SBA

A Health Care Reformer

Posted by Dana Rapoport

Washington was under a thick blanket of snow this week, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn’t stop working for a minute. She was trying to shovel in any vote she could get, from fellow Democrats to Non-Democrat fellows.

But there’s one person she doesn’t need to worry about convincing to vote for Obama’s health care overhaul.

With one of the most liberal voting records in the House, Velazquez has voted 99.3 percent of the time with the Democratic Party so far in the 111th Congress.

This is not to say that New York is usually a source of concern for Pelosi, but Massachusetts didn’t used to be one either until recently.

As a Chairwoman of the Small Business Committee and Chairwoman for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, most of Velazquez’s effort, time and PR are devoted to either loans for small businesses or Hispanic education and immigrant rights.

This week, however, Velazquez released a statement on health insurance and lowering health care costs for New Yorkers.

Yes, she’s a progressive democrat, committed to small businesses and representing her majority immigrant, working families constituency. Supporting a public option is not a political risk for Velazquez, it’s a given.

On Friday, Velazquez released a statement, on congress’ recent approval of the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act, (H.R. 4626). A legislation that will lower health care costs by promoting competition among providers.

“In New York State, the two biggest health insurance companies control 46 percent of the market, and premiums for families increased by 97 percent between 2000 and 2009. Subjecting the health insurance industry to the same anti-trust laws as other industries will help prevent price fixing and monopolizing of the market. H.R. 4626 passed the House by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 406-19 and must now be considered by the U.S. Senate.”

The Daily Gotham reported that Velazquez wasn’t always committed to the Obama’s health care reform, but since she joined her party’s stance, Velazquez made a fairly convincing performance last July

small business woman

Posted by Dana Rapoport

Elected for the 9th term, with the 90 percent majority vote, 56 year-old Nydia M. Velazquez maintains model citizen status. Aside from a misstep in the earlier years of her career, Velazquez has kept a clean slate. For the duration of her 18 years of service representing the 12th congressional district of New York, not a scandal or controversy was revealed.
Past work has proven Velazquez to be a vocal patron for immigrant rights and ending the war in Iraq, and with 2010’s dramatic shift in political priorities she has shifted her focus to:
1. Economic development through small business growth
2. Relocating the 9/11 trials away from Manhattan

1. Obama’s SBA plan – Supporting the strategy, disagreeing with the tactics?
Velazquez dedicates a great deal of her time to the Small Business Administration. Recently, Obama has pledged support, efforts and money to the same cause.
Last month’s State of the Union Address zeroed in on the SBA when Obama announced his plan to allocate $30 billion of the repaid bailout money for small business loans.
On January 27th, Velazquez applauded the President for putting economic growth through America’s small businesses on his agenda, but yesterday, she expressed concern (criticism?) with Obama’s plan to give more money to what she believes to be an unstable program –

“With loan defaults on the rise, we should not base our strategy on increasing the size of the least stable SBA lending program,

“The House has already approved legislation that would be much more effective for promoting small business lending and investment and I look forward to working with the President to see those measures enacted.”

Once suspected a Blue Dog on the healthcare public option, how far would Velazquez go with opposing Obama’s economic policies?

2. Terror trial and the City. Big trouble for small business?

As the representative of the Lower East Side and chairwoman of the House Small Business Committee, Velazquez is against holding the 9/11 terror trials in Manhattan. She emailed the Attorney General Eric Holder last month, stating her concern that the trials will paralyze commercial and residential life down town.

While this statement might seem legitimate, a counter argument in the NYDaily News paints the other half of the picture:

“ …The hundreds, if not thousands, of extra federal prosecutors, defense lawyers, cops, U.S. Marshals, FBI agents and international news media who will prosecute, defend, protect or cover the biggest terror trial in history will be spending millions in hotels, eateries, bars and shops. You might even argue they’ll surely more than offset any losses from the added inconveniences.”

Schumer, Gillibrand and other party members are not psyched about the idea of holding the trials in lower Manhattan, but none opposed as directly and vocally as Velazquez. Is she reflecting her constituency’s and small business owners’ wishes? Or is this a populist opportunity to gain bipartisan support?

*The last time we had a glimpse to her personal life, was in 1991, when her medical records leaked about how she washed down with Vodka 21 sleeping pills. Even then, she did a good job in damage control. She held a press conference and talked openly about dealing with depression. Six months later the 39 years-old Velazquez was elected to office.