US Rep Delgado Recognizes Small Business Week

WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, U.S. Representative Antonio Delgado (NY-19) released the following statement on National Small Business Week. Congressman Delgado, along with members of the House Committee on Small Business, co-led introduction of a bipartisan resolution recognizing September 22 to September 24 as National Small Business Week. New York’s 19th Congressional District is home to 27,000 small businesses, including self-employed owners.

“Small businesses are essential to our way of life in NY-19. Run by friends and families, they create jobs all across our communities and represent the backbone of our local economy. During National Small Business Week, we recognize the resiliency of small business owners and employees who have been asked to endure a global pandemic which has upended life as we know it,” said Rep. Delgado, member of the House Committee on Small Business. “Upstate businesses are hard-working, creative, and determined. Over the last several months I’ve visited with entrepreneurs throughout the district to hear how they’re navigating COVID-19 and their experiences with federal relief programs. These conversations, as well as collaboration with my bipartisan, locally-based Small Business Advisory Committee, continue to inform my work at the federal level to ensure small firms have the resources they need to survive. This advocacy includes securing funding to assist with small business loans, making federal programs more flexible for business owners, and ensuring SBA initiatives actually work for the hardest-hit businesses across our region.

“Businesses cannot be asked to face this challenge alone. The Senate must take up the Heroes Act and meet this moment by providing urgently needed resources to grow our local economies. I will keep fighting every day to make sure our communities have the support they need to build back stronger than before,” said Rep. Delgado.

As a member of the House Committee on Small Business, Rep. Delgado has worked to elevate the voices of small businesses across New York’s 19th Congressional District during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, Rep. Delgado introduced the Small Business Repayment Relief Act, to cover six months of loan payments for all qualified Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. This was signed into law as part of the bipartisan CARES Act.

Rep. Delgado also voted for the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act, signed into law on June 5. Additionally, Rep. Delgado introduced the Prioritized Paycheck Protection Program (P4) Act which would allow smaller businesses, with significant losses due to COVID-19, to receive a second forgivable PPP loan. The Congressman also helped introduce the bipartisan Small Business PPE Tax Credit Act. This bill would provide a tax credit of up to $25,000 to help small businesses offset the cost of PPE, including installing plexiglass and purchasing masks to protect their employees and customers.

On Labor Day, Rep. Delgado was at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts with Senator Gillibrand to highlight the need for the RESTART Act, which would create a new flexible loan program through the SBA that would fund six months of payroll, benefits, and fixed operating expenses for businesses that have lost substantial revenue due to the pandemic.