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Washington, DC – Small businesses harmed by Hurricane Sandy may soon be able to reapply for assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) due to legislation approved by Congress Monday. The bill, H.R. 208, is authored by Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), and would allow many small firms in New York and throughout the country to seek emergency loans from the SBA given the agency's slow response following Sandy in 2012.

NEW YORK—Today, Rep. Velázquez joined Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Congressional delegation in urging Congress to invest – not disinvest – from New York City transportation and infrastructure needs, encouraging the House and Senate to pass a long-term surface transportation reauthorization that increases federal funding support for our transportation systems, including subways, buses, streets, bridges, rail, and ferries to meet growing needs.

Washington, DC – Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) today wrote Attorney General Loretta Lynch calling on the Department of Justice (DoJ) to investigate whether recent false accusations of espionage against several Asian Americans were influenced by race, ethnicity or country of origin. The full text of the Congresswoman’s letter is below.

November 8, 2015

The Honorable Loretta Lynch
Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530

Dear Attorney General Lynch:

Measure Comes as Funds Exacerbate Fiscal Crisis in Puerto Rico

Measure Would Tax Guns, Clamp Down on Missing, Stolen Weapons

New York, NY –Flanked by other elected officials, advocacy groups and families impacted by gun violence, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) today unveiled new legislation aimed at reducing the number of guns in circulation, bolstering anti-violence and mental health programs and addressing the issue of lost and stolen firearms.

"We are incredibly disturbed by the images depicted in a video that was recently released by El Grito De Sunset Park that depicts the use of excessive force by on-and-off-duty uniformed individuals--including some members of the New York City Police Department.

Washington, DC –The U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship today approved legislation to assist small businesses impacted by Hurricane Sandy. The bill, S. 1811, is largely based on a measure authored by Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) that was approved by the U.S. House in July. Both bills would make a number of improvements to the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) disaster lending initiative. Most notably, these measures would give firms impacted by Hurricane Sandy the opportunity to reapply for a disaster loan from the agency.

Washington, DC – Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) today introduced legislation aimed at fueling local economic growth through the use of Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding. H.R. HR 3697, the "Section 3 Modernization and Improvement Act of 2015", would ensure that residents of public and HUD-assisted housing benefit from job opportunities created by federal housing funds.