Small Business Advocacy Improvements Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 128, the Small Business Advocacy Improvements Act of 2019.

I am proud, once again, to be the sponsor of this legislation which passed the House in a bipartisan manner during the 115th Congress. I want to thank my colleague, Chairwoman Velazquez, for working with me on this bill.

The Office of Advocacy at the United States Small Business Administration plays a vital role in ensuring that Federal agencies adequately consider how their policies impact America's small businesses. While the Office of Advocacy has done excellent work on behalf of our Nation's small businesses, the current law is silent on whether it can research and advocate on behalf of small business on international matters such as trade initiatives and regulations. This is a problem that we can easily address.

For many small businesses, exporting and operating overseas is an important part of their success and allows them to grow. Given the Office of Advocacy's knowledge and research on how domestic regulations impact small businesses, it is appropriate for the office to advocate and research small business interests on international matters as well, especially since international opportunities play a vital role for many of our Nation's small businesses.

This bill advances the Office of Advocacy's mission to advocate for America's small businesses and clarifies its authority on international small business issues. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important bipartisan bill.

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