{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://morelle.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-joe-morelle-delivers-support-rochesters-business-community", "CONGRESSMAN JOE MORELLE DELIVERS SUPPORT FOR ROCHESTER\u2019S BUSINESS COMMUNITY", "2025-12-11", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "House", "NY", "Joseph D. Morelle", "M001206", "morelle.house.gov", "morelle", "https://morelle.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "(Washington, D.C.)\u2014Today, Congressman Joe Morelle announced he has voted in favor of legislation to help bolster Rochester\u2019s business community. The Incentivizing New Ventures and Economic Strength Through Capital Formation (INVEST) Act is bipartisan legislation designed to expand opportunities for investment and give small businesses the support they need to thrive.\n\n\u201cSmall businesses are the cornerstone of our economy\u2014providing good-paying jobs for families and high-quality goods and services to our neighborhoods,\u201d said Congressman Joe Morelle. \u201cI was proud to help pass the bipartisan INVEST Act to help ensure our small businesses continue to receive the full support they deserve from their government. I urge my colleagues in the U.S. Senate to swiftly consider this legislation, and I look forward to seeing it passed into law.\u201d\n\nFor years, outdated capital-formation rules have restricted investment access to only the wealthiest individuals while leaving small businesses and startups\u2014especially those located outside major U.S. cities\u2014struggling to raise growth capital. At the same time, the number of U.S. public companies has fallen dramatically, limiting opportunities for both entrepreneurs and investors. The INVEST Act responds to these structural barriers by modernizing regulations to expand investment access and strengthen America\u2019s capital markets.\n\nSpecifically, the INVEST Act would:\n\nExpand the accredited-investor definition to allow qualification through demonstrated financial knowledge, credentials, or experience\u2014not just wealth.\n\nIncrease the allowable size and investor count of certain venture-capital funds to channel more capital into early-stage businesses.\n\nOpen additional private-market and regulated investment options to retirement savers by aligning 403(b) plans with choices already available in 401(k)s.\n\nCreate dedicated SEC small-business offices to identify barriers, streamline processes, and improve coordination across capital-formation divisions.\n\nCongressman Morelle\u2019s support for this legislation is just the latest in his long-standing commitment to uplifting small businesses and ensuring Rochester\u2019s economy can thrive. To learn more about his work, visit his website here.\n\nFor more on the INVEST Act, please see this one-pager from the House Committee on Financial Services.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://morelle.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-joe-morelle-delivers-support-rochesters-business-community"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8822879754006863, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}