[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 158 (Monday, September 14, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H4345-H4347]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ACT
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 6021) to amend the Small Business Act to ensure that the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is eligible for certain
Small Business Administration programs, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 6021
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Northern Mariana Islands
Small Business Development Act''.
SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN
MARIANA ISLANDS FOR CERTAIN SMALL BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATION PROGRAMS.
The Small Business Act is amended--
(1) in section 21(a) (15 U.S.C. 648(a))--
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(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting before ``The
Administration shall require'' the following new sentence:
``The previous sentence shall not apply to an applicant that
has its principal office located in the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands.''; and
(B) in paragraph (4)(C)(ix), by striking ``and American
Samoa'' and inserting ``American Samoa, and the Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands''; and
(2) in section 34(a)(9) (15 U.S.C. 657d(a)(9)), by striking
``and American Samoa'' and inserting ``American Samoa, and
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
New York (Ms. Velazquez) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New York.
General Leave
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.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from New York?
There was no objection.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6021, the Northern
Mariana Islands Small Business Development Act.
There are 1,700 small businesses with 18,000 employees in the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, yet these businesses are
the only ones in the United States that are ineligible for the SBA's
Small Business Development Center, or SBDC, and Federal and State
Technology, or FAST, partnership programs.
The SBDC program provides free or low-cost counseling and training
services to thousands of entrepreneurs and small business owners each
year, and the FAST partnership program provides funding to increase the
number of Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business
Technical Transfer applications and better prepare applicants for
success.
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which rely heavily
on tourism, has not been immune from the economic devastation resulting
from COVID-19. Moreover, it has been trying to rebuild from two
catastrophic typhoons that wreaked havoc on the country in October
2018.
By extending SBA's SBDC and FAST programs to the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, Congress will extend valuable opportunities
for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs to receive support
from qualified counselors on how to launch and grow their small
businesses as well as recover from the economic catastrophes.
In March, H.R. 6021 was unanimously approved by the House Small
Business Committee, and I commend the sponsors of the legislation, Mr.
Sablan and Mrs. Radewagen, for raising this inequity to the committee.
The dedication they have shown to creating greater parity to the
entrepreneurs in all territories shows exactly how small business
issues are neither Democratic nor Republican issues; they are American
issues.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting the
small business owners and entrepreneurs of the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands by voting in favor of H.R. 6021.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, this extends a matter of simple fairness to American
citizens.
Currently, the Northern Mariana Islands, part of the United States
since 1975, is the only U.S. jurisdiction not included for eligibility
in certain SBA programs.
According to the SBA, there are more than 1,700 small businesses in
the Commonwealth that employ more than 18,000 people. These businesses,
these owners, these employees, and these families are no different than
those in my hometown of Cincinnati or those in the chairwoman's
district in Brooklyn.
This bill amends the Small Business Act to allow the Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands to establish a lead Small Business
Development Center, or SBDC, and to be eligible for the same funding as
the other lead SBDCs across our Nation.
Additionally, H.R. 6021 waives the requirement that the new SBDC be
established at a higher education institution because the Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands does not have a college or university
to operate an SBDC on campus.
The Northern Mariana Islands' 55,000 inhabitants deserve the same
access to SBA programs as any other American citizen, and this bill
ensures that they do. It is a very simple, bipartisan, and just piece
of legislation. I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
We have no further speakers on our side, so I am prepared to close.
I would like the thank gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands
(Mr. Sablan) and the gentlewoman from American Samoa (Mrs. Radewagen)
for their leadership on this issue.
The legislation is long overdue, and I am happy to support the bill.
I urge my colleagues to support the bill as well, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I just urge support of this bill. It corrects an
inequity, and I am so proud that, under my leadership and the ranking
member, we are providing access to all the programs under the Small
Business Administration for the small businesses in the Northern
Mariana Islands.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, my legislation, H.R. 6021, ensures the 1,700
small businesses in my district can receive assistance through grants
from the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) program and through
FAST, the Federal and State Technology program.
The Northern Mariana Islands is the only place in the U.S. not
included in these Small Business Administration (SBA) programs, which
help small businesses access the knowledge and capital needed to grow
and compete successfully for federal contracting opportunities.
H.R. 6021, the Northern Mariana Islands Small Business Development
Act, would correct that by ensuring Marianas businesses access to these
SBA programs on the same basis as their counterparts across the nation.
The Small Business Committee unanimously reported the bill favorably in
March.
Under my legislation, the Marianas can apply to establish a Lead
SBDC, which would make available renewable funding to expand the reach
and capacity of the existing SBDC service center on Saipan. With
additional funding, small businesses on Saipan, Tinian and Rota will
have better access to free or low-cost services such as incubator
workspaces for entrepreneurs, business planning, operations, and other
areas required for small business growth and success.
H.R. 6021 would also help our small businesses participate in federal
research and development opportunities. The legislation does this by
including the Marianas in the SSA's FAST program which funds outreach
and assistance to small businesses interested in competing for the
Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology
Transfer programs.
I want to also express my support for H.R. 6079, the Microloan
Improvement Act, being considered by the House. The Act includes a
provision from my bill, H.R. 2603, which provides Marianas small
businesses owners access to the SBA's Microloan program. SBA microloans
provide up to $50,000 typically not offered by banks for working
capital or the acquisition of materials, supplies, or equipment. The
program also provides marketing, management, and technical assistance
to assist the women, low-income, veteran entrepreneurs in my district.
I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 6021 and H.R. 6079, so we can be
sure that all small businesses in our country can fully benefit from
the SBA's programs, regardless of where in our nation they happen to
operate.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6021.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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