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March 24, 2022

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USHCC getting back to business

By Tonya McMurray 

Hispanic business leaders and elected officials will gather at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C., March 29-31 for the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s or USHCC’s Annual Legislative Summit. 

With the theme of “Back to Business: Strengthening Our Economic Recovery,” the summit will focus on ways to influence legislative change to boost economic growth and provide a foundation for the success of the more than 5 million Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States.

“We are excited to be back in person to help our members and chambers access capital, open new doors for contracting and succeed in growing their capacity,” said Ramiro A. Cavazos, president and CEO of USHCC. 

“We have new opportunities for Business Matchmaking, and our 260 chambers of commerce will be in full force on Hill Day advocating for their members and their communities with their elected representatives.”

Hill Day provides an exclusive opportunity for Hispanic chamber presidents to engage in a roundtable discussion with leaders and elected officials from their region.

Advocacy efforts at the summit will focus on the chamber’s three policy goals for 2022: increasing Hispanic business enterprise or HBE business opportunities, supporting the broader Hispanic community and integrating Hispanic business into the global economy. 

Those broader goals encompass a continuing focus on COVID-19 economic relief and recovery as well as access to capital, education and workforce development. The chamber is also focused on expanding access to government procurement opportunities, making homeownership more affordable and providing better access to health care. Other priorities include energy and sustainability, immigration, infrastructure, international trade, Puerto Rican tax reform and incentives, technology and cybersecurity.

Last year’s Legislative Summit featured many members of the then newly elected Biden administration, including President Joseph Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. The summit laid the foundation for a year of advocacy on a broad range of initiatives that improved the Hispanic business climate.

In 2021, USHCC’s efforts played a role in the passage of the $28.6 billion Small Business Administration Restaurant Revitalization Fund, codification of the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency or MBDA, extension of the SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan or EIDL program, $3.2 billion Federal Communications Commission Emergency Broadband Benefit and $10 billion U.S. Department of the Treasury State Small Business Credit Initiative. 

The chamber also successfully advocated for the reopening of ports among the U.S., Mexico and Canada to facilitate economic recovery in the border areas of all three countries. USHCC also supported the passage of the $1.2 trillion U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. 

“Our goal each year is to connect our members to public and private sector leaders to help open new doors of opportunity for their businesses,” Cavazos said. “We also have a strong advocacy component through our policy platform to help our members have a voice and a direct line to their Congressional leaders to let them know the federal priorities that matter to them, especially expanding the access, management and control of capital — as well as economic relief, workforce development, energy, procurement, health care, international trade and much more.”  

For more information or to register for the Legislative Summit, visit ushcclegislative.com. 

Ramiro A. Cavazos, president and CEO, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce