Bill · H.R. 2897· House(119-HR-2897)

To amend the Small Business Act to make disaster loans available for damages caused by prolonged power outages, and for other purposes.

Age: 43 years

Michigan

Introduced: 4/10/2025
Last activity: 4/10/2025 — Referred to the House Committee on Small Business.
Sponsored by: Haley Stevens
Cosponsors: - 4 - 3

Commerce

Introduced
In Committee

What this bill would do

This bill amends the Small Business Act to include prolonged power outages as a qualifying event for disaster loans. It allows small businesses to use these loans to purchase energy resilience systems and replace spoiled food and drink. The bill defines "prolonged power outage" based on the number of affected homes or businesses and the duration of the outage.

Potential Positive Impacts for People

Disaster Loans for Power Outages (Section 1): This section allows small businesses to get loans if they're hurt by a long power outage. This can help them recover financially.
Use of Loan Amounts for Resilience (Section 1(18)(B)(i)): Businesses can use loan money to buy things like generators or solar panels to prepare for future outages. This makes them more resilient.
Use of Loan Amounts for Food Replacement (Section 1(18)(B)(ii)): Businesses can use loan money to replace food and drinks that spoil during an outage. This helps them avoid losses.

Potential Negative Impacts for People

There are no negative impacts explicitly found within the provided text.

Yes· 3 of 8

Does this make it easier to run a small business?+8
This bill provides disaster loans to small businesses affected by prolonged power outages, which is a positive impact.
Would business owners be better off under this?+7
This bill is good for business owners because it helps them recover from losses due to power outages.
Does this improve help for people hit by a disaster?+5
The bill expands disaster relief to include power outages, increasing access to resources for affected businesses.

The opposite

No question was scored the opposite.