Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander’s bipartisan bill, the Office of Rural Affairs Enhancement Act, to bolster resources for rural small businesses and cut senseless red tape. This legislation will strengthen the Small Business Administration’s Office of Rural Affairs to better serve rural small businesses, including by requiring its leadership to be experienced in rural economic development and accountable to Congress.
“As I’ve listened to and learned from rural small businesses across New Hampshire — from the family farmers of our North Country to the manufacturers of our Monadnock Region and from the loggers of our Upper Valley to the small businesses of our Souhegan Valley, I’ve heard again and again that the federal programs designed to support our rural small businesses are riddled with red tape and often impossible to access,” said Congresswoman Goodlander. “Our common-sense, bipartisan bill will go a long way in delivering a fair deal for the rural small businesses that are the backbone of our economy and beating heart of communities across America.”
“As a former small business owner in Northeast Wisconsin, I know firsthand how crucial small businesses are to serving rural communities,” said Congressman Wied (WI-08). “That is why I am proud that the House has passed this bipartisan legislation to strengthen the SBA’s Office of Rural Affairs, prioritize Main Street, and provide the targeted support that rural small businesses need and deserve.”
“Whether it’s updates on new programs, grants, or local initiatives, the onus so often falls on individuals to seek out what’s available to them. While the information may technically exist—buried in a newsletter, a municipal notice, or an unadvertised webpage—it remains inaccessible unless someone makes a deliberate, and sometimes exhaustive, effort to find it,” said Hannah Campbell, President, North Country Chamber of Commerce. “We support this bill because it builds on systems that do not wait for people to come knocking, but instead reach out with clarity and regularity, transforming how rural communities and business owners engage with available resources. Making resource sharing intentional and accessible strengthens the fabric of rural life, empowering business owners and residents alike to act, innovate, and grow.”
Congresswoman Goodlander, a Member of the House Small Business Committee, is a fierce advocate for New Hampshire’s small and family-owned businesses. She has led more than a dozen bipartisan bills to support New Hampshire’s small businesses, including the Small Business Advocacy Improvements Act to ensure our small businesses have a voice in international negotiations that impact them, including trade agreements.
Read the full text of this legislation here. The Congresswoman’s remarks as prepared are below:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I’m very proud to rise today and join my colleagues from across America in support of what is a common-sense bipartisan bill. HR, 4549, a bill that will deliver a fair deal for America’s rural, small businesses and entrepreneurs by cutting red tape, delivering access to key federal resources, ensuring experienced and accountable representation and leadership within our government. A bill that will ensure the voices of rural America aren’t just heard, but are truly prioritized within our government.
Running a small business, it’s really an act of faith. It’s hard work, often brutally hard work, and it’s extraordinarily important work, because rural small businesses are the beating hearts of communities across America and in every corner of my home state, New Hampshire. They’re the backbone of our economy.
As I’ve listened to and learned from rural small businesses across New Hampshire – from the family farmers of our North Country to the manufacturers of our Monadnock region, and from the loggers of our Upper Valley to the small businesses of the Souhegan Valley, I’ve heard again and again that the federal programs designed to support our rural small businesses are riddled with red tape and often impossible to access.
That’s not right, and it’s our job as lawmakers to correct it.
Now, in 1990, Congress created the Office of Rural Affairs within the Small Business Administration to tackle this problem set. But as we’ve seen over the past 35 years, the office is underperforming. It lacks experienced and accountable leadership, and the red tape is still very much there for the cutting. So our bill is going to address itself to these gaps in the law.
It’s going to require a senior leader with real experience in rural economic development to be at the helm and accountable to Congress and the American people.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues from across this body and across our nation to come together to deliver for our rural small businesses. They are the backbone of our economy. They are the fabric of American life, and this bipartisan bill, the Office of Rural Affairs Enhancement Act, is going to go a long way to delivering for them. With that, I thank you, and I yield back.
In the 118th Congress, as a member of the House Small Business Committee, Congressman Pappas (NH-01) introduced this legislation alongside Congressman Golden (ME-02). In September 2023, he helped secure the bill’s unanimous passage out of the Small Business Committee. Today’s vote marks the first time the full House has considered the legislation.
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