[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 200 (Monday, December 1, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H4916-H4918]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
OFFICE OF RURAL AFFAIRS ENHANCEMENT ACT
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 4549) to amend the Small Business Act to clarify
the responsibilities of the Office of Rural Affairs of the Small
Business Administration, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4549
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 ``Office of Rural Affairs
Enhancement Act''.
SEC. 2. OFFICE OF RURAL AFFAIRS OF THE SMALL BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATION.
Section 26 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 653) is
amended--
(1) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
``(b) Appointment of Assistant Administrator.--
``(1) In general.--The Office shall be administered by an
Assistant Administrator, who shall be an employee in the
competitive service.
``(2) Qualifications.--The Assistant Administrator shall--
``(A) have education or professional experience with, or
knowledge of, rural affairs and issues relating to small
business concerns; and
``(B) have experience providing development assistance to
rural small business concerns.'';
(2) in subsection (c)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``small business concerns
located in rural areas'' and inserting ``rural small business
concerns'';
(B) in paragraph (3)--
(i) by striking ``provide information'' and inserting
``promote''; and
(ii) by striking ``concerning the'' and all that follows
through the semicolon at the end and inserting the following:
``on the policies and programs of the Administration and of
other Federal departments and agencies for assisting rural
small business concerns;'';
(C) in paragraph (4), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a
semicolon;
(D) in paragraph (5)--
(i) by striking ``the United States Tourism and Travel
Administration'' and inserting ``the National Travel and
Tourism Office of the Department of Commerce'';
(ii) by striking ``small businesses in rural areas'' and
inserting ``rural small business concerns''; and
(iii) by striking the period at the end and inserting ``;
and''; and
(E) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(6) host webinars and outreach events for rural small
business concerns as described in subsection (d).''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new subsections:
``(d) Outreach.--The Assistant Administrator shall--
``(1) host webinars and outreach events in various regions
of the United States for rural small business concerns; and
``(2) invite representatives from district offices of the
Administration, resource partners, Federal and State
agencies, and other interested persons to participate in such
webinars and outreach events.
``(e) Report.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of the enactment of this subsection, and annually thereafter,
the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Small
Business of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate, and make
publicly available on a website of the Administration, a
report on the activities of the Office during the one-year
period immediately preceding the date of submission of the
report.
``(2) Contents.--Each report required under paragraph (1)
shall include the following:
``(A) The operational details of the Office, including the
name of the Assistant Administrator, the budget of the
Office, and the number of full-time employees employed by or
detailed to the Office.
``(B) A summary of the activities conducted under
subsection (c).
``(C) The number of webinars and outreach events conducted
by the Administration to promote policies and programs
described in paragraph (3) of subsection (c) and to provide
information described in paragraph (4) of such subsection.
``(D) An analysis of the lending programs of the
Administration in serving the needs of rural small business
concerns.
``(E) Information gathered from any webinars and outreach
events conducted by the Administration during the period
covered by the report.
``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Assistant administrator.--The term `Assistant
Administrator' means the Assistant Administrator of the
Office of Rural Affairs appointed under subsection (b).
``(2) Resource partners.--The term `resource partners'
means--
``(A) small business development centers;
``(B) women's business centers (described under section
29);
[[Page H4917]]
``(C) chapters of the Service Corps of Retired Executives
(established under section 8(b)(1)(B)); and
``(D) Veteran Business Outreach Centers (described under
section 32).
``(3) Rural small business concern.--The term `rural small
business concern' means a small business concern located in a
rural area (as defined in section 7(b)(16) of this Act).''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Williams) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Cisneros)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. 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 bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4549, the Office of Rural
Affairs Enhancement Act.
This bill was introduced by Representative Goodlander from the great
State of New Hampshire, Representative Wied from the great State of
Wisconsin, and Representative Golden from the great State of Maine.
Mr. Speaker, 46 million Americans live in rural communities. The
small businesses of rural America face distinct and persistent
challenges, such as a shortage of business assistance resources and
limited access to capital. These challenges often hinder their growth
and sustainability.
The SBA Office of Rural Affairs was created to serve our rural
entrepreneurs. However, it is often underutilized and thus ineffective.
This bill addresses these challenges by clarifying the critical
responsibilities of the Office of Rural Affairs and qualifications for
leadership to prioritize the rural communities.
This bill ensures that the office will be utilized to reach rural
entrepreneurs anywhere they are in Main Street America. These efforts
will strengthen local networks and equip entrepreneurs with the
knowledge and support necessary for long-term growth.
H.R. 4549 is about investing in the future of rural America, creating
jobs, and ensuring resources reach all businesses across America. I
thank Representatives Goodlander, Wied, and Golden for introducing this
bipartisan legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4549, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. CISNEROS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this commonsense legislation to
enhance the Office of Rural Affairs at the SBA. I commend
Representatives Goodlander, Wied, and Golden for their commitment to
making this office operate more effectively for rural small businesses.
Rural small businesses are powerful drivers of economic growth across
the United States, fueling the agricultural, tourism, manufacturing,
and energy sectors.
{time} 1440
Unfortunately, they receive disproportionately fewer SBA loans and
resources than their urban counterparts and face greater challenges,
including access to affordable capital, unreliable internet access, and
access to talent.
Created in 1990, the Office of Rural Affairs at the SBA could play a
key role in helping small businesses overcome these challenges.
However, throughout its existence, the office has either been dormant
or the collateral duty of a regional administrator.
In 2020, an acting SBA director was named, and in 2021, the SBA
appointed a permanent, full-time career deputy director to stand up the
office. This bill would elevate the role of director to an assistant
administrator, ensure that assistant administrator meets certain
qualifications, and requires the office to host webinars and outreach
events.
With clear lines of communication and the outreach that will come
from the office, small businesses will be able to access resources that
should be readily available to them.
I will, once again, thank Ms. Goodlander, Mr. Wied, and Mr. Golden
for their bipartisan efforts on behalf of America's rural small
businesses.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from the great
State of New Hampshire (Ms. Goodlander).
Ms. GOODLANDER. Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to rise today and join
my colleagues from across America in support of what is a commonsense,
bipartisan bill.
H.R. 4549 is a bill that will deliver a fair deal for America's rural
small businesses and entrepreneurs by cutting red tape, delivering
access to key Federal resources, and ensuring experienced and
accountable representation and leadership within our government. It is
a bill that will ensure the voices of rural America aren't just heard
but are truly prioritized within our government.
Running a small business is really an act of faith. It is hard work,
often brutally hard work, and it is extraordinarily important work
because rural small businesses are the beating hearts of communities
across America, and in every corner of my home State of New Hampshire.
They are the backbone of our economy.
As I have worked alongside and as I have listened to and learned from
rural small businesses across New Hampshire, from the family farmers of
our north country to the manufacturers of our Monadnock region, and
from the loggers of our upper valley to the small businesses of the
Souhegan Valley, I have heard again and again that the Federal programs
designed to help our rural small businesses are riddled with red tape,
and they are often impossible to access.
I have heard again and again that the rules of the road are simply
not written with the realities of rural America in mind, their
challenges and the opportunities. That is not right, and it is our job
as lawmakers to correct it.
In 1990, Congress created the Office of Rural Affairs within the
Small Business Administration to tackle this problem set, but as we
have seen over the past 35 years, the office is underperforming. It
lacks experienced and accountable leadership, and the red tape is still
very much there for the cutting.
So our bill is going to address these gaps in the law. It is going to
require a senior leader with real experience in rural economic
development to be at the helm and to be accountable to Congress and the
American people.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. CISNEROS. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from New Hampshire.
Ms. GOODLANDER. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues from across this
body and across our Nation to come together to deliver for our rural
small businesses. They are the backbone of our economy, and they are
the fabric of American life. This bipartisan bill, the Office of Rural
Affairs Enhancement Act, is going to go a long way to delivering for
them.
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no further
speakers. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CISNEROS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am
prepared to close.
Mr. Speaker, I will, once again, thank my colleagues, Ms. Goodlander,
Mr. Wied, and Mr. Golden, for their bipartisan efforts to pass this
legislation.
By strengthening the Office of Rural Affairs, we can ensure all small
businesses have adequate access to the resources at their disposal.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support
this commonsense legislation to support rural small businesses, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Williams) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 4549.
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.
[[Page H4918]]
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