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.
Policy Statements
Small Business Majority writes in support of SB 633 (Limón), which will require that non-English speaking co-signers be given a translated notice disclosing the financial responsibilities that they will undertake if they sign a contract. This will benefit the many non-English speaking small business owners in our state by ensuring they receive a copy of contracts and leases they sign in the language they speak.
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 23, 2022 Small Business Majority submitted a letter to the Georgia House Committee on Industry and Labor in support of the Georgia Family Insurance Act (HB 1517), which would establish a state-run insurance program that would guarantee all eligible workers 12 weeks of paid medical and family leave.
On April 4, Small Business Majority, alongside Good Business Colorado and members of its national network, filed an amicus brief in support of Colorado's paid family and medical leave program, which will benefit small businesses and their employees.
On April 1, Small Business Majority's Colorado Director Lindsey Vigoda testified before the House Health and Insurance Committee on legislation that requiring Health Care Sharing Arrangements (HCSAs) to submit basic information to the Colorado Division of Insurance about how they operate, which will provide greater transparency for all Coloradans and entrepreneurs who may wish to sign up for HCSAs.
Small Business Majority wrote to Assemblymember Buffy Wicks in support of AB 1993, legislation that would enact a statewide COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all businesses in California and their employees and independent contractors to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. AB 1993 would remove the onus from entrepreneurs of enforcing their own public health protocols in the workplace, thus allowing them to focus on getting back to work at full capacity.
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.