Rural Small Business Resilience Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. BEAN of Florida. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, summer is right around the corner, and you know what that means: ice cream, going to the pool, going to the beach, baseball, and, unfortunately, hurricane season.

We all know that in baseball, you get three strikes and you are out, but for some small business owners, they could be out with just one major disaster strike.

According to FEMA, 43 percent of small businesses never reopen after a major disaster. An additional 29 percent go out of business within 2 years of the disaster.

That is why, today, I rise in support of H.R. 7984, the Rural Small Business Resilience Act, which I am proud to co-lead along with Representative Pappas from the great State of New Hampshire.

This legislation will require the SBA to appropriately tailor marketing and outreach materials to rural communities following a disaster.

In a recent report, the Government Accountability Office, the GAO, found that small businesses in rural communities are not aware of the vital assistance the SBA can provide following a disaster, which could make or break whether they remain open or closed.

The GAO recommends the SBA distinguish their marketing between rural and urban areas in their outreach and how they get the word out that they are there to help them.

Thankfully, Representative Pappas and I have heard the message from GAO. It is loud and clear. We have the right answer, and it is the answer small businesses may be looking for. That answer, Madam Speaker, is the Rural Small Business Resilience Act.

I ask my colleagues to support small business and support small business owners by voting ``yes'' today on H.R. 7984. It could very well be a game changer for small business.

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