Congressman Trone Convenes Call with Business Leaders from Sixth District Amid Rising COVID-19 Cases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Hannah Muldavin, Hannah.Muldavin@mail.house.gov
Congressman Trone Convenes Call with Business Leaders from Sixth District Amid Rising COVID-19 Cases
WASHINGTON — This week U.S. Congressman David Trone (MD-06) hosted a call with business leaders from Maryland’s Sixth District to discuss the recent spike in COVID-19 cases and hear what businesses need to keep their doors open.
“I brought together a diverse group of business owners from the Sixth District. More and more small businesses are shutting down every day and they need federal support now,” said Congressman Trone. “With COVID cases on the rise in the region, it’s more important than ever for the federal government to step up and help these hard working folks keep their businesses afloat and employees on the payroll. Congress and the White House need to put partisan politics aside and put together another relief package that puts workers and small businesses first.”
The call included individuals from every county in the 6th District:
Garrett County
- Nicole Christan, President & CEO, Garrett County Chamber of Commerce
- Kim Durst, Economic Development of Garrett County
Allegany County
- Matt Miller, Director, Cumberland Economic Development Corporation and Allegany County Economic Development
Washington County
- Paul Frey, President & CEO, Washington County Chamber of Commerce
- Jim Kercheval, Executive Director, Greater Hagerstown Committee
- Susan Small, Washington County Economic Development
Frederick County
- Rick Weldon, President & CEO, Frederick County Chamber of Commerce
- Kara Norman, Executive Director, Downtown Frederick Partnership
- Richard Griffin, Director, City of Frederick Economic Development
- Katie Stevens, Associate Director of Agriculture Business Development, Frederick County Office of Economic Development
Montgomery County
- Gigi Godwin, President & CEO, Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce
- Marilyn Balcombe, President & CEO, Gaithersburg and Germantown Chamber of Commerce
- Ben Wu, Montgomery County Economic Development
- Carmen Larsen, Director, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Maryland Department of Commerce
- Tamar Osterman, Frederick County representative, MD Department of Commerce Frederick County
- Carla Merritt, Montgomery County representative, MD Department of Commerce Montgomery County
Throughout the pandemic, Trone has fought for small businesses across the state. He voted for the CARES Act, which was signed into law in March and saved 56,000 jobs in Maryland’s Sixth District. Despite the success of the program, Trone released a report on the impact of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) on the Sixth District that showed the program disproportionately excluded Black, Hispanic, and women-owned small businesses. Following the report, Trone authored legislation with Senator Mark Warner to invest $17.9 billion in low-income and minority communities that have been hit especially hard by the COVID-19 crisis.
Trone also successfully challenged a Small Business Administration rule that excluded formerly-incarcerated individuals from accessing PPP loans, helping Hagerstown business owner Altimont “Mark” Wilks gain access to the program.
Trone has made it a top priority to listen to the needs of local leaders and communities and get resources out directly to constituents during the pandemic. He has held webinars on volunteerism, small business and nonprofit resources, how to safeguard yourself from COVID-19 scams, and mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak and hosted five telephone town halls on resources available to Marylanders during the pandemic. Trone’s 100-page resource guide has up-to-date information and includes national, state, and local resources for constituents.
Congressman David Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland, which includes all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. Trone serves on the Education and Labor, Foreign Affairs, and Joint Economic Committees, where he is fighting to make progress on issues that matter to Marylanders, including the opioid epidemic, criminal justice reform, and funding for medical research.
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