Rep. Antonio Delgado Honored with Chamber of Commerce’s Enterprise Award

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recognized Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-N.Y, with its yearly Spirit of Enterprise Award for his support of business-friendly initiatives in the first session of the 116th Congress.

The chamber has rated members of Congress based on how they vote on issues of importance for U.S. businesses since 1965. Measures of leadership and bipartisanship were added at the beginning of the 2019 legislative year.

Delgado placed in the top 10 percentile on the chamber’s bipartisanship score and ninth overall among House Democrats for bipartisanship. The chamber’s bipartisanship score is based on the amount of bills a lawmaker co-sponsors that were introduced by a member from the other major party.

Notably, Delgado supported legislation known as the Prioritized Paycheck Protection Program Act that would permit small businesses to apply for and obtain a second loan if they exhaust their initial PPP loan. Alongside Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., Delgado introduced the bill’s companion legislation in the House.

In addition, he backed a tax credit initiative that would allocate up to $25,000 for small businesses to acquire personal protective equipment. The credit would also assist non-profits, self-employed individuals, independent contractors, veterans’ organizations and farmers.

“New York’s 19th Congressional District is home to more than 27,000 small businesses and self-employed owners — and now, more than ever, we need to give them every tool they need to succeed as New York reopens,” Delgado told Spectrum News. “This bipartisan bill will provide needed tax relief to our small business owners while protecting the health and safety of their employees and customers.”

Delgado also serves on the House Task Force on Rural Broadband and cosponsored the Rural Broadband Acceleration Act. This bipartisan measure would direct the Federal Communications Commission to swiftly fund high-speed internet projects, allowing rural consumers to access broadband within a year.

“It is unacceptable that in the 21st century, there are communities across New York’s 19th Congressional District that still lack access to reliable high-speed internet,” Delgado said in a statement. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen how essential broadband is, from homeschooling, to telemedicine, to our small businesses needing to connect to the marketplace. We must do everything we can to make sure our communities can get online.”