Young Oak Kim: “I thank Mr. Luetkemeyer and Chairwoman Velazquez for their leadership on the Small Business Committee. Mr. Speaker, I…”

“I thank Mr. Luetkemeyer and Chairwoman Velazquez for their leadership on the Small Business Committee. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my legislation, H.R. 6450, the SCORE for Small Business Act of 2022. This bipartisan bill reauthorizes the SCORE program for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, and it will allow SCORE to expand counseling and training through online webinars, electronic mentoring platforms, and online toolkits to better serve small businesses and entrepreneurs across U.S. communities, including the rural and underserved areas. Additionally, this bill would better protect taxpayers' dollars through oversight mechanisms. Since 1964, SCORE has helped over 11 million entrepreneurs to establish, expand, or service a small business. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began early 2020, SCORE has seen a 30 percent increase in demand for their services. Despite challenges faced, 89 percent of SCORE clients stayed in business throughout 2020. In 2021, the SCORE chapter in Orange County in my district helped start 269 new small businesses and create nearly 4,000 jobs. In 2019, prior to the pandemic, Orange County SCORE delivered 11,154 total services. In 2021, they delivered 25,146 total services. This is a 125 percent increase and over double the rate of pre-pandemic levels. Thanks to the volunteers and mentors in SCORE, countless small businesses in my district have been able to keep their businesses running and keep their employees on their payroll. Mr.…”