RENO, NV –Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, hosted a roundtable discussion with small business owners at the Reno Sparks Chamber of Commerce to discuss legislative actions to better assist northern Nevada’s small business community and announced her support for several programs important to small businesses in Nevada that President Trump has proposed cutting.
“Nevada’s small businesses are the driving force behind our state’s economy,” said Senator Rosen. “I look forward to continue working in the Senate to support and protect Nevada’s small business community, and to seek continued funding for critical programs that support small business growth.”
“Senator Rosen’s continued outreach to the small business community is much appreciated,” said Ann Silver, Chief Executive Officer of the Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce. “The Reno Sparks Chamber of Commerce values Senator Rosen’s commitment to our state’s small businesses and we look forward to a continued positive relationship.”
BACKGROUND: Last week, Rosen filed several appropriations requests to help Nevada’s small businesses, including to increase funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program (MEP), which funds Nevada Industry Excellence and indirectly provides assistance to more than 300 manufacturing businesses in the state each year, from Fisher Space Pen to Popcorn Girl. The President’s most recent budget proposes slashing MEP by 96 percent. In the House, Rosen co-led a successful effort on the House floor to restore funding for MEP that the Administration had tried to cut.
Later this month, Rosen plans to join her colleagues in requesting $30 million in funding for the Small Business Administration’s Women’s Business Center (WBC) program, which provides specialized counseling and assistance to women entrepreneurs in underserved communities. Senator Rosen also plans to join her colleagues in requesting $39.5 million for the SBA Microloan program, which provides technical assistance and small-scale loans to small businesses that are unable to qualify for conventional loans and other SBA guaranteed loans.
Last Congress, then-Congresswoman Rosen was one of a small group of Democrats to receive the U.S. Chamber’s Spirit of Enterprise Award for her support for pro-growth policies in the first session of the 115th Congress. Rosen was one of only 13 Democrats in Congress to receive the award.
Nevada is home to more than 200,000 small businesses.
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