Representative Joe Neguse

Dear Friends,

Small businesses are at the heartbeat of our local economies and our communities. As small business owners across the Second District continue to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic and devastating wildfires in our communities, my office has been hard at work to expand access to government resources to help all business owners thrive and grow.

I am pleased to report that the PRICE Act, my bipartisan legislation to expand federal contract opportunities for small businesses PASSED the House this week! Too often, our small businesses can’t access federal contracting opportunities, leaving many of them behind. Our bill will eliminate this divide and empower them to hire more workers. In addition to this effort, we are also working on several other proposals to support business owners, allowing increased flexibility with COVID-19 support programs, making it easier to restructure debt and expanding access to government programs, so more small businesses have the ability to participate.

After speaking with dozens of our small business owners this week, I know that such opportunities will benefit our communities greatly.

When I toured Bao Asian Fusion and Sushi in Louisville, I learned that the owner, Yi Xin Zhou, lost her home during the Marshall Fire. Nevertheless, she told me, “We will get through this because we are strong.”

WHAT ELSE HAVE WE BEEN WORKING ON?

We are delivering an initial $8 million to build out electric vehicle chargers in Colorado this week, thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law! With this law, we are delivering critical investments to expand Colorado's leadership in building electric vehicle chargers and putting Coloradans to work reducing America’s carbon footprint. Learn more here.

This week I led 50 of my colleagues in a letter to President Biden calling for a national biodiversity strategy. Climate change and the loss of biodiversity presents a direct threat to our nation's well-being, and it’s time for the U.S. to take an ambitious whole-of-government approach to address these issues. The letter follows a resolution I introduced in Congress to tackle the biodiversity crisis, protect ecosystems and wildlife and address the climate crisis. Read more here.

We also sent a letter to the Biden Administration pushing for full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) in the new fiscal year. Folks in Colorado know that the LWCF is our nation’s premier conservation program, helping us protect drinking water and public land. I am hopeful that the Biden Administration will head our request and continue to put local communities at the forefront in restoring public lands.

My bipartisan legislation to update merger filing fees for small businesses also PASSED the House as part of the America COMPETES Act! With the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act, we will ensure that large corporations pay their fair share in mergers and consumers don’t have to foot the bill for antitrust enforcement.

Should you need anything from our team, don't hesitate to reach out!

Please stay safe, stay healthy and stay hopeful,

Joe Neguse
Member of Congress