WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) announced actions to support small businesses in Pennsylvania’s 6^th District during the COVID-19 outbreak. Following her bipartisan, bicameral advocacy, the Small Business Administration has granted an emergency declaration for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, unlocking low-interest Economic Injury Disaster Loans for Pennsylvania businesses. Yesterday, Rep. Houlahan led the Pennsylvania delegation in urging SBA to expeditiously grant this request from Governor Wolf.

She also introduced the Easing Disruption for America’s Small Contractor Act of 2020. This legislation accelerates the payment of Federal contract dollars to small businesses in this time of economic uncertainty and provides small business contractors more time to meet their contract obligations. As a former executive in a nonprofit that contracted with the Federal government, Rep. Houlahan has been a strong advocate for accelerating Federal government payments to small businesses and nonprofits. This bill is part of a package of legislation put forward by the House Committee on Small Business.

As a member of the Small Business Committee, Rep. Houlahan advocated for policies that are included in the comprehensive package, called the COVID–19 Relief for Small Businesses Act of 2020. This bill includes relief for small businesses that already have SBA-guaranteed loans, provides grants for small businesses that cannot take on more loans at this critical time, and ensures SBA has sufficient staff to assist small businesses. A summary of the comprehensive package can be found here: https://smallbusiness.house.gov/uploadedfiles/master_one_pager_updated.pdf

“How we step up as a nation to support our small business owners and employees will determine whether they can weather this crisis,” said Houlahan. “As a former small business leader, I am committed to taking what I’m hearing from members of my community back to Washington to inform our next legislative package. I’m proud to introduce this bill to help small business contractors and to work with my colleagues on the Small Business Committee, both Democrat and Republican, to advance this legislation.

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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