BREAKING: Shaheen-Led Bills on Broadband, Cyber Training & Federal Compliance Clear Key Small Business Committee Hurdle

Press Release

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 were voted out of committee as part of a manager's package. These bills now head to the full Senate for consideration.

"Small businesses are engines of economic growth and the heart of communities in New Hampshire and across the country. I'm thrilled that this Committee took important action today to ensure our businesses have the tools they need to succeed, from expanding access to reliable broadband to cyber training and guidance on federal regulations," said Shaheen. "I'm particularly pleased my bipartisan bill with Senator Kennedy cleared today -- we're now one step closer to delivering reliable broadband to small businesses, which will bolster their resilience as we emerge from the pandemic. I look forward to the full Senate's consideration of these essential bills that ensure small businesses are not left behind."

Legislation led by Shaheen that passed by the committee today 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.
Senator Shaheen, a senior member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, worked to provide small businesses with the resources they need to weather and recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. She recently hosted U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman at Uni-Cast to discuss the role of Granite State manufacturing, supply chain challenges amid the pandemic, workforce needs and federal assistance for small businesses. As a lead negotiator of the historic bipartisan infrastructure deal, Shaheen led bipartisan broadband negotiations with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and successfully secured $65 billion to support broadband affordability and deployment across the nation. The package also builds on the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program by investing $14.2 billion to help working and low-income families access affordable high-speed internet.

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