Because so much is happening, here are actions to take that we feel protect or bolster the entrepreneurial ecosystem:
**CAMEO joins AEO to ask its members and supporters to call their senators and representatives and urge them to support Fiscal Year 2018 microbusiness programs. In particular, three cornerstone programs that provide critical support to entrepreneurs, especially in economically distressed areas, are being threatened with cuts: the Treasury’s CDFI program, the SBA Microloan Program, and the SBA PRIME program. AEO developed a script and draft email. Your voice is critical at this time!
**The U.S. House of Representatives voted to adopt HJR 66 and HJR 67, which would do significant harm to small businesses. Striking down this Department of Labor rule would have a chilling effect on states that are setting up their own retirement savings programs, which would be especially problematic for small employers, given that a majority are unable to offer retirement plans due to a variety of barriers. We strongly believe states should be allowed to decide whether to implement these types of programs and how best to administer them in order to serve small businesses and employees who struggle to save for retirement.
**The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has kept predators from rigging the system against small business and consumers. Congress aims to strip the CFPB of its power and undo many of the rules it is enforcing. ASBC and the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) have joined to petition Congress that a stable marketplace depends on the CFPB doing its job.
**To ensure that Assets for Independence (AFI) program and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) grants do not get swept up into Congress’s massive spending cuts, we have to make sure that Congress hears your voice NOW, just as the House appropriations process begins. CFED is collecting support letters for both (click above links). AFI has enabled more than 9,400 Americans to become homeowners and 6,400 entrepreneurs to start or expand a small business. Free tax assistance resulted in more than $2.2 billion returning to local communities in 2016 – dollars spent to cover child expenses and transportation costs, pay bills, purchase household necessities, as well as to save for the future.
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