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Think you're too small to experience a cyber attack? That's not the case. In fact, cyber threat actors (CTAs) are increasingly setting their sights on small businesses. If successful, their attack attempts can be devastating. Fortunately, the Center for Internet Security released the "CIS Implementation Guide for Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises." It's designed to help your small business rapidly adopt Implementation Group 1 (IG1), a subset of the CIS Critical Security Controls (CIS Controls). Let's examine how below. The Impact of IG1 IG1 is one of three Implementation Groups of the CIS Controls. It's special because it lists fundamental steps that you can take to establish essential cyber hygiene. In doing so, you'll lay a foundation for defending against some of today's most common cyber attack vectors. Implementing all of IG1 takes time, but by using the guide's methodology, you'll be able to work through most of the recommended actions within IG1. At that point, you can review which IG1 Safeguards you haven't yet implemented. You can then lay out a plan for enacting those IG1 Safeguards that will have the greatest impact on your small business. 3 Small Business Cybersecurity Challenges As a small business owner, you may deal with the following cybersecurity challenges every day: Limited Resources: Your tight budget provides little room to invest in cybersecurity, leaving you exposed to exploitation attempts from cybercriminals. Lack of Expertise: You might not know what you need to effectively navigate the changing cyber threat landscape and mitigate related business risks. Insufficient Security Policies: You might lack comprehensive cybersecurity policies and procedures, which can result in inadequate access controls and other security weaknesses. These challenges make it difficult to deal with threats like theft of information, password theft, phishing attacks, ransomware, natural disasters, instances of defacement, and downtime incidents. The First Steps Toward Essential Cyber Hygiene CIS's implementation guide gets you started on the path toward establishing essential cyber hygiene and implementing IG1. It does this by listing free and low-cost tools as well as procedures for improving your cybersecurity. It also recommends the following approach to help you prioritize your cybersecurity efforts while operating in the constraints listed above: Phase 1 – Complete five inventory-related worksheets included in the guide: Enterprise Asset Inventory Worksheet Software Asset Inventory Worksheet Data Inventory Worksheet Service Provider Inventory Worksheet Account Inventory Worksheet Phase 2 – For each asset listed in your inventory, complete the Asset Protection Worksheet. Phase 3 – For each account listed in your inventory, complete the Account Security Worksheet. Phase 4 – For each asset, complete the Backup and Recovery Worksheet. Phase 5 – Complete the Incident Response Worksheet. Phase 6 – Verify that all employees have reviewed the Cyber Education Worksheet's training options. Start Growing Your Cybersecurity Maturity CIS's guide can help you strengthen your cybersecurity maturity while balancing limited resources and technical know-how. Your small business might be a target of cybercriminals. But you don't have to be a victim. Ready to get prepared?

Third week was the charm for the House to find its voice with a new speaker. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 25, 2023 Contact: Molly Day 202-552-2904 press@nsba.biz NSBA Welcomes Speaker Johnson Washington, D.C. – Following weeks of turmoil and a standstill in the U.S. House of Representatives, the House voted this afternoon to select Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) as the new Speaker of the House. Every single Republican voted for Johnson, giving him 220 votes. Below is a statement from NSBA President and CEO Todd McCracken: “I want to congratulate Congressman Johnson on being named Speaker of the House. While he steps in during a particularly tumultuous time, the business of the American people has been delayed and we wish him—and the entire Congress—success on key priorities. “America’s small businesses are facing significant challenges today: the implementation in just months of a sweeping new reporting burden—the NSBA-opposed Corporate Transparency Act—the expiration of critical small-business tax reductions and the ever-present challenge of finding access to capital. “Additionally, small-business owners are wary of the threat of a government shutdown. The House’s three-week impasse has left lawmakers with less than three weeks to hammer out a spending deal to avoid a disastrous shutdown—particularly for the millions of small businesses that do business directly with the federal government. “I look forward to working with Speaker Johnson, and all lawmakers on Capitol Hill, on ensuring a strong U.S. economy where small businesses are the focal point, not an afterthought.” Please click here to learn more about NSBA’s priority issues. Celebrating more than 85 years, NSBA is a staunchly nonpartisan organization advocating on behalf of America’s entrepreneurs. NSBA's 65,000 members represent every state and every industry in the U.S. SBTC is NSBA’s hi-tech industry association of companies dedicated to promoting the creation and growth of research-intensive, technology-based U.S. small business. Please visit www.nsba.biz or follow us @NSBAAdvocate. ###

Issue committee members are NSBA’s advisors to our Board and Policy Groups. Last Thursday, NSBA held its fourth and final installments of the year’s Economic Development and Health & Human Resources issue committee meetings. During the meetings, NSBA Director of Federal Policy Reed Westcott shared the latest news on the Continuing Appropriations Act that extended government funding through November 17 (H.R. 5860, Public Law No: 118-15), as well as the House Republicans’ internal struggle to fill vacant Speakership. On the Economic Development issue committee call, members discussed new legislation to change the scope of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) lending power. Titled as an act “To prohibit the Administrator of the SBA from directly making loans under the 7(a) loan program, and for other purposes,” H.R. 5848 would effectuate its title, and H.R. 5427, a bill “To prohibit individuals convicted of defrauding the Government from receiving any assistance from the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes,” would prevent any person convicted of defrauding the U.S. Government ineligible to receive any financial assistance from the SBA under the 7(b) program. NSBA Issue Committee Members voiced mixed feelings on potential changes to the SBA’s 7(a) program, but overwhelmingly supported efforts to combat fraudulent enterprises from receiving small business assistance. NSBA Members of the Health & Human Resources Issue Committee discussed two bills that would expand employee health benefits: The Telehealth Benefit Expansion for Workers Act of 2023 (H.R. 824) would allow employers to offer stand-alone telehealth benefits; and The Bipartisan Health Savings Account (HSA) Improvement Act of 2023 (H.R. 5688), which is intended to make HSAs more accessible. Honorary NSBA Past Chair Gary Kushner and Leadership Council member Stephanie Hagans led a lively discussion on these bills and other proposed rule changes under the Affordable Care Act. Interested in getting involved with an issue committee? Click here to learn more and join a committee today!

The nullification of CFPB’s attempt to collect small-business data passed through the Senate 53-44. This week, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) introduced a resolution to nullify the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB’s) small-business data collection rule. Senators agreed to the nullification 53-44. The CFPB has been working for more than a decade to draft and ratify a rulemaking on how to collect demographic and other sensitive data related to small-business loans and lending from financial institutions. RELATED | Small-Business Community Balks Pending Beneficial Ownership Rule, Disclosures While collection of this information could prove impactful in how the federal government provides tools and resources for the small-business community, supporters of Sen. Kennedy’s nullification say the CFPB’s 1071 proposal in its current form is too wide in its scope of who would be required to provide information from small-business owners and what banks would need to ask. Despite passage in the Senate, the nullification resolution will require a favorable vote in the House, which is currently embroiled in inter-party squabbling over speaker, as well as signature from the President, who has said he will not support the nullification. RELATED | Speaker Squabbles, and the Vote Continues to Come Down Follow NSBA as we continue tracking this resolution on Capitol Hill.

Watch NSBA’s webinar with our corporate partner, Judy, any time! On Oct. 17, NSBA and Judy Security hosted a free webinar on the what, how, and why of cybersecurity insurance. Given that over 65 percent of small- and mid-sized businesses have experienced cyberattacks in the past two years, this webinar couldn’t have been more timely. Raffaele Mautone, CEO and Founder Judy Security shed light on the importance of compliance and the advantages of Cybersecurity Insurance for any business handling sensitive data, like social security numbers, medical records, and financial information. Attendees gained valuable insights into selecting the right cyber security insurance for their company, understanding the comprehensive coverage cyber liability insurance provides, and establishing a step-by-step approach to fortify cybersecurity and compliance within their organization. Join us to enhance your cyber resilience – review the materials here, and watch the Judy webinar any time! If you found the NSBA webinar with Judy Security insightful, we encourage you to learn more. Judy is inviting NSBA members and friends to their next webinar titled 'Empowering SMBs through the Complexities of Cybersecurity' on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 11:00 a.m. CDT. Click here to register!

Follow NSBA for the latest from the House on Capitol Hill. UPDATE as of 2:10 p.m. ET Oct. 25, 2023 | Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) has been elected as the 56th speaker of the House. After nearly three weeks of a vacancy, every single Republican voted for him, giving him 220 votes. ### UPDATE as of 8:00 a.m. ET Oct. 25, 2023 | House Republicans chose Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana to be their speaker-designate during a late-night GOP conference meeting Tuesday. And early indications were that on their fourth nominee after three weeks without a speaker, this time might really be the last. ### UPDATE As of 7:15 a.m. ET Oct. 24, 2023 | After no progress with yesterday's two-and–half-hour inner-conference candidate forum, House Republicans will once again gather this morning behind closed doors to pick a speaker. They are down to eight candidates after Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.) dropped out last night. ### UPDATE As of 12:30 p.m. ET Oct. 20, 2023 | Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has lost a third vote for House speaker.  Several alternative GOP candidates are already preparing to launch bids for the job. ### UPDATE As of 6:30 p.m. ET Oct. 18, 2023 | Chaos continues as Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has now failed to achieve the speakership in two successive votes on the House floor. Particularly, Jordan lost support between the votes, with fewer Republicans supporting him today than yesterday. Currently, it is unclear whether any Republican can muster enough support to win the speakership. As of early this afternoon, the House remains paralyzed- unable to consider or advance any legislation until a speaker has been selected. Some House Republicans are debating a vote to expand the limited powers granted to Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), but this move would not be without its own challenges. Rumors of a coalition government are also persistent; however, there has not been any public show of support for such a plan. We remain in limbo in Washington, but NSBA is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to provide updates as they become available. ### UPDATE As of 1:33 p.m. ET Oct. 18, 2023 | Rep. Jordan has officially lost a second vote in his bid for speaker. The Ohio Republican received 199 votes. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries received 212 votes. Twenty-two Republicans cast their ballot for someone else. Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry gaveled the House into recess. ### Following the removal of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from his Speakership on Oct. 5, House Republicans again began the process of electing a Speaker. RELATED NEWS | Speaker Elections Commence on Capitol Hill After first running Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), who failed to garner the 217 required votes to secure his nomination, the GOP then attempted to run Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who fell 20 votes short of the procedural threshold. With the House split 221 Republicans to 212 Democrats, only four defector votes can be spared in the majority’s attempts to secure a new Speaker. Moving into the second business week of no Speaker in the House, Republicans once more attempted to run Chairman Jordan (R-Ohio) today, with the vote again coming up short. The vote remains open, but is expected to fail. Follow NSBA as we track the proceedings for Speaker nominations within the Republican party that are expected to continue through this week.

If you haven't signed up, join an NSBA Issue Cmte. today! Last Thursday, NSBA held its quarterly Environmental & Regulatory Affairs (ERA) and Tax & Fiscal Policy issue committee meetings. There, NSBA members weighed in on legislation that might impact the landscape of small business, from the Small Business Regulatory Reduction Act to the Securing America’s R&D Advantage Act. They also introduced new priorities for consideration through the NSBA issues filter, which determines which issues the organization will champion. NSBA’s issue committees are the grassroots engine that propels all other advocacy efforts. To register or update your membership to an issue committee, click here.

Stay tuned as NSBA monitors action in the House. *As of 3:00 p.m. Eastern, Oct. 17, 2023. UPDATE | Rep. Jim Jordan couldn’t muster enough votes to be elected speaker on his first try Tuesday, as 20 GOP lawmakers voted for someone other than the Ohio Republican. But he’s expected to keep going and try to woo holdouts as former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., did in January during his epic 15-round, four-day floor battle. *As of 4:30 p.m. Eastern, Oct. 13, 2023. UPDATE | After Rep. Scalise failed to garner votes following his nomination, the GOP has elected House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as speaker designate. *As of 1:30 p.m. Eastern, Oct. 11, 2023. UPDATE | House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) won the GOP nomination for speaker of the House on Wednesday, setting the stage for a floor vote that will require him to secure 217 votes. *As of 12:15 p.m. Eastern, Oct. 11, 2023. TODAY | House Republicans will meet in a closed-door Conference meeting to nominate a candidate for the upcoming Speakership election. The declared candidates, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), both face significant hurdles on their path to the gavel. Neither is currently believed to hold a strong edge over the other; staff sources on Capitol Hill close to NSBA indicate Scalise is favored, however, balloting has not commenced at this time. Scalise is viewed as the more establishment candidate, despite his conservative bona fides, and, Jordan - who served as the first Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, is remembered by many of his fellow House Republicans as a conservative firebrand, as well as for ultimately contributing to the retirement of former House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). Similar to primary and general elections, today’s vote is only the first step in seating a new Speaker: the nominee will have to also survive a full vote on the House floor. While this floor vote is generally considered a formality, given the razor-thin margins of the parties persisting since the beginning of this Congress, this vote has become a congressional gauntlet – the same vote that took former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) 15 ballots to run in Jan. For the headache this once-benign vote is now causing by its procedural exploitation of factions in the formal majority and minority parties, the Republican Conference debated an internal rules' change that could help minimize the number of full House votes needed to elect a new Speaker. To win the Republican nomination under the now-failed proposed rule change, a candidate would have had to amass 217 votes - enough to win the full floor vote. Although this change would have expedited the final election, analysts agree this move was risky. This is because it ran the risk of delaying the internal Republican election, and the Conference relies on a secret ballot, meaning no candidate truly knows who they need to win over. NSBA is monitoring the election closely and looks forward to working with the new Speaker to pursue a robust small-business legislative agenda.

Join us for a webinar with Judy next Tuesday – Oct. 17 at 2:00 p.m. EDT! Presented with one of our newest corporate partners, join NSBA and Judy Security on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 2:00 p.m. EDT for a FREE webinar on the what, how, and why of cybersecurity insurance. In this informative webinar, we will address the pressing issue of cybersecurity for small business. Given that over 65 percent of small- and mid-sized businesses have experienced cyberattacks in the past two years, this webinar couldn’t be more timely. Raffaele Mautone, CEO and Founder Judy Security will shed light on the importance of compliance and the advantages of Cybersecurity Insurance for any business handling sensitive data like social security numbers, medical records and financial information. During this session, you'll gain valuable insights into selecting the right cyber security insurance for your company, understanding the comprehensive coverage cyber liability insurance provides, and establishing a step-by-step approach to fortify cybersecurity and compliance within your organization. Don't miss this opportunity to protect your business in an increasingly digital world. Join us to enhance your cyber resilience – REGISTER TODAY! Meeting link here.

Congrats to Marilyn and her continued success in supporting small business! The SBA recently held a Regulatory Fairness Board Hearing. Convening for the first time since 2020, 17 new members joined 20 current members of the Board, including NSBA Past Chair, Marilyn Landis. During the meeting, members — small business owners, operators or officers — engaged in discussion and shared concerns with SBA Administrator Guzman, Deputy SBA Administrator Dilawar Syed, and agency leaders related to matters of federal regulatory issues for small businesses. Bringing diverse experiences, perspectives and business backgrounds to advance regulatory fairness, Board members advise the National Ombudsman and Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Enforcement Fairness on small business matters related to federal regulatory enforcement actions and report instances of unfair, excessive enforcement actions taken by federal regulators. Appointment terms are set for three years. Members of the advisory committee do not receive a salary, nor are they eligible to officially represent the SBA, and a complete list of this year’s Board can be found here. Additional information about the Regional Regulatory Fairness Boards can be found here.

Approximately 40 days remain for Congress to come up with a plan to fund the government. Much to the surprise of most of the nation, Congress narrowly averted a government shutdown mere hours before it was set to start at 12:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, Oct. 1. The National Small Business Association (NSBA) applauds both parties and houses of Congress for taking the needed steps to prevent a potentially disastrous shutdown. Government shutdowns can be disastrous particularly for the millions of small businesses that do business directly with the federal government. This week, those contractors can rest a little easier. Unfortunately, unfortunately this latest agreement only gives Congress another 45 days to iron-out a long-term spending deal. NSBA President and CEO Todd McCracken stated, “The hard-fought compromise this weekend buys us all a little more time and we are thankful for it, however this kind of crisis legislating does little to provide much-needed predictability, stability and long-term confidence for small businesses and their employees.” During a shutdown, not only are federal contractors impacted, every business in their supply chain, their employees and their families all feel the pinch of a government shutdown. Furthermore, small businesses seeking assistance, lending and resource programs government-wide face long delays due to the absence of staff and inevitable backlogs. The fall-out of the bipartisan agreement that former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R- Calif.) signed off on, however, resulted in his ouster as Speaker. NSBA will continue monitoring the situation and will apprise you of any breaking changes. Please click here to read NSBA’s letter to Congressional leaders warning against a shutdown.

NSBA’s own ML Mackey continues to demonstrate her devotion to small-business advocacy across the nation. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced 15 appointees to a new committee, the “Invention, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Federal Advisory Committee” (IIEAC), including NSBA Board of Trustee, ML Mackey, CEO of Beacon Interactive Systems in Massachusetts. Supported by a distinguished and diverse group of small-business leaders, the IIEAC’s main objective is to promote, expand and strengthen the innovation ecosystem. This includes innovation commercialization, lab-to-market translation and cultivating a more equitable federal innovation ecosystem based in inclusivity. The SBA’s intent is to work with the advisory committee to collect insights and recommendations in helping to build policies and programs that foster American ingenuity and economic competitiveness. For her continued commitment to supporting small business, NSBA thanks ML Mackey and is looking forward to supporting the IIEAC as it aims to support the small-business community. Members of the IIEAC’s Inaugural Class IIEAC Chair: Philip Gaskin, Executive Fellow and Strategic Advisor to the CEO, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (Mo.) IIEAC Vice Chair: Julie Lenzer, Chief Innovation Officer, Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (N.H.) Eric Adolphe, CEO & Founder, Forward Edge-AI, Inc. (Texas) Dr. Ramon Barquin III, Chairman of the Board, Atlantic University (Puerto Rico) Richard Carroll, Chairman, Innovative Defense Enterprises (Fla.) Dr. Dedric Carter, Vice Chancellor for Innovation & Chief Commercialization Officer, Washington University in Saint Louis (Mo.) Dr. Carol Dahl, Board Member, VentureWell, VertueLab, and Washington Research Foundation; Trustee, Wisys (Wash.) Colleen D. Egan, President and CEO, Illinois Science and Technology Coalition (Ill.) ML Mackey, CEO, Beacon Interactive Systems (Mass.) Andrew McCandless, Chairman and CEO, Bascom Hunter (La.) David McFeeters-Krone, Principal, Intellectual Assets (Ore.) Dr. Sally Morton, Executive Vice President, Arizona State University’s Knowledge Enterprise (Ariz.) Dr. Jake Reder, CEO, Celdara Medical (N.H.) Dr. Jenny Servo, President, Dawnbreaker (N.Y.) Timothy Tiemann, Managing Director of Innovation Programs, California State University Northridge (Calif.)