Ranking Member Markey Rebukes Republican Markup that Advanced Legislation to Unleash Debt Collectors on Struggling Small Businesses

Summary

Statement dated February 5, 2025 from Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) on a committee markup at which Republicans advanced legislation that, he says, unleashes debt collectors on struggling small businesses, including those making good faith attempts at repayment. Markey says the chair 'jammed through partisan legislation' on a party-line vote while denying Democratic senators their right to call up amendments and debate, and also tried to advance legislation that he says tramples worker protections. He calls the markup 'a dictatorial sentence first, verdict afterwards, a standard worthy of Alice in Wonderland.' The statement welcomes the unanimous passage of Senator Rosen's Small Business Child Care Investment Act.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Full text

# Ranking Member Markey Rebukes Republican Markup that Advanced Legislation to Unleash Debt Collectors on Struggling Small Businesses

#### February 5 , 2025

Washington (February 5) – Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today released the following statement in response to the committee’s markup in which Republicans advanced legislation that unleashes the fury of debt collectors on struggling small businesses and dismissed requests from Democratic Members to call up amendments and debate legislation:

“Today, the chair of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee jammed through partisan legislation that unleashes debt collectors on struggling small businesses, including those making good faith attempts at repayment. The chair also attempted to advance legislation that tramples worker protections.

“Democratic members of the committee were prepared to offer meaningful amendments to protect small businesses, worker rights, and require adherence to the law. However, Republicans chose to vote out legislation along party lines while denying Democratic Senators their right to call up amendments and debate legislation.

“Instead of a committee operating under long bipartisan tradition of amendments first - passage afterwards, today’s markup saw a dictatorial sentence first, verdict afterwards, a standard worthy of Alice in Wonderland. This is a terrible way to achieve results for the people we serve.

“I hope my Republican colleagues change course, respect the democratic process, and the people who elected each one of us.

“We were encouraged by unanimous passage of Senator Rosen’s Small Business Child Care Investment Act, which stands as an example of what our committee achieves when we negotiate in good faith towards a common goal.

“The Small Business Committee has long been a bastion of comity and civil debate. I fear we will find that years of goodwill can be done away within a day. I hope we can restore our committee’s proud bipartisan traditions.”

Watch the committee markup her e.

###

Permalink: https://www.sbc.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2025/2/ranking-member-markey-rebukes-republican-markup-that-advanced-legislation-to-unleash-debt-collectors-on-struggling-small-businesses

File and source

File

senate-sbc-press-release-markey-markup-debt-collectors-2025-02-05.html

Size

34,936 bytes

SHA-256

ce0304b8cb8322025aee08f404889806fb34c287be73db181fbd00543f7a33c2

Our copy

senate-sbc-press-release-markey-markup-debt-collectors-2025-02-05.html

Original

www.sbc.senate.gov