WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, announced the launch of her Small Business Spotlight, a monthly initiative to highlight small businesses in Nevada’s communities. This month, Senator Rosen has chosen to highlight Grandma’s Fudge Factory, a family-owned candy store in Virginia City, Nevada.
“Small businesses are the engine of our economy in Nevada, and over the last year, they have felt the crippling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” dijo el Senador Rosen. “More than 99% of businesses in Nevada are small businesses, and during this time of extreme economic hardship, we cannot afford to leave our small business community behind. This month, I am proud to shine a spotlight on Grandma’s Fudge Factory, a Virginia City staple, which, during this difficult time, is working to sweeten the lives of Nevadans. I started this monthly spotlight to bring awareness to the incredible small businesses and entrepreneurs who are vital to our state. I will continue fighting for Nevada small businesses to ensure they have the tools and resources they need to overcome the effects of the pandemic and succeed.”
BACKGROUND: In November, Senator Rosen announced that her office would be launching a Small Business Spotlight initiative to regularly highlight Nevada small businesses in order to help lift them up during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nevadans can nominate small businesses to be highlighted aquí.
Nevada is home to more than 250,000 small businesses and in 2020, Senator Rosen’s office was able to directly assist over 1,000 Nevada small businesses.
Senator Rosen has introduced the following bipartisan bills to support Nevada small businesses:
- EIDL for Small Businesses Act. The bill would provide billions of dollars in aid to small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic through the EIDL and EIDL Advance programs and lift the caps on both. A key part of this legislation – funding $10,000 EIDL Advance grants for low-income businesses and allowing many past EIDL Advance recipients of all sizes to get the full $10,000 grant – was included in the COVID relief package that recently passed the House and Senate.
- The Filtering and Retrofitting the Environment for Safe and Healthy Activities Indoors and Revenue (FRESH AIR) for Businesses Act. The bill would provide a refundable tax credit to businesses and non-profit organizations that purchase or upgrade their air ventilation, filtration, and purification systems to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and other airborne diseases.
- Small Business Child Care Investment Act. The bill would allow nonprofit child care providers to participate in the Small Business Administration’s loan programs.
- Small Manufacturer Cybersecurity Enhancement Act. The bill would provide cybersecurity assistance for small manufacturers in the defense industrial supply chain. This legislation passed the House and Senate as part of the FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act and recently became law.
- STEM RESTART Act. This bill would provide funding to small and medium-sized STEM businesses to offer robust, paid, mid-career internships, known as “returnships”, for mid-career workers seeking to return or transition into the STEM workforce.
- Improving Cybersecurity of Small Organizations Act. This bill would require the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) to maintain and promote cybersecurity best practices guidance for small organizations, which includes small businesses, small non-profits, and small governmental agencies.
- Improving Telework Cybersecurity for Small Organizations Act. The bill would direct CISA, in consultation with the FTC, to publish resources of best practices for small businesses, non-profits, and local governments to boost cybersecurity with respect to teleworking, as a result of COVID-19.
Senator Rosen’s office is working every day to ensure Nevadans stay up to date on the latest news on the coronavirus, as well as provide a list of resources to assist Nevadans.
Senator Rosen’s website includes a bilingual online resource portal to assist small businesses in Nevada affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Small businesses that are experiencing difficulties navigating federal assistance can also send their inquiries and questions to SmallBusiness@Rosen.Senate.gov, and a team of dedicated bilingual professionals will respond to provide assistance.
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