2020 Federal Legislative Priorities for Micro-business Development
Most of CAMEO’s work at the federal level involves ensuring that our members are properly resourced, i.e. federal appropriations for the SBA programs, USDA business assistance programs and the CDFI Fund. We are also working with the Responsible Business Lending Coalition on truth-in-lending at a national level.
Find out which federal agencies fund micro-business development.
FY2020 Budget Numbers
U.S. Department of Treasury: Financial Services and General Government Appropriations
| Program | FY20 CAMEO Requests | FY2020 Final Funding Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Treasury CDFI Fund | $300 million | $262 million |
| Treasury CDFI BGP | $700 million | $500 million |
U.S. Small Business Administration: Financial Services and General Government Appropriations
| Program | FY20 CAMEO Requests | FY20 Final Funding Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Microloan Program: Lending | $46 million | $43 million |
| Microloan Program: TA | $34 million | $34.5 million |
| PRIME | $10 million | $5.5 million |
| Women’s Business Centers | $30 million | $22.5 million |
| Small Business Development Centers | $135 million | $135 million |
| Veterans Business Outreach Centers | $14 million | $14 million |
U.S. Department of Agriculture: Agriculture, Rural Development and FDA Appropriations
| Program | FY20 CAMEO Requests | FY20 Final Funding Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Rural Business Development Grants (RBDG) | $38 million | $37 million |
| Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP) | $3 million | $6 million |
| Intermediary Relending Program (IRP) | $21 million | $18.88 million |
Priorities for advocacy at the federal level include:
- Establish Core Performance Measures for entrepreneurship training in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA) to ensure access to funds for self-employment training and business technical assistance.
- Work to maintain and expand SBA funding for technical assistance.
- Work to expand SBA guarantees for non-bank CDFIs which would greatly increase capacity of CDFIs who serve micro-business.
- Continually press for California CDFIs to get a fair share of funding through the CDFI Fund; help CAMEO members become more competitive for awards.
- Promote technical assistance services as a key risk mitigator in microlending among all regulators and SBA.
- Promote microbusiness development as a key strategy for economic success in California among all Senate and Congressional representatives.
- Track and monitor priority policy issues relevant to micro-business development to ensure that CAMEO and its members are fully aware of all federal advocacy opportunities.
- Track USDA’s new Rural Micro Enterprise Assistance Program to ensure California receives its fair share.