Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic damage throughout Florida’s gulf coast, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with the Florida Farm Bureau as well as local agricultural producers, farmers, and growers to discuss the storm’s impact. Photos are courtesy of...
NOTICIAS
Últimas Noticias
Photos: Rubio Visits Barrier Islands Post-Hurricane Helene
Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic damage throughout Florida’s Gulf Coast, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with local officials and volunteers from the barrier islands to discuss the storm’s impact and current recovery efforts. Photos are courtesy of...
Rubio, Scott, Florida Colleagues to POTUS: Expedite Resources to Floridians
Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm, causing catastrophic damage along Florida’s Gulf Coast. It’s crucial for the federal government to expedite state-requested resources and authorize key policy flexibilities in order for Floridians to make a swift...
Rubio Staff Hosts Hurricane Helene Recovery Assistance
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host two in-person events to assist constituents affected by Hurricane Helene and help navigate applications for FEMA assistance. Food, water, and additional resources will be available at the events. Event...
Next Week: Rubio Staff Hosts Mobile Office Hours
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host in-person and virtual Mobile Office Hours next week to assist constituents with federal casework issues in their respective local communities. These office hours offer constituents who do not live close to one of...
Rubio, Scott Urge FEMA to Expedite Hurricane Reimbursements
Following the impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Debby, some local governments in Florida face looming budget shortfalls that could disrupt disaster recovery efforts. If these local governments receive reimbursements for past hurricanes from the Federal Emergency...
Rubio Joins Loeffler on Support and Investment in Underserved Small Businesses
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, joined Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) in introducing the Economic Empowerment for Underserved Communities Act, which would ensure underserved communities have access to capital to promote economic revitalization, respond to the unprecedented loss of minority-owned businesses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and further encourage long-term investments in low-income minority communities.
This legislation includes Chairman Rubio’s Small Business Growth and Domestic Production Investment Facility, which would enhance access to venture capital dollars for minority-owned small businesses, manufacturing startups, and firms whose revenues were impacted by COVID-19.
“Throughout this crisis, we have made it a priority to ensure emergency funding for small businesses is available to under-banked and underserved communities,” Chairman Rubio said. “I am proud of the work we’ve been able to do in this short period of time, but also recognize that as a nation we must do more to help our most vulnerable communities and small businesses recover and rebuild. Senator Loeffler’s bill does exactly that by providing critical funding and resources that would benefit underserved entrepreneurs as well as establish long-term support and investments in low-income communities.”
“As part of the Prosperity Plan, the Economic Empowerment for Underserved Communities Act will expand access to the capital required to support minority-owned businesses, create jobs and promote economic revitalization,” Senator Loeffler said. “With this legislative framework as an anchor, the Prosperity Plan will ensure that the pathways to success opened under the leadership of President Trump do not close – and that every family across our state has the opportunity to prosper for generations to come.”
The Economic Empowerment for Underserved Communities Act:
- Allocates $7 billion to Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund program account.
- Makes the New Markets Tax Credit permanent.
- Establishes Opportunity Zones field representatives at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
- Creates an equity based program within the SBA’s Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program.
- Makes the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) permanent and creates the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for the Minority Business Development Agency.
- Prioritizes grant assistance through Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for organizations located in an Opportunity Zone.
- Extends SBA debt relief provisions from the CARES Act, Section 1112.