Access to capital

Small Business Majority writes in strong support of AB 2314, which would require any commercial financing products that leverage state funding—such as loan guarantee programs—to include several financing rights and protections for small business borrowers.

Today, Small Business Majority and more than 50 small business organizations sent a letter to Congressional leaders underscoring the importance to preserve the $10 billion allocated to the State Small Business Credit Initiative program. As representatives of small businesses around the country, our organizations know firsthand that access to capital can determine the success of any small business and that is why we rise to show our support for preserving a program that is instrumental in helping small business owners access much-needed capital.

On April 8, Small Business Majority submitted a letter to the Chairwoman and Vice Chairman of Budget & Fiscal Review Committee in support of Governor Newsom's proposed budget, which includes critical funding and measures to support small business recovery.

On April 6, Small Business Majority submitted a letter to congressional leaders opposing pay-fors for the Bipartisan COVID Supplemental Appropriations Act. The Act rescinds dollars from key programs, including $900 million from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance and nearly $2 billion from the State Small Business Credit Initiative. Rescinding these dollars undercuts the trajectory of the small buisness ecosystem during a time when small business owners are still struggling to keep their doors open. 

On March 16, LaJuanna Russell, founder and president of Business Management Associates, Inc. (BMA) and the Chair of the Board of Directors and a member of the Small Business Council for Small Business Majority, testified before the U.S. Select House Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth about the critical role of entrepreneurship as a pathway to long-term financial stability and growth for Americans, as well as to discuss barriers to starting and sustaining small businesses.

In a letter submitted to Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, Maxine Waters, and Ranking Member Patrick McHenry, Founder and CEO John Arensmeyer urged members to markup H.R. 6054, the Small Business Lending Disclosure Act of 2021 in its current form and pass it out of committee immediately. The bill would protect entrepreneurs from predatory lenders that offer unfair terms and conditions. Additionally, the measure would extend safeguards already required in consumer lending, through the Truth in Lending Act, to small business borrowers. 

Today, Awesta Sarkash, Government Affairs Director, testified in front of the Maryland Senate Finance Committee in favor of Senate Bill 825, the Consumer Credit- Commercial Financing Transactions. SB 825 would enact critical protections for small business borrowers that are falling prey to predatory lending practices. The bill is applicable to financing products below $2.5 million because smaller, Main Street businesses are the ones being misled by the lack of transparency today.

Last year, the American Rescue Plan provided billions of dollars to state governments to support their communities. After a year, these governments still have an opportunity to support their local small business ecosystem. We offer updated recommendations for strategic investments that can have a transformative impact on the long-term sustainability of a small business ecosystem.