Hawai’i Small Business Federal Aid Opportunity

US Congressman Ed Case on Tuesday asked Hawai’i small businesses to help themselves.

Case implored businesses to aid his efforts in advancing their eligibility for federal economic injury assistance as authorized by recent emergency legislation passed by Congress.

“Our nation’s small businesses have been especially hard hit by our COVID-19 crisis,” said Case. “This is particularly true in our Hawai’i because our small businesses are (a) much greater part of our economy and because so many depend one way or another on travel and tourism.”

A notice can be accessed by clicking this link. The notice is from the US Small Business Association and states that it needs Hawai‘i small business owners that have suffered substantial economic injury as a result of COVID-19 to provide an estimated economic impact by completing a worksheet and emailing it to [email protected].

Case noted in a press release that the deadline to complete the worksheet and submit to the State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism email stated above is 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, 2020.

Case emphasized that any supporting submissions by Hawai’i small businesses are not applications for assistance. That will come after the Governor has issued the declaration and the federal government has approved aid to Hawai’i.

“The $8.3 billion emergency supplemental funding measure that Congress voted to pass and the President signed on March 5 includes billions in assistance to our small businesses affected by COVID-19 through the SBA,” said Case. “For Hawai‘i small businesses to qualify, the Governor needs to make an SBA-required economic injury declaration.”

“I have been working with the Governor and our local SBA to get that declaration made and accepted by the SBA as soon as possible so our affected small businesses can start applying for and getting desperately-needed assistance,” Case continued. “We need Hawai‘i small businesses’ help to complete and back up that declaration.”