BREAKING: Shaheen-Led Bills on Broadband, Cyber Training & Federal Compliance Pass Senate
**Senator Shaheen’s bipartisan One Stop Shop for Small Business Compliance Act will now head to the President’s desk to be signed into law.**
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, issued the following statement after several bipartisan bills she leads passed by the full Senate.
“Small businesses are engines of economic growth in New Hampshire and across the country. These pieces of legislation will help ensure our businesses have the tools they need to succeed, from expanding access to reliable broadband to getting clear guidance on federal regulations to recovering more swiftly from natural disasters,” said Senator Shaheen. “My One Stop Shop for Small Business Compliance Act will now head to the President’s desk to be signed into law, and I look forward to the House taking up and passing my other proposals, which will help small businesses in New Hampshire and around the country.”
Legislation led by Shaheen that passed the Senate unanimously on Wednesday include:
- The Small Business Broadband and Emerging Information Technology Enhancement Act, led by Senators Shaheen and John Kennedy (R-LA), would improve programs operated by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to address problems around the lack of broadband internet and other emerging information technology resources, and better assist small businesses in accessing and successfully adopting these tools. More details are available here.
- The Small Business Cyber Training Act, led by Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Shaheen, would require the Small Business Administration to establish a training program for small business development centers (SBDCs) to prepare counselors in cyber planning assistance. Specifically, the bill would require SBDCs to have employees certified in cyber strategy counseling for small businesses. More details are available here.
- The One Stop Shop for Small Business Compliance Act, led by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Shaheen, would require the Small Business Administration to create a centralized website that houses compliance guides pertaining to federal regulations impacting small businesses. The House of Representatives passed a version of Shaheen and Cornyn’s bill earlier this year. Because of yesterday’s action in the Senate, the bill will head to the President’s desk to be signed into law. More details are available here.
- The Disaster Assistance for Rural Communities Act, led by Senators Jim Risch (R-ID) and Shaheen, would amend the SBA’s threshold for disaster declarations to allow the administrator to issue a disaster declaration for rural communities that have been included in a Presidential public assistance-only disaster declaration if the governor of the state has requested the declaration; and at least one homeowner, small business, or nonprofit had significant damage. More details are available here.
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