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Rural Small Business Resilience Act

Floor Speech

Date: Feb. 24, 2025
Location: Washington, DC

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Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 804, the Rural Small Business Resilience Act.

As the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Supply Chains, I am pleased to put forward this commonsense, bipartisan legislation that will ensure rural small businesses can operate on a level playing field.

This bill requires the Small Business Administration to ensure that small businesses located in rural areas have full access to SBA disaster assistance in the wake of a natural disaster.

The SBA's disaster loan program serves as a lifeline for small business owners in need of capital to repair, rebuild, and recover from of the physical and economic losses of a natural disaster.

Unfortunately, the Government Accountability Office recently found that rural communities face unique barriers that inhibit recovery from severe weather events like hurricanes, flooding, and wildfires.

A lack of reliable broadband, cellular service, or physical infrastructure can make it more difficult for small business owners in these communities to learn about and apply for disaster assistance.

We also know that natural disasters are becoming more frequent and more severe. In my home State of Minnesota, natural disasters have caused about $20 billion in damage and economic loss over the last 5 years alone.

Small businesses are among the most vulnerable to injury. FEMA has reported that more than 40 percent of small businesses do not reopen after a natural disaster.

We can all agree that every small business owner in this country should have fair access to disaster assistance, regardless of where they live. The Rural Small Business Resilience Act will address this disparity by requiring the SBA to conduct targeted outreach to small business owners in rural communities.

I will close by thanking the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Downing), the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Pappas), and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bean) for their partnership on this important, bipartisan legislation. I also thank Chairman Williams and Ranking Member Velazquez for their support of this bill.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this legislation.

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