(Washington, DC) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa issued the following statement after signing a discharge petition, which would require the House to immediately take up H.R. 8265, a bill that would distribute the remaining approximately $135 billion in current Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) reserves that are sitting unused after the program expired on August 8th. Businesses would be able to receive a second PPP loan if they can demonstrate a revenue reduction. Additionally, it adds more flexibility in how PPP dollars can be spent while still being eligible for loan forgiveness.
A discharge petition is a legislative procedure to bring a bill directly to the Floor for a vote when signed by 218 Members of the House.
LaMalfa said: “The Paycheck Protection Program saved approximately 51 million jobs across the country, 12 million of which were in rural areas. There is still approximately $135 billion in loans that could be disbursed to help Northern California small businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic and an active wildfire season, yet Speaker Pelosi has stalled for weeks to bring additional small business relief to the Floor. As more businesses close their doors for good each day, now is not the time to play politics with money that was already allocated on their behalf. A group of my colleagues and I used the discharge petition procedure to take matters into our own hands and attempt to bring forward a bill which provides support to struggling small businesses by reviving the tested and effective Paycheck Protection Program.”
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.
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