduate student M.A. and Ph.D. committees. Bob arrived at CRS in 2004 to manage the Government & Finance division. Since 2008, he has devoted himself to research and analysis, generating an impressive portfolio of carefully curated and maintained written products, and providing support to congressional offices on the Small Business Administration's programs and a broad range of issues and policies affecting small businesses. Through the caliber of his research, and the sheer volume of his consultations with congressional staff, Bob set a high bar for his CRS colleagues. He should be proud of his assistance on major legislation such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Small Business Jobs Act, and, more recently, the CARES Act and related COVID bills, but also the long-term professional and personal relationships he has built with staff on the Small Business Committees and in other congressional offices. Madam Speaker, this body and the Nation are all the wiser and better informed because of Dr. Dilger's public service both as an academic and as a CRS analyst. I hope my colleagues will join me in wishing Bob a long, healthy, and happy retirement with his wife, Gloria, and his 2 children and 7 grandchildren, as he begins a new chapter of his life.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life achievements of Mr. Pedro ``Pete'' Morales, in celebration of his 80th birthday. Born June 22, 1942, Mr. Morales has selflessly served his community in Red Hook, Brooklyn for over 73 years. When he was a boy, Pete Morales' family was one of the first from Puerto Rico to move into Red Hook public housing. Being a minority among Irish and Italian immigrants made them a target. Pete's father had to send his son back to Puerto Rico for a period after Pete's younger brother Nelson was badly beaten. Nevertheless, Pete returned to Red Hook to box every one of his brother's attackers and grew to get along with everybody regardless of nationality or ethnicity. Everyone grew to love Pete. As Commissioner of the Red Hook Youth baseball league, Pete Morales coached generations of kids growing up in his beloved community. Pete has also been a voice for tenant rights, affordable housing and served as an active member of Fifth Avenue Committee's advisory board for new affordable housing in the neighborhood. Pete has also been a tireless advocate for the environment and better neighborhood conditions through Red Hook Groups Against Garbage Sites (GAGS) which fought a massive trash incinerator and countless solid waste transfer stations seeking to cluster in the community which were successfully reversed. Mr. Morales has long served at Visitation Church as a Eucharistic Minister and continues to be a recognized elder. Mr. Morales remains a solid pillar of the community, well respected by generations of neighbors, leaders, and the local clergy from his decades of community service. Through his life-long dedication to his community, Pete Morales has made Red Hook a better place to live. I thank Mr. Pedro Morales for his public service and offer him best wishes for a well-deserved and happy 80th birthday.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the en bloc amendment. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the wealth and economic inequalities faced by many individuals, families, and small business owners in our Nation's LMI and communities of color. As chair of the House Small Business Committee, I fought to ensure our Nation's women-, LGBTQ-, and minority-owned small businesses had access to Federal recovery programs and mainstream sources of credit to the same degree as White-owned firms or those with preestablished relationships with the big banks. Unfortunately, structural barriers and historical inequities in our society continue to cause women and small business owners of color to face ongoing challenges when applying for affordable and timely credit. This bill will help break down these structural barriers, root out discrimination where it exists, and promote entrepreneurship and other wealth-building opportunities for women, LGBTQ individuals, and people of color. By addressing these disparities, we can create a more resilient economy and one that works for everyone. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, we are here today because for the victims of Uvalde, it is too late; for the victims of Parkland, it is too late; for the victims of Sandy Hook, it is too late; and for the victims of Columbine, it is too late. Constituents from my district are still reeling from recent gun violence incidents. We all saw the images of people running desperately away from the shooter at the subway station in Sunset Park. I am tired of watching again and again my constituents suffer from horrific acts of gun violence. This legislation is a necessary step to prevent gun violence from happening in our schools, places of worship, grocery stores, malls, and public transportation. Moreover, it imposes stronger regulations on those who can buy these weapons of war. Congress cannot be too late anymore. Enough is enough.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7670) to amend the Small Business Act to require a report on small business concerns owned and controlled by women, and for other purposes.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5879) to amend the Small Business Act to clarify the application of the price evaluation preference for qualified HUBZone small business concerns to certain contracts, and for other purposes.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5879, the HUBZone Price Evaluation Preference Clarification Act of 2021. The HUBZone program is a contracting assistance program based on locality. It helps small businesses in urban and rural communities gain preferential access to Federal procurement opportunities. By ensuring that small businesses in disadvantaged communities participate in the Federal marketplace, it, in turn, boosts job creation and economic growth. One of the main incentives of the HUBZone program is the price evaluation preference. This tool gives a slight competitive advantage to HUBZone firms competing against large companies. In doing so, it meets the objectives of the program because every contract awarded to a qualified HUBZone firm is an opportunity for developing and uplifting America's most distressed communities. Unfortunately, this tool is not being used as often as it should be due to agencies misinterpreting that it does not apply to orders. There is nothing in the Small Business Act that excludes the price evaluation preference from being used at the ordering level, and it is our intention that it be used at that level. Given the prevalence of government-wide and agency-wide vehicles, it is now necessary to state in clear and unequivocal terms that the price evaluation preference does apply to orders. This is precisely the goal of H.R. 5879. With this clarification, this legislation incentivizes the use of this important tool so that one day we can finally meet the 3 percent HUBZone contracting goal and, ultimately, bring economic development to those communities that need it the most. I thank Representatives Newman and Salazar for leading this effort, which will bolster the HUBZone program. Madam Speaker, I urge Members to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Newman).

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The statutory goal of awarding 3 percent of all prime Federal contracts to HUBZone firms has never been met. H.R. 5879 will enable agencies to better meet this goal by eliminating all ambiguity and clarifying that the HUBZone price evaluation preference applies to orders. I commend the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Newman), the sponsor of the bill, and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Salazar), the cosponsor, for working together on this sensible piece of legislation. H.R. 5879 will undoubtedly strengthen the HUBZone program which, in turn, will create jobs and stimulate local economies across the Nation. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7352) to amend the Small Business Act to extend the statute of limitation for fraud by borrowers under the Paycheck Protection Program, and for other purposes.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I thank all the members on the Small Business Committee for their work and support of the bills before us. The legislation we are considering is, once again, a product of our committee's bipartisanship and shows that we are committed to our Nation's entrepreneurs. The seven bipartisan bills we are considering will promote economic growth on our Main Streets in numerous ways. The first two reaffirm our commitment to being good stewards of taxpayer dollars, and the importance of holding pandemic fraudsters accountable for their crimes. The second pair of bills under consideration will help small firms attract and retain qualified employees by boosting apprenticeships and career and technical education programs. Finally, we will consider three bills to improve the Federal procurement process and promote opportunities for small businesses to secure contracts from the Federal Government. The first bill under consideration today is H.R. 7352, the PPP and Bank Fraud Enforcement Harmonization Act of 2022, introduced by myself and our ranking member from Missouri (Mr. Luetkemeyer). H.R. 7352 sets the statute of limitations for all cases of PPP fraud at 10 years, consistent with the statute of limitations for bank fraud. Under current law, bank-originated PPP fraud is being prosecuted as bank fraud, which has a 10-year statute of limitations. At the same time, PPP loans originated by nonbank lenders, including fintech companies, are often prosecuted as wire fraud, which carries a 5-year statute of limitations. To address this difference, the bill extends the time for prosecutors to bring charges to 10 years for all cases of PPP fraud, regardless of whether the lender was a bank or fintech company. SBA's Office of Inspector General identified over 70,000 PPP loans totaling over $4.6 billion in potentially fraudulent PPP loans, many of which originated with fintechs. According to researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, fintech companies handled 75 percent of PPP loans connected to fraud by the DOJ, despite originating only 15 percent of the loans overall. As of March 10, the DOJ's efforts have resulted in criminal charges against over a thousand defendants with alleged losses exceeding $1.1 billion and over 240 civil investigations into more than 1,800 individuals and entities for alleged misconduct in connection with pandemic relief loans totaling more than $6 billion. Given the extent of potential fraud, especially among the subset of PPP loans originated by nonbank lenders, we must ensure prosecutors have enough time to fully investigate and bring fraud charges. As of now, the statute of limitations for nonbank PPP loans secured in April 2020 will expire in 2025 in most cases, less than 3 years away. That is not enough time given the complexity of these fraud schemes. As the chair of the Small Business Committee, I take my role over the SBA and its program very seriously. That is why I sponsored this bill to give the DOJ, FBI, and State and local law enforcement the resources and time they need to bring these bad actors to justice. Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Luetkemeyer for joining me in leading this effort, and to the members of the Small Business Committee for their support. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, we must continue supporting the work of our Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies as they investigate and prosecute pandemic loan fraud. It appears the bulk of PPP loan fraud was originated by nonbank lenders and fintech companies, which may not be prosecuted as bank fraud and is therefore subject to a much shorter statute of limitations. This presents the possibility that pandemic loan fraudsters may get off the hook because the statute of limitations expired. We simply cannot let this happen. This bill would give law enforcement agencies the time needed to hold fraudsters accountable and bring them to justice. Once again, I thank our ranking member, Mr. Luetkemeyer, for working with me to lead this important effort, and all the members of the Small Business Committee for their bipartisan work on this bill. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7334) to extend the statute of limitations for fraud by borrowers under certain COVID-19 economic injury disaster loan programs of the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7334, the COVID-19 EIDL Fraud Statute of Limitations Act of 2022, introduced by the ranking member, Mr. Luetkemeyer, and cosponsored by myself. As with the PPP and Bank Fraud Enforcement Harmonization Act, this bill will extend the statute of limitations for COVID-19 EIDL fraud cases to 10 years to allow prosecutors more time to do their jobs. The bills are companion pieces of legislation and much-needed to help law enforcement investigate and bring fraud charges. Congress amended the SBA disaster loan program at the start of the pandemic to allow small businesses facing economic injury due to COVID to apply for SBA disaster loans which were originally designed for natural disasters. At the same time, SBA lowered the guardrails and disbursed funds quickly to provide stability to the small business economy, which, as we all know, was facing unprecedented uncertainty in 2020. In a very short time, the program went from one that responds to natural disasters in a few, distinct geographic areas, depending on the nature of the disaster, to one that was responding to a nationwide crisis almost overnight. Overall, the COVID EIDL program approved almost 4 million loans totaling over $378 billion. The SBA administrator transitioned the program to the Office of Capital Access to dedicate additional management capacity. Since that transition, the office closed out a backlog of nearly 1 million applicants and increased loan officer productivity while improving the customer service experience and solidifying robust fraud controls. Nevertheless, throughout the pandemic, our committee held numerous oversight hearings with SBA's inspector general who testified that there is a great deal of potential fraud in this program, and it would be a decades-long effort to fully investigate. The IG's office identified $78 billion in potentially fraudulent activity in the EIDL program as well as over $6 billion in loans and grants related to identity theft allegations. Given the degree of potential fraud, we need to give prosecutors more time to bring fraudsters to justice. This bill will give law enforcement the time needed to conduct their investigations of COVID EIDL fraud. That is why I cosponsored this bill which will go a long way towards enhancing oversight and accountability. Madam Speaker, I thank the ranking member, Mr. Luetkemeyer, for introducing this important measure, and to the members of the Small Business Committee for unanimously approving this important piece of legislation. I urge all Members to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, our Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies are diligently investigating and prosecuting pandemic loan fraud, and we must continue to support those efforts, whether in the COVID EIDL program or the Paycheck Protection Program. We all agree that anyone who took advantage of this once-in-a- lifetime crisis to commit fraud and enrich themselves at the expense of hardworking Main Street businesses must be held accountable. It is unacceptable to allow anyone to get off the hook for defrauding a government relief program simply because the statute of limitations expired. We cannot let this happen, and we must pass this bill. Once again, I thank our Ranking Member, Mr. Luetkemeyer, for introducing this important measure, and I am pleased to support it. I also thank all the members of the Small Business Committee for their bipartisan work on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.'' Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7694) to amend the Small Business Act to modify the requirements relating to the evaluation of the subcontracting plans of certain offerors, and for other purposes.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7622) to amend the Small Business Act to include requirements relating to apprenticeship program assistance for small business development centers, and for other purposes.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.