Policy News -March 8, 2019

Policy News -March 8, 2019
March 8, 2019

The House Small Business Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access held a hearing yesterday titled “Small but Mighty: A Review of the SBA Microloan Program,” to allow Members to learn about the program and its functions, explore opportunities to continue strengthening the program, and listen to success stories. Witnesses were Ceyl Prinster, president and CEO of Colorado Enterprise Fund, Carolina Martinez, CEO of the California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity (CAMEO), Mariama Jallow, owner of Mariama’s Beauty Supply, and Michelle Richards, Executive Director of the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council. Testimony of all witnesses is available here.
On Thursday the Labor Department proposed expanding eligibility for overtime pay to an additional 1.1 million workers. Under the proposed rule, the salary threshold under which workers are eligible for overtime pay would be $35,308 – higher than the current threshold of $23,660, but well below the $47,476 threshold enacted by the DOL in 2016, which was subsequently enjoined by a federal court before taking effect.

On Capitol Hill
Floor proceedings

House: in session
• The House will resume amendment debate for H.R. 1, the For the People Act of 2019
Senate: in session
• The Senate is not in session today.

Committee proceedings
House Education and Labor Committee
• No relevant hearings today
House Committee on Small Business
• On March 12th, the Committee will hold a hearing titled “Challenges in SBA’s State Trade Expansion Program”
• On March 13th, the Committee will hold a hearing titled “Flipping the Switch on Rural Digital Entrepreneurship”
House Financial Services Committee
• No relevant hearings today
House Committee on Appropriations
• No relevant hearings today
House Committee on Ways and Means
• No relevant hearings today
Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
• On March 13th, the Committee will hold a hearing titled “Cyber Crime: An Existential Threat to Small Business”
Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
• No relevant hearings today
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
• No relevant hearings today
Senate Committee on Appropriations
• No relevant hearings today
Senate Committee on Finance
• On March 14th, the Committee will hold a hearing titled “The President’s Fiscal Year 2020 Budget”

Bills of Interest
• Rep. Federica Wilson (D-FL) introduced a bill to amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to create a pilot program to award grants to units of general local government and community-based organizations to create jobs, and for other purposes (H.R. 1635).
• Rep. Federica Wilson (D-FL) introduced a bill to amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to provide for the establishment of Youth Corps programs and provide for wider dissemination of the Youth Corps model (H.R. 1636)
• Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced a bill to improve the productivity and energy efficiency of the manufacturing sector by directing the Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the National Academies and other appropriate Federal agencies, to develop a national smart manufacturing plan and to provide assistance to small- and medium-sized manufacturers in implementing smart manufacturing programs, and for other purposes (H.R.1633).
• Rep. Trent Kelly (R-MS) introduced a bill to transfer the responsibility of verifying small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans or service-disabled veterans to the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes (H.R.1615).
•

At the Agencies
Department of Labor:
• Released overtime update proposal, increasing the salary level at which workers are eligible for overtime pay to about $35,000
Treasury:
• No relevant activities today.
SBA:
• No relevant activities today.
USTR:
• No relevant activities today.

Commerce:
• No relevant activities today.
Links You Can Use
For reviewing legislation and tracking appropriations: www.congress.gov
For reviewing proposed and pending regulation: