Representative Angie Craig’s Bipartisan Legislation to Support Emerging Small Businesses Advances with Unanimous Support

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig's bill to strengthen and improve the Small Business Administration's SCORE Program passed out of the House Committee on Small Business with unanimous bipartisan support. The SCORE for Small Business Act of 2022, which Craig introduced alongside Rep. Young Kim (CA-39), would reauthorize the SCORE program, which provides education and mentorship services for entrepreneurs. The legislation would provide $13.5 million in annual funding for the next two years to expand counseling and training programs to provide online webinars, electronic mentoring platforms and online toolkits to better serve small businesses – while also supporting efforts to prevent abuse and misuse of federal funds.

Earlier today, Representative Craig urged her fellow Small Business Committee members to support the legislation, which she argued was critical for supporting economic growth, particularly in rural and underserved communities. A full video of Craig's remarks is available here.

"Small businesses are the economic engine that drive our country, and I'm so proud to represent the small businesses which make up 93% of employers in Minnesota's Second Congressional District," said Representative Craig. "The real-world, experienced mentorship that the SCORE program provides has launched more than 45,000 businesses in 2020 alone, with a return on investment of over $67 for every $1 in federal appropriations."

Since its founding in 1964, SCORE has helped more than 11 million aspiring entrepreneurs to start, grow or troubleshoot a small business. In 2020 alone, SCORE helped start 45,027 new businesses and created 74,535 new jobs. Despite the challenging business climate of the COVID-19 pandemic, 89 percent of SCORE clients stayed in business throughout 2020.

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