Step Improvement Act of 2020

Floor Speech

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Ms. FINKENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Velazquez for yielding. It is an honor to get to serve on the Committee on Small Business with her, and I appreciate her support as we dive into these issues that are obviously of big importance to me and to my State of Iowa.

Mr. Speaker, that is why, today, I rise in support of the bipartisan State Trade Expansion Program Improvement Act.

As the Congresswoman from Iowa's First Congressional District, I know firsthand that for our small businesses, the ability to access new markets and export goods promotes economic success at home and in our communities.

Given the importance of trade in my home State--especially for our farmers, small businesses, and manufacturers--I have made it a priority to improve and strengthen the State Trade Expansion Program. The State Trade Expansion Program gives small businesses the tools they need to start exporting and expanding into new markets. Many small businesses operate within razor-thin margins and have only a few employees.

They don't always have the resources to attend a trade show, design an international marketing campaign, or navigate foreign countries' complex rules and regulations. That is where the State Trade Expansion Program comes in.

It is important that we reauthorize this program before it expires at the end of the month. At the same time, we also need to fix some of the program's administrative challenges, which we have heard about from folks in Iowa and other stakeholders who have come before my subcommittee.

In the Rural Development, Agriculture, Trade, and Entrepreneurship Subcommittee that I chair with Ranking Member Joyce from Pennsylvania, we held two hearings dedicated to better understanding and addressing challenges with the State Trade Expansion Program. I also held a roundtable in my district to hear from the Iowa Economic Development Authority, and small businesses have actually used this program.

What we heard was that the State Trade Expansion Program is a great resource for our State, but we also heard about confusing application processes, tight timelines, and poor communication from staff at the Small Business Administration.

That is why today, taking all of that feedback I have heard here in D.C. and back at home, I am proud we are here to pass the bipartisan STEP Improvement Act of 2020.

This bill would reauthorize the State Trade Expansion Program for 4 more years and make improvements; like creating a standard timeframe for applications; opening up more channels for input and communication between the Small Business Administration and the States; and collecting better data on how the program helps small businesses, which is the ultimate goal here.

I want to thank Congressman Ross Spano from Florida, whom I worked with on introducing this bipartisan legislation, as well as Congressman

Jim Hagedorn from Minnesota for cosponsoring this bill.

I will also note that this legislation passed through the House Small Business Committee unanimously. I want to thank my Republican and Democratic colleagues for working together to move this forward.

I urge all Members of this body to join Congressmen Spano, Hagedorn, and me in supporting this bill.

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