House Passes NJ Rep. Analilia Mejia's Bill on Sba Disaster Loan Information; Senate Is Next

After a flood, a small business owner trying to reopen often starts with a federal fact sheet. A bill from North Jersey Rep. Analilia Mejia is meant to make sure that sheet is current, and it cleared the U.S. House on Wednesday.

The House passed H.R. 10355, the Disaster Loan Outreach Consistency Act, by voice vote at 11:48 a.m. on Nov. 11, according to the House Clerk's floor record. It came up under suspension of the rules, a fast-track procedure that requires a two-thirds majority; Rep. Roger Williams of Texas made the motion. Mejia, a Democrat who represents New Jersey's 11th District in parts of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties, introduced the bill Sept. 14 with Del. Kimberlyn King-Hinds of the Northern Mariana Islands, the bill text shows.

The bill deals with information, not money. It creates no new loans. Instead, it targets the press releases and fact sheets that the Small Business Administration's disaster field operations centers put out, requiring them to carry accurate, current details on disaster loan terms and on any changes to eligibility processes. In New Jersey that is not an abstract concern: the remnants of Hurricane Ida flooded communities across the state in September 2021 and led to a federal major disaster declaration.

Under the House-passed text, the SBA would have 180 days after the law takes effect to set up the procedures. They include standardized templates, a check before release that materials reflect current loan terms and eligibility rules, and a review across field centers once a year and after any significant change. The agency would also have to notify the House and Senate small business committees within 30 days of setting up or significantly changing those procedures.

The House vote is one step. The bill now goes to the Senate, which would have to pass it before it could be sent to the president for a signature. It is not yet clear when the Senate will take it up.

Source: Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives; H.R. 10355 bill text, U.S. Government Publishing Office; FEMA.

Photo: U.S. House of Representatives / Wikimedia Commons (public domain, U.S. government work), cropped.