On August 13th, Congressman Williams hosted a district-wide virtual townhall with panelists Tom Sullivan, Vice President of Small Business Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Laura Huffman, President and CEO of the Austin Chamber of Commerce; and Art Mann, Administrator of the Hillsboro Economic Development Corporation.

In this conversation centered around the impact of the pandemic on small businesses and how we can best support their recovery, Laura Huffman highlighted how the Chamber was asked to lead the re-opening effort by our local elected officials, and our primary focus has been on how we can balance public health and economics at the same time. As part of this effort, we launched the very successful City of US campaign to encourage the community to wear masks and social distance – not only to protect each other, but to keep our small businesses open.

Rep. Williams praised the Austin Chamber for our timely and informative webinar resources, and Tom Sullivan added that the U.S. Chamber's small business digital platform is designed to help businesses stay connected and informed as well.

Rep. Williams also reminded viewers that the Main Street Lending Program is still available to small businesses with fewer than 15,000 employees and under $5 billion in revenue.

The panel also discussed how many small businesses are still in need of assistance, and Rep. Williams provided an update on the Save our Stages Act – a bi-partisan piece of legislation that recognizes that our live music venues need special assistance from our community. Laura Huffman emphasized:

“Now is the time for communities to come together. Small businesses are the backbone of our community – they are our favorite restaurants, our favorite bars, our favorite music venues. They our accountants and our attorneys, and there is real value in our communities coming together to support them.”