South OC Times

U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-40) has been honored with the 2024 Hero of Main Street Award by the National Retail Federation (NRF) for her efforts to support local retailers and assist small business owners in job creation within their communities.

Rep. Kim, who serves on the House Financial Services Committee and was the Ranking Member of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development in the 117th Congress, expressed her gratitude for the recognition.

“Small businesses are our nation’s top job creators and the backbone of our local economies. Their success is vital for our communities’ success,” said Rep. Young Kim. “I am thrilled to be named a ‘Hero of Main Street’ and will always fight for commonsense policies that help small business owners cut through red tape, create jobs, and make their American dream a reality.”

David French, Executive Vice President of Government Relations at NRF, acknowledged Rep. Kim's contributions: “The retail industry directly impacts every congressional district in the United States, providing goods, services and American jobs. NRF is honored to recognize Rep. Kim as a ‘Hero of Main Street’ for their continued support of the retail industry through legislative action and leadership.”

Rep. Kim has championed several policies aimed at supporting small businesses:

- Addressing organized retail crime by leading the bipartisan Improving Federal Investigations of Organized Retail Crime Act to enhance information sharing between federal, state, and local law enforcement.

- Expanding financial opportunities for underserved communities by co-introducing the Financial Inclusion in Banking Act.

- Facilitating approximately 2.7 million loans totaling roughly $54 billion through leadership on the PPP Extension Act during the COVID-19 pandemic.

- Protecting small businesses from cyberattacks via leading roles in drafting the Small Business Administration (SBA) Cyber Awareness Act.

- Introducing legislation like the Reviewing Expansion of Government (REG) Act to ensure regulations do not harm small businesses.

- Ensuring access to small dollar loans through initiatives such as introducing the Small Dollar Loan Certainty Act.

- Co-introducing bipartisan bills like Improving Access to Small Business Information Act to streamline SEC information collection processes.

- Providing education and mentorship services for entrepreneurs via bipartisan measures like SCORE for Small Business Act of 2022.

- Supporting tax protection measures such as backing Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act against IRS overreach.