'We Hear You And We Are Fighting For You': Maggie Goodlander Praises Bill For Rural Small Business

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During a House Small Business Committee markup meeting before the Congressional recess, Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH) spoke about updates to the Office of Rural Affairs.

Transcript

00:00I now recognize the sponsor of the bill, Mrs. Goodlander, for a statement on the bill.

00:05Thank you, Madam Chair. Ranking Member Velasquez, thank you for the opportunity to speak about this bill.

00:11I'm very proud to sponsor the Office of Rural Affairs Enhancement Act.

00:15This is a bipartisan, common-sense bill that's going to ensure the voices of rural America aren't just heard,

00:23but they are prioritized within the Small Business Administration.

00:27Look, this bill comes directly from conversations that I've had with rural small businesses all across my home state, New Hampshire.

00:36Everywhere I go, from Chesterfield to Colebrook, I hear the same basic thing from so many small rural businesses,

00:45that federal programs designed to help them are simply not tailored to their needs,

00:50and even more often, they fail to be able to reach them at all.

00:55I've heard this from farmers in Loudoun as recently as Saturday, from retailers in Lisbon,

01:01small manufacturing businesses in Swansea, and loggers in West Stewartstown.

01:07Thirty-five years ago, in 1990, the Office of Rural Affairs was created to address this precise set of problems.

01:14But what we've seen over the last 35 years is that this office has underperformed.

01:20It's been chronically understaffed and under-resourced.

01:23It needs clear direction.

01:25It needs stronger tools to really be able to do what we all want to do,

01:29which is to deliver for our rural small businesses.

01:32And that's exactly what our bill aims to do.

01:34It ensures that the office is led by someone with direct experience in rural economic development.

01:42This is a big core pillar, which is accountability.

01:45It requires annual reporting to Congress, which is going to be very valuable reporting

01:50that will help us track and keep this office accountable with respect to impact and improvement.

01:57And it's also going to improve access.

02:00This bill mandates regular outreach to small businesses in meaningful ways

02:05that are going to ensure that the Small Business Administration is meeting small businesses in rural America precisely where they are.

02:12So this bill is about accountability.

02:14It's about access.

02:15And above all, it is about basic fairness.

02:18Basic fairness for rural America's entrepreneurs and small businesses who are far too often forgotten,

02:25who have been unheard for far too long, and who have so much to offer our great country.

02:30So in passing this bill, we would be saying clearly to our rural small businesses,

02:36we see you, we hear you, and we are fighting for you.

02:40So I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting the Office of Rural Affairs Enhancement Act.

02:46And I want to thank my colleague from the great state of Wisconsin, Tony Weed,

02:51for partnering with me in this bipartisan effort.

02:53And with that, I yield back.

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