Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and celebrate Maria Antonia ``Tonita'' Cay and the 50th year anniversary of the Caribbean Social Club, which stands as the oldest Puerto Rican-owned Latino social club in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She has been featured in numerous media outlets, publications, and a documentary. In the past years, notable artists, filmmakers, and musicians have visited Tonita's Caribbean Social Club to experience the unique essence of the rich Latino heritage it now represents.

Tonita, as she is affectionately known, was born on May 10, 1940, in Junco, Puerto Rico. She is the second oldest of nine siblings. In 1956, during the significant migration of Puerto Ricans to New York City, her family settled in the Lower East Side when she was fifteen years old. Several years later, she moved to Williamsburg, where there was an established and growing Puerto Rican community and employment opportunities in the needlework factories that were part of New York's bustling garment industry. In addition to working as factory seamstress, Tonita began designing, sewing, and selling dresses from her home. This home-based business showcased her skills and helped support her and fulfill her dream of owning the building she lived in as a tenant. This established a foothold in her community and laid the foundation for the incorporation of her Caribbean baseball team and club in 1973 at 244 Grand Street in Brooklyn. Her courage and perseverance defied the societal norms of the time.

Today, Tonita is one of Los Sures Williamsburg's Puerto Rican `Pioneras' and the last women-owned social club. At a time when Puerto Ricans and Latinos were politically invisible in Williamsburg, Tonita helped elevate our presence and cultural identity by establishing the Caribbean Baseball teams, which gathered hundreds of players and their families weekly. Players and their families were proud of Roberto Clemente and wanted to emanate his game. Tonita's grit contributed to more Latino, and women owned social clubs and baseball leagues. During the 1970's and 1980's, the Southside of Williamsburg was flushed with gathering social clubs for baseball and dominoes. In the 1990's, the rising cost of rent and excessive demand on licensing by the city imposed significant hardship for many social clubs including Tonita's. However, she demonstrated remarkable resilience. Her determination was particularly evident when she took on City Hall and won, securing the club's place in the community even as Mayor Rudy Giuliani's administration cracked down on various venues.

Tonita's victory was an achievement. Today, her continued legacy of community support remains steadfast. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she utilized the Caribbean Social Club to provide no cost essential assistance and home cooked meals to her neighbors and all who visited. The Caribbean Social Club is not only home to Puerto Ricans, but also welcoming place for a melting pot of different backgrounds, cultures and professions, reflecting Tonita's inclusive and welcoming spirit. Maria Antonia Cay and the Caribbean Social Club is the embodiment of the American dream. Her business acumen and sense of community has contributed greatly to the social and cultural fabric of the Los Sures community in Williamsburg.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in congratulating Maria Antonia Cay and the Caribbean Social Club on this special 50th Year Anniversary.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Today, we are considering H.R. 7988, which requires SBA to consider new small business government contractors when grading a Federal agency's performance toward meeting its small business goals.

The government has roughly 40 percent fewer small businesses in the ecosystem than it did just a decade ago. This has been an ongoing challenge the committee has identified and sought solutions to reverse because the industrial base decline has produced negative consequences for both the government and small firms alike.

Small firms lose out on the stability government contracting can provide, and the government loses out on the innovation and competition that a larger base of small businesses provides. Yet, despite this decline, Federal agencies award a record amount of contracting dollars to small businesses each year. This means fewer small businesses are getting larger contracts, and since contracts are getting larger, fewer smalls are willing and able to compete for them.

This legislation is a productive step that will help break that cycle. I commend Mr. Stauber and Ms. Perez for their work to craft a solution to this challenge.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Perez), the cosponsor of the legislation.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing.

Madam Speaker, at the Department of Defense, GAO found that, over a 10-year period, the number of small businesses participating in the defense industrial base declined by over 40 percent. The civilian agencies are seeing a similar decline.

As a result, questions have been raised about how to accurately measure the health of the industrial base and the scorecard's effectiveness for tracking small business contracting. The scorecard's current criteria include a year-over-year prime contract comparison goal, but it fails to count the award of a contract for the first time.

This bill is intended to measure and include in the SBA's methodology for calculating an agency's score for small business goals the number of small businesses who are becoming Federal Government contractors for the first time.

By requiring a year-over-year comparison of new entrants rather than a single target, Federal agencies will be compelled to continuously focus on bringing in new companies and addressing the barriers, like contract size, that prevent greater small business participation.

I again applaud the work put into this legislation. It is a thoughtful product of bipartisan work.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Stauber and Ms. Perez, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I thank Representatives Molinaro and Pappas for introducing the ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act.

Earlier in the year, our committee heard testimony about the importance of supporting individuals with disabilities. Not only do they have the skills and desire to work, but hiring people with disabilities directly benefits the company they work for and the overall economy.

Through this bipartisan legislation, the SBA can collaborate with the National Council on Disability to help employers hire people with disabilities and provide much-needed support to these entrepreneurs.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Pappas), the cosponsor of the legislation.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 44.1 million Americans are individuals with disabilities. It is important to ensure that all Americans are included and accommodated in the workplace and business community. However, only 26 percent of people with disabilities participate in America's labor force.

One such way to improve these numbers is through entrepreneurship. There are about 1.8 million small businesses owned by people with disabilities in the U.S. Owning a small business is a major pathway for all Americans, especially people with disabilities, to achieve self- sufficiency.

Today's legislation would require the SBA to enter an MOU with the National Council on Disability to promote entrepreneurship and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Molinaro and Mr. Pappas for their collaboration, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, today we are considering H.R. 7984, which will require the SBA to close out the GAO recommendation, ensuring that individuals in rural areas where a disaster declaration has been made have full access to assistance, including targeted outreach and marketing materials. The SBA will have 1 year to close out the recommendation.

On February 22, 2024, the GAO issued a report examining how the SBA's disaster loan program assists communities after disasters, disaster loan trends in rural and urban areas for fiscal years 2017 to 2022, challenges rural communities face after disasters, and the SBA's actions that address challenges.

The GAO found that rural areas have characteristics that make recovery difficult, and they face challenges in seeking SBA disaster assistance. While the SBA has taken steps to address challenges to recovery, including portable outreach centers, virtual outreach, and a whole-of-SBA approach, this bill prioritizes the SBA's efforts to close out this GAO recommendation and focus on our Nation's rural communities.

Madam Speaker, I commend Mr. Pappas and Mr. Bean for their work on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Pappas), the sponsor of the legislation.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, as witnessed over recent years, the number and cost of weather and climate disasters, such as tornadoes and wildfires, have been increasing across the United States.

Approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population lives in rural areas, representing 97 percent of land area, according to the 2020 Census. GAO has recommended the SBA distinguish between rural and urban communities in its outreach and marketing to disaster areas. Such targeted outreach and marketing to rural communities can make a significant difference.

I thank Mr. Pappas and Mr. Bean for putting crazy town partisan antics aside and coming together to craft a bill that truly makes a difference for rural America.

Madam Speaker, I urge Members to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 8014, the Transparency and Predictability in Small Business Opportunities Act introduced by Mr. Mfume and Mr. Alford.

This legislation requires the government to provide information to small business contractors when they cancel solicitations.

The government has flexibility to change requirements and solicitations as needed when their circumstances change. While this flexibility is necessary, the small businesses take on the risk and can incur losses when it happens.

Requiring an agency to disclose the reasons behind a cancellation and any plans for the work will provide small contractors with a little more information to adjust their business plans and operations accordingly.

This is a commonsense strategy to provide some relief to small contractors, and that is why I support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Mfume), the ranking member of the Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations Subcommittee.

Madam Speaker, I am in support of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to recognize June as Immigrant Heritage Month. This month, we celebrate the invaluable contributions of immigrants and the positive impact that they have on our country.

In that spirit, I would like to share the stories of one of my constituents. Gerald Michaud is a temporary protected status recipient from Haiti who received TPS after the devastating 2010 earthquake. Gerald was in Florida on a business trip when he learned that his home country had been devastated by the catastrophic earthquake and that he would be unable to return home safely.

However, with his TPS status, he has been able to live and work in the U.S. and support his family in Haiti.

Gerald is a 32BJ-SEIU member who works as a security officer and wheelchair attendant at LaGuardia International Airport and, on the weekends, serves as a martial arts instructor with the dream to one day have his own studio.

TPS has allowed Gerald to contribute so much to our community in Brooklyn. TPS holders like Gerald across the country contribute some $31 billion annually to the U.S. economy.

This Immigrant Heritage Month, I recognize the contributions of immigrants like Gerald to communities across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Boricua College on the special occasion of its 50th aniversary and in appreciation for decades of higher education. Boricua College was the first private, not-for-profit post-secondary educational institution established in the United States specifically designed to meet the academic needs of Puerto Ricans and other Spanish-speaking people. Today, it is a diverse institution for learning and professional development.

Boricua College inspired educated and passionate advocates for the Puerto Rican Disapora during the 1960's and 70's in New York City. Visionaries like Dr. Antonia Pantoja, founder of Universidad Boricua and the precursor of Boricua College, founded by Dr. Victor Alicea, believed that higher education and cultural pride were crucial to addressing poverty and creating economic empowerment. The significant migration of Puerto Ricans to New York City warranted a grassroots response to navigate the socio-economic opportunities and challenges of plantando bandera in a new environment. Thus, Boricua College was created and became a beacon of hope for the Latino community in Brooklyn.

Since its founding in 1974, Boricua College has grown from its humble beginnings on a single-floor storefront in Williamsburg to a multi- campus institution spanning Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx. The first Boricua College class had just 26 students. When it opened its doors, it broke all barriers to higher learning with a cadre of Puerto Rican bilingual professionals in New York City. Today, Boricua College has an enrollment of thousands of students pursuing an Associate, Bachelor or Master's degree in the field of Human Services, Business, Liberal Arts, Childhood Education and inter-American Studies to list a few. It is also a designated Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education.

The growth of Boricua College exemplifies the growth of Latinos' economic and political empowerment across the country. The college may not have millions in endowments, if at all. However, it does have an unwavering commitment to educational advancement. By 2060, nearly 1 in 4 Americans are likely to be Latinos'. Thanks to vital institutions like Boricua College, we are making even greater contributions in every sector of society--education, politics, business, the arts, and sciences.

This fine institution is as successful as the administration and leadership. Therefore, I would also like to salute Founder and President Dr. Victor G. Alicea for a lifetime of public service, Board of Trustees Chair Benito R. Fernandez, the deans, faculty, staff, and graduates. Mr. Speaker, please join us in recognizing Boricua College on the occasion of its 50th anniversary and offering our best wishes for another 50 years of serving the community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Maria Jaya's retirement and public service. Maria is a dedicated parent and community activist whose tireless efforts have profoundly impacted Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, and beyond. For nearly 30 years, Maria has been a driving force behind educational initiatives and community advocacy, leaving an unparalleled mark on the landscape of her neighborhood.

Maria Jaya's journey as an activist began with a simple goal: to improve the educational opportunities for her children and those in her community. Unsatisfied with the status quo, Maria started organizing with fellow parents to address issues such as academic achievement, school safety, and overcrowding in local schools. Her early efforts laid the groundwork for lasting change and set her on a path of advocacy that would define her legacy.

One of Maria's crowning achievements is the establishment of the Cypress Hills Community School/P.S. 89, a beacon of bilingual education and community engagement. Maria's vision and relentless advocacy were instrumental in creating this innovative dual-language public school in 1997. Her work culminated in constructing a new school building, which opened its doors in 2010. The new building, equipped with state-of-the- art facilities and a 50-50 Spanish/English dual language model, stands as a testament to Maria's unwavering dedication to educational excellence and community engagement. Through her leadership as Parent Co-Director for over 27 years, Maria cultivated a culture of collaboration and empowerment, ensuring that the voices of parents, educators, and students were heard and valued.

Maria's advocacy extends beyond the classroom walls, encompassing broader community issues such as housing justice and immigrant rights. She mobilized her neighbors and fellow parents to demand better living conditions and to defend the rights of immigrants in Cypress Hills. Maria's commitment to social justice and equity was a guiding light for her community, inspiring others to join her in the fight for a better future for all.

I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Maria Jaya, a visionary leader, tireless advocate, and a devoted parent whose legacy will endure for generations to come. May she have a wonderful and fruitful retirement. She can now take a step back and admire the decades of work she leaves behind that has undoubtedly elevated the quality of life and education in Cypress Hills.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate Neir's Tavern, a beloved establishment located in the heart of Woodhaven, Queens. From its inception in 1829, Neir's Tavern has contributed to New York City's rich cultural history. Today, I am marking the momentous occasion of Neir's Tavern receiving the Queensmark Historical Designation award from the Queens Historical Society of New York.

This designation is not only meaningful for the Woodhaven, Queens community, it also highlights the significant contributions of Loycent Gordon, the current owner of Neir's Tavern. A public servant who dedicated more than two decades as a New York City firefighter and was one of the first African American Lieutenant's in the FDNY Hazmat Division.

In 2009, he courageously stepped up and purchased the establishment when it was set to shutter its doors. Loycent is the embodiment of the American dream, immigrating at the age of 10 from the island of Jamaica to Jamaica, Queens. His business acumen and sense of community has contributed greatly to the social, cultural, and economic fabric of Woodhaven.

As we commemorate this milestone in the history of Neir's Tavern, let us reaffirm our commitment to preserving and celebrating the cultural landmarks that make our communities unique as well as the small businesses that are the backbone of our economy.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in congratulating Neir's Tavern on its well-deserved Queensmark historical designation and in wishing Loycent Gordon many more years of success.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be here today as we celebrate National Small Business Week.

More than 60 years ago, President John F. Kennedy first enacted a proclamation to celebrate small businesses, and every year since then our country has honored the contributions of small business owners all throughout the country.

Small businesses employ roughly half of the private workforce, create the majority of new jobs, and generate almost half of our Nation's economic activity. They are the heart and soul of communities. Whether it is our local plumber or contractor, a chef launching a restaurant, or a medical professional, they are creating neighborhood jobs and reinvesting in the local economies.

The state of our small business is growing stronger. We have seen more than 17 million new businesses start since President Biden took office, with the vast majority of those being filled by women, including women of color.

That is good news and gives us a reason to celebrate.

But more work needs to be done, and today we are considering four bipartisan bills that will create additional opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Turning to our first bill, H.R. 5333, as amended, makes statutory improvements to the Small Business Investment Company program to provide SBICs access to additional leverage when they invest in a small business critical to national security or located in a rural or underserved community.

Due to their often capital intensive nature, small businesses operating in America's critical technology sector need institutional investors with long-term time horizons to raise capital. Yet, due to statutory constraints, these investors are often limited in their ability to participate in the SBIC program, making it an unsuitable option for critical technology innovators to raise capital.

By providing SBICs with additional leverage flexibility, H.R. 5333 more appropriately matches the SBIC program with the capital needs of this industry. Doing so will enable the SBA and DOD to successfully carry out the joint SBIC Critical Technology Initiative.

At the same time, the evidence demonstrates there continues to be a significant lack of private investment in small businesses in rural and underserved communities.

By providing SBICs with additional bonus leverage, we are encouraging investment in our communities that need it the most. I thank Representatives Scholten and Meuser for their leadership on this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Scholten), the ranking member of the Contracting and Infrastructure Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, today, under President Biden's leadership, the SBIC program

is making historic investments. In fiscal year 2023, the SBIC program provided a record-high $8 billion in investment and collectively financed more than 1,200 small businesses and startups resulting in over 130,000 jobs.

H.R. 5333 will build on this monumental success and unleash even further investment in America's small firms.

Innovation is the cornerstone of economic growth and U.S. global competitiveness. Most often, the most innovative and disruptive R&D is happening in our small business community. H.R. 5333 will encourage more SBIC investment in small businesses operating in our innovative sector and in rural and underserved areas all over the country.

Mr. Speaker, I, again, thank Representatives Scholten and Meuser for leading this effort. I encourage Members to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Mr. Stauber and Mr. McGarvey, for their work to bring this bipartisan bill to the floor today.

In an effort to ensure that small firms can participate in the Federal marketplace on a level playing field, Congress sets a goal for Federal agencies of annually awarding at least 23 percent of prime contracting dollars to small businesses. These goals have helped millions of small businesses compete and have helped the government leverage their creativity and innovation.

Many Federal agencies regularly meet or even exceed their individual goals, but some do not, and they are not formally penalized for this failure. This legislation would apply additional pressure to Federal agencies to meet their small business goals by requiring them to testify before us when they fail. It is a productive step that will add additional congressional oversight to maximize contracting opportunities for small government contractors.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. McGarvey), the ranking member of the Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, I emphasize that this bill specifies that agencies that have not met two or more of their subcategory goals must also testify before our committee.

Each of the categories, including and especially the WOSB program, continue to need additional focus to ensure that the government's acquisition professionals are maximizing contracting opportunities for those small businesses.

Again, I thank the sponsors of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, today we are considering H.R. 7985, which would require the SBA to submit a report to Congress on the challenges facing entrepreneurs with disabilities.

Despite progress to increase employment rates, only 26 percent of people with disabilities participate in the labor force. That is why we need a comprehensive study to assess the resources that are available to people with disabilities, examine their effectiveness, and determine what actions need to be taken to support entrepreneurs with disabilities.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the efforts of Mr. McGarvey and Mr. Molinaro to increase opportunities for people with disabilities. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7985. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. McGarvey).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Entrepreneurship provides people with disabilities a viable option to participate in the labor force and improve their quality of life.

SBA's entrepreneurial ecosystem, comprised of nearly 1,000 resource partners across the country, can provide individuals with free counseling and training to launch and grow their small businesses.

We do not know how well SBA and its resource partners are meeting their needs and what more could be done to better serve these individuals. This bill will go a long way in assessing the outreach and engagement provided by SBA and make legislative recommendations to address any deficiencies in the services provided to people with disabilities.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud Mr. McGarvey and Mr. Molinaro for their bipartisan efforts, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their work on this bill, which states that certain contracting documents should be written in a way that is ``clear, concise, and accessible'' for small businesses.

This bill is an attempt to reduce confusion and add clarity for some small firms that contract with or are looking to contract with the Federal Government.

While we have concerns about how elements of this legislation could be implemented, simplifying the contracting process and recruiting new entrants into the Federal marketplace are priorities that we share. There are certainly ways for the government to improve in both of those areas.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Thanedar).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Again, I thank the sponsors for their work on this bill, and I believe that the goals are laudable.

It is a mandate of our committee to regularly review the processes that SBA and Federal agencies put in place to recruit, retain, and contract with small businesses--and do so with the goal of making it easier for them to compete for and win Federal awards.

Given that small businesses are leaving the Federal market at a record pace, and fewer small businesses are choosing to work with the government to begin with, we must use the tools available to us to provide remedies where we can.

In closing, I thank the chairman and the sponsors of the legislation for their commitment and dedication to our Nation's small business owners.

National Small Business Week is a good reminder that we need to work together in a bipartisan way to create more opportunities for our Nation's 33 million entrepreneurs.

Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I didn't mention there are a sizeable number of Democratic bills that have been reported favorably from the committee but have not been scheduled for the floor.

In a spirit of bipartisanship, which is what National Small Business Week showcases to our constituents, I look forward to the chairman bringing more of these bills to the floor soon.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, if Republicans were really interested in fixing our broken immigration system, why are we wasting our time debating this nonbinding resolution?

Republicans claim that all President Biden needs to do to fix our immigration system is to unconstitutionally shut down the border and return to the draconian policies of the Trump administration.

Immigration in our country has been broken for decades, and enforcement-only immigration solutions do not work, and they know that.

We must also recognize the positive benefits of immigration. According to the CBO, increased immigration will help bolster our economy by about $7 trillion over the next decade.

If Republicans really cared about addressing the problems of our immigration system, they would join with Democrats to pass thoughtful and bipartisan legislation to actually address the problem at the border.

Nonetheless, Mr. Speaker, they are not interested in doing that. All they need is a political talking point.

Instead, we are debating a resolution that will do nothing and help no one.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this resolution.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2799.

As ranking member of the House Small Business Committee, I know that small businesses are the driving force of the American economy. Access to capital is the lifeblood of our Nation's small firms. It is what allows them to expand and hire more workers.

A key method for small businesses to raise capital is seeking investors through our Nation's capital markets. It is a method I support. However, raising funds through capital markets cannot come at the expense of retail investors, employees, and independent contractors. This bill fails to strike an appropriate balance and significantly weakens investor protections while dramatically expanding the number of exempt offerings.

When we created new exemptions in the JOBS Act, they were designed for smaller firms. Today, large private companies and private equity funds have misused these exemptions to create an opaque lending market that is now bigger than our public markets. The lack of transparency associated with these funds isn't beneficial for small businesses seeking financing from these funds or retail investors investing in them.

Private securities offerings are generally deemed as riskier than public offerings. The lack of disclosures and transparency in this bill allows retail investors to participate in these offerings without adequately understanding the dangers, creating the potential for significant financial loss for working-class investors and retirees.

President Biden has already signaled his opposition to this bill. If the majority were serious about helping small businesses raise capital through our private markets, they would pull this bill and work with us to craft a bipartisan solution that helps small businesses and protects investors.

Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to vote ``no.''