Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, starting a small business is never easy. Whether it is a family opening a restaurant, a contractor trying to grow their company, or an entrepreneur launching a new product, success takes hard work, access to capital, and the right support.

For many Native entrepreneurs, the barriers can be even higher. A good idea shouldn't have a smaller chance of succeeding simply because it is in Indian Country.

Too often, Native businessowners face challenges that make it harder to get their businesses off the ground--from limited access to financing and investment, to unreliable broadband service, to the long distances many businesses must travel to reach customers, suppliers, and markets.

That means great business ideas that could create jobs and strengthen a community might be less likely to get the support and access to those necessary needs to succeed.

It is not just a loss for Tribal communities. This can be a loss for our entire economy. Native-owned businesses employ more than 300,000 people across the entire country. They create jobs. They drive economic growth, and they help build stronger communities. They deserve the same opportunities to succeed as other small business owners in America.

That is why I introduced the Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act. This bipartisan bill strengthens the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Native American Affairs by establishing it in law and ensuring that Native entrepreneurs have a permanent advocate within the SBA, no matter who controls the White House.

The bill creates an assistant administrator to lead the office, to coordinate resources, and to help make sure that Tribal entrepreneurs can access the lending programs, the business counseling, and the contracting opportunities that already exist within the SBA.

Just as importantly, it creates accountability by requiring regular reports to Congress about how these efforts are working in Indian Country. This is a practical and bipartisan step that is going to help entrepreneurs start businesses, create jobs, and contribute to their local economies.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Jake Ellzey, Kelly Morrison, and Eli Crane for partnering with me on this legislation. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill and to support the entrepreneurs, workers, and communities that it is going to benefit.

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