Patriotic Employer Protection Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. KIM. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to stand up for small business owners across our country who want to do the patriotic thing and provide economic opportunities to those serving in the military Reserves.

I represent Burlington County and Ocean County in New Jersey, home to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Approximately 5,500 reservists are currently serving at our joint base, and 99 percent of New Jersey businesses are classified as small businesses.

For those small business owners who are members of the Reserves or want to hire reservists, there is uncertainty and risks that come with unexpected deployments and activations to Active Duty. During times of war, we not only ask these reservists to sacrifice during their service but to sacrifice their economic well-being.

In 2003, during the Iraq war, a small business owner and servicemember named Stanley Adams was called to Active Duty. Mr. Adams, who owned two thriving livestock trailer companies, had to close one down and saw revenue plummet during his deployment. In an interview, Mr. Adams said, ``Everything came to a halt, and all this money still had to be paid.''

We owe our servicemembers more than that. Serving our country shouldn't be a barrier to those who want to start or work for a small business. We should reward these patriots, not create an environment of economic uncertainty.

That is why I am proud to introduce the bipartisan Patriotic Employer Protection Act with Congressman Burchett. The Patriotic Employer Protection Act would restructure two programs--the Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan program and the Repayment Deferral for Active Duty Reservists program--so that they better reflect the current deployment trends of reservists. The bill would allow these programs to be used for any reservists being ordered to Active Duty for a period of more than 30 consecutive days, broadening the program to more people in need.

In addition, the bill would create a new business training program to provide counseling and assistance to support members of the Reserves and their spouses, as well as direct the Small Business Administration to develop more targeted and effective outreach to reservists and small business owners.

The American Legion, which has endorsed this bill, has called these important programs ``underutilized because their eligibility restrictions do not fully reflect current deployment practices.'' This bill fixes that and empowers small business owners across the country to provide a path to the American Dream for those servicemembers who fight to protect it every day.

Mr. Speaker, I hope you will join myself and Congressman Burchett in supporting this bill.

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