Bean Passes Bill to Help Florida Businesses During Hurricane Season
WASHINGTON—U.S. Congressman Aaron Bean (FL-04) today celebrated House passage of H.R. 804, the Small Business Resilience Act. The bill, co-authored by U.S. Congresswoman Kelly Morrison (MN-03), Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), and Congressman Troy Downing (MT-02), would require the Small Business Administration (SBA) to improve access to disaster assistance and relief programs for business owners in rural areas.
Upon passage of the bill, Congressman Bean said: “As the Congressman from a hurricane-prone state, getting small businesses back on their feet after a disaster is a top priority. This bill strengthens the resiliency of small businesses by connecting them to critical resources when the unexpected happens. Now that this bill has passed the House, we are one step closer to eliminating bureaucratic red tape for the sake of our local economies and workforce.”
“I am willing to work with anyone to deliver results for our small businesses. The facts are clear: natural disasters are increasing, and rural small businesses are hit the hardest. With this commonsense bill, we’re working to cut red tape for small business owners and ensure they have the support they need to recover when disaster strikes. Rural communities and economies will be stronger and better protected because of this bill. I am proud to work with my Republican colleagues on this bipartisan issue, and will continue to push every day to find common ground and get things done for our small business owners,” said Congresswoman Morrison.
BACKGROUND
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that people in rural communities may not be aware of the assistance the SBA can provide following a disaster and issued a report on how targeted outreach from the SBA can benefit rural communities.
Specifically, the Rural Small Business Resilience Act would task the SBA with establishing and carrying out an advertising and outreach program tailored to rural small business owners for the SBA Disaster Loan Program.
The bill overwhelmingly passed the House 415-8.
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