WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) invited Bill Skalish to testify before the Small Business Committee about his small business, Granite Tech. Granite Tech is a small import business located in Landenberg, PA that served senior living facilities, student housing, multi-family housing, and the hospitality industry. Bill testified that the Administration’s Section 301 tariffs have had a devastating impact on his business. This comes right on the heels of Chrissy voting for six bipartisan pieces of legislation out of the House Small Business Committee. These necessary reforms will further expand capital access for small businesses recovering from a natural disaster, help small firms guard their data against hackers, and provide clarity around size standards for small firms competing for government contracts.

“Nearly half of all working Pennsylvanians are employed by small businesses,” said Houlahan. “Last week, I helped advance six important pieces of legislation that directly start to address the issues plaguing our small business owners and the millions of people they employ. Today, I was honored to have Bill Skalish, a member of my community, testify before Congress. His story of his own small business’s struggles demonstrated how the Administration’s disorganized foreign economic policy can actively harm small businesses across our Commonwealth. As a former business leader, I will continue to be a passionate advocate for Pennsylvania’s small business community.”

“Thank you Congresswoman Houlahan for having me share the trials of anti-dumping and countervailing duties pertaining the survival of small businesses,” said Skalish. “It was a pleasure speaking before the Small Business Committee today.”

Bill Skalish’s testimony can be found here.

Below is information on the bills Chrissy helped usher through the Small Business Committee:

H.R. 277 “Access to Sufficient Capital for Everyone in Natural Disaster areas Act of 2019” (ASCEND Act)

Helping small businesses and homeowners recover after a natural disaster has been one of the SBA’s core functions since its creation in 1953. Through the agency’s Office of Disaster Assistance (ODA), SBA provides low-interest loans to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private, nonprofit organizations following a disaster. This bill incorporates Committee testimony and feedback and with the support of the SBA, would permanently raise the minimum disaster loan amount for which the SBA may require collateral from $14,000 to $25,000, helping more small businesses secure financing to rebuild their livelihoods.

H.R. 2142 “Centralized Compliance Assistance Website”

Small businesses don’t always have the resources to navigate multiple agency’s websites to understand their responsibilities under new laws. This bill tackles this challenge by requiring the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of the National Ombudsman to create a centralized website that houses compliance guides that pertain to federal regulations impacting small businesses, creating a one-stop-shop online for small business owners.

H.R. 2331 “SBA Cyber Awareness Act”

This legislation takes several steps to strengthen the Small Business Administration’s handling and reporting of cyber threats affecting small businesses. Specifically, it would disclose: SBA’s cybersecurity infrastructure; the agency’s strategy to improve cybersecurity protections; any equipment manufactured by a company headquartered China and used by the agency; and any incident of cyber risk and the agency’s actions to confront it. Finally, recognizing that a cyberattack to the agency could put the sensitive information of small businesses at risk, the bill would require SBA to notify Congress of those affected and the cause in the event of a breach.

H.R. 1649 “Small Business Development Center Cyber Training Act of 2019”

This bill requires the Small Business Administrator to establish, or certify, an existing cyber counseling certification program to certify employees at small business development centers. It would also instruct the SBA to reimburse lead small business development centers for any costs relating to cyber strategy training certification of an employee up to $350,000 in a fiscal year.

H.R. 1648 “Small Business Advanced Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2019”

This legislation establishes Small Business Administration (SBA) Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) as the primary interface for federal information sharing for small businesses by taking the following steps to ensure; small businesses that share cyber indicators through SBDCs receive the same protections and exemptions provided in the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015; that any policies or rulemaking adopted by any federal agency as a result of small business cyber information sharing do not unfairly burn small businesses; and, expands liability protections for small businesses that engage with the federal government in good faith.

H.R. 2345 “Clarifying the Small Business Runway Extension Act”

Upon the Runway Act’s passage into law on December 17, 2018, the Small Business Administration has postponed its implementation, creating confusion and challenges for small businesses competing for federal contracts. This bill amends the Small Business Act to state specifically that the Small Business Administration is, in fact, subject to the federal requirements pertaining to size standards. The bill also directs SBA to issue a final rule implementing the law no later than Dec. 17, 2019 which is one year after the enactment of the Small Business Runway Extension Act of 2018.

Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, an engineer, a serial entrepreneur, an educator, and a nonprofit leader. She’s in her first term representing Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses Chester County and southern Berks County. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Small Business Committee.

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