Washington, D.C. February 2021.- The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) Board of Directors commends the Biden-Harris Administration for promoting equitable access to COVID-19 economic relief. We have advocated strongly for these reforms in order to ensure that no small, minority-owned business is left out of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
On Monday, February 22nd, the Administration announced several reforms to build on this success by better connecting the PPP to our small businesses and others that have been left behind in previous capital relief efforts.
Specifically, the Administration will:
· Institute a 14-day period, starting Wednesday, February 24, 2021, during which only businesses with fewer than 20 employees can apply for relief through the PPP.
· Help sole proprietors, independent contractors, and self-employed individuals receive more financial support. To address this problem, the Biden-Harris administration will revise the loan calculation formula for these applicants so that it offers more relief and establish a $1 billion set aside for businesses in this category without employees located in low- and moderate-income (LMI) areas.
· Eliminate an exclusionary restriction that prevents small business owners with prior non-fraud felony convictions from obtaining relief through the PPP.
· Eliminate an exclusionary restriction that prevents small business owners who are delinquent on their federal student loans from obtaining relief through the PPP.
· Ensure access for non-citizen small business owners who are lawful U.S. residents by clarifying that they may use Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) to apply for relief.