Even with a shutdown looming, Congress prioritized small-business and passed a number of legislative items to the Senate. During...
Even with a shutdown looming, Congress prioritized small-business and passed a number of legislative items to the Senate.
During Wednesday votes, the U.S. House of Representatives favorably passed a slate of small-business bills, including a number of Veteran-related and opportunity expansion legislative items.
- H.R. 3511, the Service-Disabled Veteran Opportunities in Small Business Act – sponsored by Reps. LaLota (N.Y.-01), McGarvey (Ky.-03), Lee (Nev.-03), Thanedar (Mich.-13), and Lawler (N.Y.-17). Federal agencies have a goal of spending five percent of all contracting dollars with small businesses owned by service-disabled veterans. This bill requires the Small Business Administration to help failing agencies improve their inclusion of service-disabled veteran owned small businesses.
- H.R. 4669, the DOE and SBA Research Act – sponsored by Reps. LaLota (N.Y.-01) and Thanedar (Mich.-13). This bill requires the Department of Energy and the Small Business Administration to enter into an agreement to collaborate on research and development activities.
- H.R. 5265, the Small Business Administration Rural Performance Report Act – sponsored by Reps. Alford (Mo.-04), Luetkemeyer (Mo.-03), Ellzey (Texas-06), Bean (Fla.-04), Stauber (Minn.-08), and Pappas (N.H.-01). This bill requires the Small Business Administration to report on its efforts – specifically within the Office of Rural Affairs – to promote businesses and agricultural economies in rural areas.
- H.R. 6591, the Encouraging Success Act – sponsored by Reps. Ellzey (Texas-06), Moran (Texas-01), and Thanedar (Mich.-13). This bill requires the Small Business Administration to reassess the 8(a) program threshold cap every four years to ensure that it is in line with market realities.
- H.R. 7105, the WOSB Certification and Opportunity Expansion Act– sponsored by Reps. Velazquez (N.Y.-07) and LaLota (N.Y.-01). This bill requires that only women-owned small businesses that have been certified by a federal agency, state government, or national certifying entity approved by the Small Business Administration are included when calculating whether a federal agency has met its contracting goals with respect to such businesses during a fiscal year.
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Several other small-business bills previously passed out of the House Small Business Committee were up for a full vote yesterday, but, with the need to address a spending plan to prevent a government shutdown, several items’ consideration was postponed:
- H.R. 5426 – To require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to provide a link to resources for submitting reports on suspected fraud relating to certain COVID-19 loans
- H.R. 7128 – The WOSB Integrity Act of 2024
- H.R. 7102 – Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act
RELATED | House Small-Business Chair Pens Letter to Pres. on NSBA Issue Priority
Follow NSBA as we continue to follow progress on small-business legislation, including the passed items as they move to the Senate for further consideration, and read more about NSBA’s Issue Priorities here.
