Nydia Velázquez

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Kansas (Ms. Davids), the chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6441) to amend the Small Business Act to improve the women's business center program, and for other purposes.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. 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. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6441, the Women's Business Center Improvement Act of 2022. This bill will modernize and strengthen the Small Business Administration's Women's Business Center program to better serve America's women entrepreneurs and women-owned small businesses. I thank Ms. Davids and Ms. Tenney for their meaningful work to ensure women entrepreneurs across the country have continued access to vital counseling and training. WBCs are a critic component of SBA's Resource Partner ecosystem, assisting women in communities across the country, particularly those that are socially and economically disadvantaged. The WBC program forms more than 130 centers nationwide and offers a full range of counseling and training services for all stages of business development. Many of the WBCs provide multilingual services, maintain evening and weekend hours to accommodate clients who work full time, and provide childcare. In fiscal year 2020, with the additional funding provided by the CARES Act, the WBC program increased their reach by 22 percent and trained and advised more than 82,000 clients, helping them create nearly 30,000 small businesses. As we all know, women were particularly hard-hit by the pandemic. Women-owned businesses closed at higher rates than their male counterparts as women disproportionately left the workforce to be the primary caregivers for their families. That is why I am pleased to support the Women's Business Centers Improvement Act of 2022, which increases the program's annual authorization level and increases the cap on individual center grants. By doing so, more established centers can expand their reach to greater numbers of women. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support this bipartisan bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Houlahan).

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Women are vital members of the Nation's critical small business community and the American economy. H.R. 6441 will modernize and strengthen SBA's WBC program so it can meet the moment and provide the necessary resources to women, particularly the ones driven out of the workforce during the pandemic. Not only have Ms. Davids and Ms. Tenney continued to work to improve the WBC program, but they have expanded upon our efforts last Congress by addressing the challenges highlighted during the public health emergency. I thank them for this effort. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. There is no question that we need to support the cornerstone of the SBA's entrepreneurial programs, the Small Business Development Centers. SBDCs are SBA's premier resource partner with centers in communities across the country. Their free or low-cost counseling and training have helped sustain small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout the pandemic. H.R. 6445 continues the long tradition of SBDC's work to meet the ever-evolving needs of America's entrepreneurs as they emerge from the pandemic. Strengthening the SBDC network will, in turn, provide the support our small businesses need in order to thrive. Today's bill is endorsed by America's SBDCs, an association representing the 63 SBDC networks and their nearly 1,000 centers. I thank Mr. Golden and remember the late Mr. Hagedorn for their bipartisan work on this bill. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6450) to amend the Small Business Act to reauthorize the SCORE program, and for other purposes.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. 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. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6450, the SCORE for Small Business Act of 2022. America's nearly 30 million small businesses represent more than 99 percent of all businesses. Since its inception, the SBA has undertaken efforts to connect new entrepreneurs and small business owners with more experienced businessmen and -women. SCORE, one component of SBA's resource partner ecosystem, is uniquely situated to make these connections. SCORE'S expansive network consists of entrepreneurs, business leaders, and executives who volunteer as mentors to small businesses and entrepreneurs, both in person and online. SCORE volunteers provide personalized advice and pull from their personal business experience to help the next generation of business leaders. Providing consultation on topics such as business plan development, strategic marketing, and financing ideas, SCORE ensures their clients receive comprehensive counseling and training while meeting their individualized needs. In 2020, through SCORE'S network of over 250 chapters and 10,000 volunteers, the program helped create over 45,000 new businesses and over 74,000 new jobs. In addition, SCORE had a return on Federal investment of over $67 for every $1 of Federal appropriations. Increasing funding for SCORE is important to its continued success, and I am pleased that H.R. 6450 increases its authorization to $13.5 million for 2 fiscal years. H.R. 6450 not only reauthorizes this essential program but also takes necessary steps to restore integrity, accounting, and performance to the program. The measures in the bill to expand and promote client and volunteer diversity will ensure SCORE can reach all of America's small business owners and entrepreneurs, no matter their background or location. I commend Representatives Young Kim and Angie Craig for working together to make sure that the SCORE program is strengthened while maintaining efficient and effective operations. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the SCORE program has made good progress improving the transparency, accountability, and efficacy of their organization. Today's legislation builds upon that progress so that a critical program can succeed well into the future. SCORE is unique among SBA's resource partners in that they connect clients directly with successful business mentors who have firsthand experience and knowledge to help them with their unique situations. H.R. 6450 will expand SCORE's ability to reach more small business owners and entrepreneurs, particularly those in underserved and rural communities while maintaining the program improvements SCORE has worked hard to develop. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their bipartisan support of the SCORE program. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'', and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. 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. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4877, the One Stop Shop for Small Business Compliance Act of 2021, which will require SBA's Office of the National Ombudsman to maintain a centralized website for regulatory compliance guides. Federal agencies are required by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act to publish small entity compliance guides for each rule requiring a regulatory flexibility analysis. These compliance guides are meant to explain Federal rules in easy- to-understand terms for small businesses and help them comply with Federal regulations that protect our environment, health, and consumer safety. However, small businesses do not always have the resources to navigate multiple agencies' websites to find these guides. H.R. 4877 will ensure the Office of the National Ombudsman maintains an updated centralized website containing links to each agency's small business compliance guides and their relevant points of contact. This simple step will significantly reduce the administrative burden on entrepreneurs, make compliance easier, and allow them to spend more time doing what they do best--running their businesses and creating jobs. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Delgado and Van Duyne for working in a bipartisan manner to advance this bill to assist small businesses across the country. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Delgado).

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, in closing, small employers have experienced great hardships throughout the pandemic, but today we have the opportunity to make it easier, not harder, to comply with Federal regulations. The ombudsman's centralized website will streamline the compliance process for small businesses and ensure they have the most accurate and updated information. I thank the committee members for their diligence in advancing this piece of legislation. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'', and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6454) to clarify the primary functions and duties of the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. 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. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6454, the Small Business Advocacy Improvements Act of 2022. Established in 1976, SBA's Office of Advocacy is the independent voice for small businesses within the Federal Government. The office oversees the enforcement of the Regulatory Flexibility Act and is a source for statistics and research on matters pertaining to small businesses. Over the years, the Office of Advocacy's responsibilities have expanded, and participation in international regulatory cooperation and trade initiatives that impact small businesses is becoming increasingly important. H.R. 6454 makes it clear that the Office of Advocacy has the authority to examine international economic data and represent small businesses in international discussions, particularly in trade negotiations. I thank the ranking member and Mr. Carter for their bipartisan work on this bill. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, SBA's Office of Advocacy works to ensure that small business interests are heard at all levels of government because, too often, their voices are drowned out by larger companies with sophisticated legal departments and armies of lobbyists. Now as the world becomes more and more connected, participating in the global economy is vital to small businesses' success. In order to do that, they need a strong voice advocating on their behalf. H.R. 6454 will allow the office to advocate on behalf of small businesses in international discussions, trade negotiations, and examine international economic data. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining on our side.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans), a member of the Small Business Committee.