Pappas’s Bipartisan Bills to Strengthen Support for Rural Small Businesses Advance Out of Committee with Unanimous Support

Yesterday, during a House Small Business Committee markup, two bipartisan bills led by Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) advanced out of the Committee with unanimous, bipartisan support. The two bills focus on improving the Small Business Administration Office of Rural Affairs to strengthen support for rural small businesses in New Hampshire and across the country.

“I know from my own experience running a small business, as well as frequent meetings with businesses across New Hampshire, that rural businesses in particular can face unique challenges when it comes to accessing capital and contending with workforce shortages,” said Congressman Pappas. “This legislation to strengthen the Office of Rural Affairs will ensure rural businesses receive the support and resources they deserve from SBA, strengthening rural economies and communities.”

Background: 

The Office of Rural Affairs was created as a subsection of the Small Business Administration (SBA) in 1990 to act as a liaison between rural small businesses and the federal government. Throughout its existence, though, the office has had inconsistent leadership and remained effectively dormant to the detriment of the rural businesses it is intended to help. 

H.R. 5425, “A bill to amend the Small Business Act to enhance the Office of Rural Affairs”, would improve rural small businesses’ access to federal resources and create better lines of communication between Main Street and Washington. It would also appoint a permanent Assistant Administrator to run the Office of Rural Affairs, require webinars and outreach events, and create transparency by mandating an annual report on the activities of the agency. Pappas introduced this bipartisan legislation alongside Representatives Golden, Mann, and Tenney.

H.R. 5265, the Small Business Administration Rural Performance Report Act would require the SBA to issue an annual report on the activities of the Office of Rural Affairs as well as a report on the findings of its Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Agriculture (USDA), improving transparency at the Office of Rural Affairs. Pappas leads this bipartisan legislation alongside Representatives Alford, Luetkemeyer, Ellzey, and Bean.