Senate Passes Kerry Legislation to Assist Small Businesses Hurt by Drought

Senator John Kerry, lead Democrat on the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, today announced the Senate has approved his Small Business Drought Relief Act, which will ensure all small businesses damaged by drought have access to low-interest loans through the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Kerry’s bill was included as an amendment to the Department of Defense (DOD) authorization bill, which passed the Senate yesterday by a vote of 98-0. The legislation would provide emergency aid to non-farm-related small businesses suffering from severe drought conditions.

"Small businesses devastated by droughts shouldn't have to struggle against an unresponsive SBA bureaucracy," Kerry said. "The SBA has ignored the damage droughts do to fishing guides, marinas, bait and tackle shops, and all kinds of small businesses. My amendment cuts through the red tape to get these businesses the loans they should already have received long ago."

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