Washington, DC – This week, U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-40) received the 2024 Hero of Main Street Award from the National Retail Federation (NRF) for her work to support local retailers and help small business owners create jobs in their communities.
Rep. Kim serves on the House Financial Services Committee and was Ranking Member of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development in the 117th Congress.
“Small businesses are our nation’s top job creators and the backbone of our local economies. Their success is vital for our communities’ success,” said Rep. Young Kim. “I am thrilled to be named a ‘Hero of Main Street’ and will always fight for commonsense policies that help small business owners cut through red tape, create jobs, and make their American dream a reality.”
“The retail industry directly impacts every congressional district in the United States, providing goods, services and American jobs,” said David French, Executive Vice President of Government Relations, NRF. “NRF is honored to recognize Rep. Kim as a ‘Hero of Main Street’ for their continued support of the retail industry through legislative action and leadership.”
Rep. Kim has worked on policies to support small businesses such as:
- Addressing the rise of organized retail crime by leading the bipartisan Improving Federal Investigations of Organized Retail Crime Act to boost information sharing between the federal government, state and local law enforcement to hold criminal networks accountable;
- Expanding access to financial opportunities for underserved communities by helping introduce the Financial Inclusion in Banking Act;
- Providing an estimated 2.7 million loans totaling roughly $54 billion by helping lead the PPP Extension Act, which allowed small businesses more time to access targeted Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans during the COVID-19 pandemic;
- Protecting small businesses from cyberattacks by leading the Small Business Administration (SBA) Cyber Awareness Act;
- Ensuring regulations do not harm small businesses by introducing the Reviewing the Expansion of Government (REG) Act;
- Ensuring access to small dollar loans for small businesses and consumers by introducing the Small Dollar Loan Certainty Act;
- Helping introduce the Improving Access to Small Business Information Act, a bipartisan bill to streamline the process for the Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC) to collect information, such as conducting field surveys to ensure the government can access better information on challenges facing entrepreneurs;
- Providing education and mentorship services for entrepreneurs through the SCORE for Small Business Act of 2022, a bipartisan bill to invest in the success of small businesses; and,
- Supporting the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act to prevent Internal Revenue Service (IRS) overreach on American families and small businesses.
