Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020

Floor Speech

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Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the bills before the House.

In Colorado, our small businesses are struggling under these unprecedented economic circumstances. From the mom-and-pop taverns in Gilpin County and Winter Park; the restaurants in Loveland, Fort Collins, and Boulder; Main Street businesses in Nederland and Breckenridge; and the many Colorado businesses that rely on outdoor recreation and ski season, in particular, they never could have planned for this pandemic. We cannot expect them to weather this crisis alone.

The Payroll Protection Program has provided critical funds to keep many of these businesses afloat and workers employed. But as we have heard from both sides of the aisle today, many fixes are needed, and that is what we are here today to do.

We must ensure that loan forgiveness periods are extended so that small businesses are not on the hook for this money while their doors remain shut. We must extend the program past June 30 as so many of our businesses face increased uncertainty and as our country faces uncertainty about what the future holds in the coming months. We must expand access and transparency and prioritize our veteran-owned and economically disadvantaged businesses.

At the end of the day, we must continue to support our local small businesses because they are the lifeblood of our communities, for the sake of our families, our local economies, and our future.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for her strong leadership over the course of this pandemic and my freshman colleague, Representative Phillips, for his leadership in bringing this bill forward. I am proud to support it. Let's get this done for small businesses in Colorado and across America.

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