U.S. Latino News Bites
U.S. Small Business
Administration and
Milken Institute Partner to Increase Access
to Capital for Underserved Communities
Initiative to increase minority lending launched in Baltimore,
Los Angeles
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Milken Institute
announced the Partnership for Lending in Underserved Markets (PLUM)
Initiative, a groundbreaking collaboration to develop and test initiatives
designed to more effectively provide
capital to minority-owned businesses throughout the United States.
Maria Contreras-Sweet, SBA Administrator and the voice of small business on the President’s Cabinet, said:
“Increasing access to capital in underserved communities continues to be
one of my highest priorities. Solving this
longstanding and persistent challenge
would open the door for new ideas,
new visionary voices, and revolutionary
business innovations from historically
unexpected places. This new partnership with the Milken Institute brings
together some of the brightest minds
in this field with the local and national
leaders and resources needed to create
opportunity and transform the small
business marketplace for the better.”
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Mayor of
Baltimore said: “My Administration is
committed to creating greater access to
capital and business opportunities for
Baltimore City’s small, minority, and
women-owned businesses; and partnering with the Small Business Administration and Milken Institute to launch the
PLUM initiative provides an opportunity to connect minority entrepreneurs
and traditionally underrepresented
business communities to programs that
encourage their growth. We recognize
that small businesses tend to hire locally
and offer the greatest opportunity for inclusion. Creating resources that address
capital access disparities is imperative
to the growth of our local economy,
which thrives when small and minority-owned businesses are successful.”
Following the Great Recession, small
business owners, especially those setting up shop in underserved markets,
have faced a recurring problem of
limited access to capital. Conventional small business credit is still only at
85 percent of its pre-recession level.
Read more @ www.LatinTimesMedia.com
Statement of National
Alliance for Hispanic Health
on FDA Regulation of
Menthol and Flavorings in
Tobacco Products
Alliance joins in call to remove
flavored tobacco products from
marketplace
Rockeymoore:
New Census Poverty
Numbers Show Need
for Basic Economic
Security for Kids of
Color
Statement from Dr. Maya Rockeymoore, President and CEO VEMOX™ Launches
of Center for Global Policy
Solutions, on U.S. Census Bu- on Amazon Fire TV
reau 2015 Income, Poverty and
"The White House can truly cel- Health Insurance Coverage and
ebrate Hispanic Heritage Month Supplemental Poverty Measure Austin Powers, President of
Olympusat Telecom, a marthis week by directing the FDA to
issue a proposed rule to remove all The Census data released are the ket leader in the distribution
flavored tobacco products, includ- latest reminder that communi- of OTT and comprehensive
ing menthol products, from the ties of color are still dispropor- CLOUD solutions, officially
marketplace and protect the health tionately affected by poverty. announced at the Cablefax
TV Innovation Summit, that
of families and children," said Dr.
Jane L. Delgado, President/CEO Especially alarming are the child VEMOX™ is now available
of the National Alliance for His- poverty rates—Black: 33.6 per- on Amazon Fire TV devices.
panic Health, the nation's leading cent; Hispanic: 28.9 percent;
Hispanic health advocacy group. Asian: 12.6 percent; White: 12.1 "We are thrilled to offer VEThe Alliance's statement supports percent—and the realization MOX, the ultimate entertainefforts announced today by the Af- that they’re likely to increase if ment experience, to the Amarican American Tobacco Control America fails to adopt an inclu- zon Fire TV customers," said
Leadership Council (AATCLC) to sive poverty agenda that spe- Powers. "The app's sleek and
reverse action by the White House cifically considers those who fresh design plus the quality
Office of Management and Budget have been excluded historically, of its content, makes it ide(OMB) that eliminated menthol while ensuring a basic level of al for the Hispanic family."
and flavors text from a proposed economic security for everyone.
VEMOX's, Olympusat's cost
Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) "deeming rule" before it An inclusive policy agenda efficient and reliable B2B
was finalized implementing the would expand and create pro- carrier-grade OTT platform,
Family Smoking Prevention and grams that help families most combines technology and
Tobacco Act.
The eliminated affected by economic discrimi- content, making it easier for
FDA text presented overwhelm- nation, drawing on data to guide consumers to watch the proing evidence, supported by com- effective, evidence-based policy. gramming they love by offering an array of live channels
ments it received on the proposed
rule, that menthol, candy, and Critically, it would also rec- and thousands of movies and
fruit-flavored tobacco products ognize the need to strengthen series On Demand in Spanattracted children and teens to to- Social Security as one of our ish. The app offers the user
bacco use and deterred quitting. nation’s most effective anti-pov- access to highly-acclaimed
erty