{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/minority-business-support-to-rural-areas/", "Scott, Wicker, Kaine Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Minority Business Support to Rural Areas", "2020-10-27", "2020", "2020-10", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "Historically Black Colleges and Universities Would Be Hubs for Entrepreneurship\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 In order to help provide education, training, and technical assistance to rural minority businesses, U.S. Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Tim Kaine (D-VA), along with U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), and Thom Tillis (R-NC), have introduced the Reaching America\u2019s Rural Minority Businesses Act (S.4873). This important legislation would authorize the Department of Commerce\u2019s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) to establish up to 10 business centers at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to serve rural and underserved communities. MBDA\u2019s existing Minority Business Centers are concentrated in select urban areas in 18 states, leaving vast swaths of the country without easy access to MBDA\u2019s services.\n\n\u201cAs a former business owner, I find it crucial that we deploy resources to our young people \u2013 especially in minority communities \u2013 to ensure that they have access to opportunity,\u201d said Senator Scott. \u201cI am proud to help draft and cosponsor the Reaching America\u2019s Rural Minority Businesses Act, and I look forward to seeing more minority-owned businesses across the nation.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis bipartisan legislation is a big win for rural and underserved communities in North Carolina,\u201d said Senator Tillis. \u201cNorth Carolina\u2019s HBCUs have the potential to become education, support, and training hubs for the rural minority businesses in the communities they support, and this legislation makes long-term future success possible for so many businesses and is a great way to focus on each individual need. I am proud to have worked on a bipartisan basis to introduce this legislation and applaud the administration for their continued investment in North Carolina\u2019s HBCUs and our rural communities.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Minority Business Development Agency has been a lifeline for many minority business owners and entrepreneurs seeking to start and grow their businesses,\u201d Senator Wicker said. \u201cThis bill would help extend these resources to more of rural America, leveraging the expertise and innovation of our nation\u2019s historically black colleges and universities. I am glad to work alongside Senators Tim Kaine, Tim Scott, Chris Coons, and Thom Tillis to help make this expansion possible.\u201d\n\n\u201cMBDA centers have long been integral in supporting minority-owned businesses, but many rural businesses face challenges tapping into these federal resources,\u201d Senator Kaine said. \u201cThis difficulty is particularly devastating amid the ongoing economic crisis brought on by COVID-19. By combining the talent and expertise of HBCUs and MBDA centers, this bill will offer vital means for rural minority-owned businesses, helping them thrive and expand.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s urgent that Congress deliver comprehensive relief to small businesses struggling to survive the pandemic, but we must also ensure that ongoing recovery efforts reach underserved communities,\u201d Senator Coons said. \u201cThis new bill would allow the Minority Business Development Agency to utilize the reach and relationships of HBCUs like Delaware State University to deliver the tools for growth to minority-owned small businesses. This is one of many ways we can prioritize equity and access as we chart the economic recovery.\u201d\n\nThe legislation would authorize $10 million a year for the creation of up to 10 rural business centers at HBCUs. Eligible institutions would not have to be located in a rural area, but would need to demonstrate how they would serve a rural or underserved minority population. HBCUs would also be able to form a consortium with other HBCUs or institutions of higher learning, which would strengthen the capacity of an established center and broaden its outreach.\n\nThe rural business centers would provide education, training, and technical assistance to rural minority businesses. Specifically, the centers would assist with:\n\n\u00b7 Adoption of broadband internet service, digital literacy, and e-commerce;\n\n\u00b7 Promoting manufacturing in the United States;\n\n\u00b7 Meeting gaps in the supply chain of critical supplies and essential goods and services;\n\n\u00b7 Improving transportation and logistics;\n\n\u00b7 Promoting trade and export opportunities; and\n\n\u00b7 Facilitating entrepreneurship in rural areas.\n\nSouth Carolina is home to eight HBCUs, including Allen University, Benedict College, Claflin University, Clinton College, Denmark Technical College, Morris College, South Carolina State University, and Voorhees College.\n\nClick here to read a one-page summary of the legislation.\n\nClick here to read the full bill text.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:34:36Z"]], "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://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/minority-business-support-to-rural-areas/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.002816017717123, "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"}