Protecting Consumers and Encouraging New Community Investment

Statement

Grounded in the belief that the American Dream should be in everyone's reach, last week I announced my new Consumer Protection and Community Investment Agenda. Featuring multiple pieces of legislation, the goal of this portfolio is to assist working families, veterans and underserved communities across the United States, from rural areas like Garrett County to the heart of some of our largest cities. This agenda draws on my experience as a successful entrepreneur and my helping small and medium-sized businesses grow by providing them access to capital and the consumer protection needs that have been brought to my attention as part of my work on the Financial Services Committee.

I decided to run for office because I felt more needed to be done to encourage economic growth. To that end, our Consumer Protection and Community Investment Agenda has three goals: 1) protect consumers, 2) encourage community investment and growth in distressed and low-income areas and 3) expand opportunity.

The agenda includes:

Legislation to reform the SBA's HUBZone program and protect Garrett County jobs.
Legislation to make the financial system more inclusive and expand access to banking. Millions of Americans don't have a bank account or rely on expansive alternatives to access their earnings and we should encourage smart new philanthropic solutions such as non-profit banks that serve low-income customers.
Legislation to protect veterans from costly and inaccurate credit score ratings caused by the delayed payments of their benefits.
Legislation to protect consumers from predatory financial practices.
Our Consumer Protection and Community Investment Agenda is about removing some of the common barriers people face between where they are and where they want to be and giving more people a fair chance at living the American Dream. Our Garrett County HUBZone bill has already been filed and more pieces of the agenda will be introduced this month. I look forward to building support for these initiatives and discussing them with Marylanders.

Source