[House Hearing, 118 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
MARKUP OF: H.R. 7984, THE RURAL SMALL
BUSINESS RESILIENCE ACT; H.R. 5333, THE
INVESTING IN ALL OF AMERICA ACT; H.R.
8014, THE TRANSPARENCY AND PREDICT-
ABILITY IN SMALL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
ACT; H.R. 7987, THE PLAIN LANGUAGE IN
CONTRACTING ACT; H.R. 7988, THE SPUR
ACT OF 2024; H.R. 7985, THE ENTREPRENEURS
WITH DISABILITIES REPORTING ACT; H.R. 7989,
THE THINKDIFFERENTLY ABOUT DISABILITY
EMPLOYMENT ACT
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS
UNITED STATES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
HEARING HELD
APRIL 17, 2024
__________
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Small Business Committee Document Number 118-049
Available via the GPO Website: www.govinfo.gov
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
56-375 WASHINGTON : 2024
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS
ROGER WILLIAMS, Texas, Chairman
BLAINE LUETKEMEYER, Missouri
PETE STAUBER, Minnesota
DAN MEUSER, Pennsylvania
BETH VAN DUYNE, Texas
MARIA SALAZAR, Florida
TRACEY MANN, Kansas
JAKE ELLZEY, Texas
MARC MOLINARO, New York
MARK ALFORD, Missouri
ELI CRANE, Arizona
AARON BEAN, Florida
WESLEY HUNT, Texas
NICK LALOTA, New York
CELESTE MALOY, Utah
NYDIA VELAZQUEZ, New York, Ranking Member
JARED GOLDEN, Maine
KWEISI MFUME, Maryland
DEAN PHILLIPS, Minnesota
GREG LANDSMAN, Ohio
MARIE GLUESENKAMP PEREZ, Washington
SHRI THANEDAR, Michigan
MORGAN MCGARVEY, Kentucky
HILLARY SCHOLTEN, Michigan
JUDY CHU, California
SHARICE DAVIDS, Kansas
CHRIS PAPPAS, New Hampshire
Ben Johnson, Majority Staff Director
Melissa Jung, Minority Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
OPENING STATEMENTS
Page
Hon. Roger Williams.............................................. 1
Hon. Nydia Velazquez............................................. 2
APPENDIX
Additional Material for the Record:
H.R. 7984.................................................... 34
H.R. 5333.................................................... 36
H.R. 8014.................................................... 41
H.R. 7987.................................................... 45
H.R. 7988.................................................... 48
H.R. 7985.................................................... 51
H.R. 7989.................................................... 54
Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 5333, offered
by Mr. Meuser of Pennsylvania.............................. 57
Minority Views, H.R. 7984, the ``Rural Small Business
Resilience Act''........................................... 63
Minority Views, H.R. 5333, ``Investing in All of America Act
of 2023''.................................................. 65
Minority Views, H.R. 8014, the ``Transparency and
Predictability in Small Business Opportunities Act''....... 67
Minority Views, H.R. 7987, the ``Plain Language in
Contracting Act''.......................................... 69
Minority Views, H.R. 7988, Small Business Procurement and
Utilization Reform (SPUR) Act.............................. 70
Minority Views, H.R. 7985, the ``Entrepreneurs with
Disabilities Reporting Act of 2024''....................... 72
Minority Views, H.R. 7989, the ``ThinkDIFFERENTLY About
Disability Employment Act''................................ 74
Small Business Investor Alliance (SBIA)...................... 76
MARKUP OF: H.R. 7984, THE RURAL SMALL
BUSINESS RESILIENCE ACT; H.R. 5333, THE
INVESTING IN ALL OF AMERICA ACT; H.R.
8014, THE TRANSPARENCY AND PREDICT-
ABILITY IN SMALL BUSINESS OPPORTUNI-
TIES ACT; H.R. 7987, THE PLAIN LANGUAGE
IN CONTRACTING ACT; H.R. 7988, THE SPUR
ACT OF 2024; H.R. 7985, THE ENTRE-
PRENEURS WITH DISABILITIES REPORTING
ACT; H.R. 7989, THE THINKDIFFERENTLY
ABOUT DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT ACT
----------
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2024
House of Representatives,
Committee on Small Business,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:01 a.m., in Room
2360, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Roger Williams
[chairman of the Committee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Williams, Stauber, Meuser, Van
Duyne, Salazar, Mann, Ellzey, Molinaro, Alford, Crane, Bean,
LaLota, Maloy, Velazquez, Golden, Phillips, Landsman, McGarvey,
Gluesenkamp Perez, Scholten, Thanedar, Chu, Davids, and Pappas.
Mr. WILLIAMS. The committee will now come to order. A
quorum is present. Without objection, the Chair is authorized
to declare recess of the committee at any time. As required by
House rules, a copy of the legislative measures have been made
available to the Members and the public at least 24 hours in
advance.
Pursuant to committee rule 13 and House rule XI, all votes
will be rolled to the end of the meeting. I now recognize
myself for opening remarks.
Good morning again and welcome to today's markup where we
will be discussing seven bills that will address the needs of
our nation's small business. I am going to be speaking on each
of the bills we bring up today in much greater detail so I will
keep these remarks very brief.
To put it bluntly, Main Street America has been forced to
play defense every day thanks to this administration's
regulatory agenda. My colleagues and I on this committee have
the privilege of being main street's voice in Washington and
that is why our work is so important.
Moreover, it is our job we put forward meaningful policy
solutions that will help our nation's job creators. When small
businesses can hire more employees and reinvest in their
businesses and communities the country operates at its very
best.
The seven bills before us today have been discussed widely
by all Members and staff, and for that I am very grateful. Now
before us today are bills that improve access to disaster
assistance for those in rural areas, increase employment
opportunities for people with disabilities, and require federal
contracts to be written in plain language, I repeat plain
language, so small businesses won't need a team of compliance
officers to simply be competitive, just to name a few.
In closing, I would like to thank our Members for bringing
these bills forward for consideration in today's markup. Every
piece of legislation we are going to look at today is a product
of hearings and investigations we have conducted. I am
extremely proud to see how our committee is generating sound
and responsible legislation that will make main street
stronger.
With that I look forward to today's markup. I yield to the
distinguished Ranking Member from the great state of New York,
Ms. Velazquez.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you for
holding this markup today. We are considering seven bills to
make improvements to SBA programs and services from focusing on
rural disaster and disabled communities to improving the SBIC
program and contracting rules.
We have a strong slate of bills before us. Main street
small businesses are the life blood of our nation's economy
driving innovation and job creation and helping millions of
Americans achieve the American Dream. I stand committed to
creating more opportunities for entrepreneurs so that they
continue to thrive and in turn create good-paying jobs in our
local communities.
I plan to lend my support to the seven bipartisan bills we
are considering today. My hope is that we will work together to
bring a fair ratio of Republican and Democratic bills to the
floor in the near future. Thank you, Mr. Williams, and I look
forward to a productive markup.
I yield back.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Thank you. And does any other Member seek
recognition for the purpose of making an opening statement?
Seeing none, we will now move to the consideration of the first
bill.
H.R. 7984
The first bill we will mark up is H.R. 7984, the Rural
Small Business Resilience Act, introduced by Representatives
Pappas and Bean. I now recognize the bill's sponsor, Mr. Pappas
for an opening statement.
Mr. PAPPAS. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. In New
Hampshire, our small businesses are part of the backbone of our
local economies and make up the fabric of our rural
communities, and we know that rural small businesses face
unique challenges that a one-size-fits-all approach by
government agencies is simply ineffective at providing the
support that they need.
That is why I introduced the Rural Small Business
Resilience Act. The bipartisan legislation would require the
Small Business Administration to tailor its outreach and
marketing efforts to reach our rural small businesses and
ensure that small businesses in rural areas have full access to
SBA disaster assistance.
I am glad to be working with Representatives Bean, Golden,
and Mann on this issue, and will continue to work in a
bipartisan fashion to build support for this and other
legislation that will help America's small businesses.
I remain committed to ensuring that rural small businesses
and our local economies can grow and thrive and I urge my
colleagues to support this bill.
I yield back.
Mr. WILLIAMS. I now recognize the bill's cosponsor, Mr.
Bean, for an opening statement.
Mr. BEAN. Very good morning, Mr. Chairman. Thank you so
much. Good morning, Committee, and good morning those attending
Small Business this morning. We are glad to have you here.
Welcome to your nation's capital.
I am pleased to co-lead H.R. 7984, the Rural Small Business
Resilience Act, along with my new good friend, Representative
Pappas from the great state of New Hampshire, also known as the
Granite State. This legislation will require the SBA to
appropriately tailor marketing and outreach materials to rural
communities following a disaster.
We all know the challenges facing America's rural
communities following a disaster are different than those in
urban areas and often are unique in their needs that go unmet.
Natural disasters are all too common in the free state of
Florida. We would still welcome you there if you want to come
stay or come vacation, where the yearly threat of hurricanes is
top of mind for small business owners.
In February of this year, the Government Accountability
Office, the GAO, issued a report on how targeted outreach from
the SBA can benefit rural communities. The GAO found that
people in rural areas may not be aware of the assistance the
SBA can provide following a disaster.
The GAO recommends the SBA distinguish between rural and
urban communities and their outreach and marketing programs
following a disaster. Thankfully, Mr. Pappas and I have heard
that message loud and clear from the GAO and we think we have
the answer to help rural small businesses get the answer that
they are looking for.
The answer is, and I have it, it is the Rural Small
Business Resilience Act. And I look forward, Members, to
working with you and working with Representative Pappas on the
passage of this commonsense bipartisan bill and urge colleagues
to join us, join our team to make this happen.
Mr. Chairman, does everybody know you were up at 5:00 for
baseball this morning and yet you are here today to serve the
needs of small businesses across America? Thank you for your
leadership, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Thank you for those remarks. Are there any
other Members who wish to be recognized for a statement on the
bill?
Okay. If there are no other Members--I am sorry. Once all
Members--you--the Chairman--Ranking Member, will you speak on
this bill?
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Are you recognizing me?
Mr. WILLIAMS. I am recognizing you, Madam Chair.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I commend Mr.
Pappas, Mr. Bean, Mr. Golden, and Mr. Mann for their bipartisan
effort to bring H.R. 7984 before the committee today.
The Government Accountability Office provides Congress with
fact-based, nonpartisan information to improve government
programs and save taxpayers dollars. In February GAO issued a
report that examined SBA disaster loan program and challenges
rural communities face.
GAO found that rural communities have unique obstacles
making it harder to recover after a disaster such as a lack of
infrastructure, human resources, and funding. While SBA has
taken steps to better meet the needs of disaster survivors, GAO
found a more targeted approach is needed in rural areas.
This legislation would go a long way in signaling to SBA
that strengthening outreach to rural communities is a priority.
I commend Mr. Pappas, Mr. Bean, Mr. Golden, and Mr. Mann
for their leadership, and I yield back. Thank you.
Mr. WILLIAMS. The gentlelady yields back. And I want to now
recognize myself to speak in support of this legislation.
H.R. 7984, the Rural Small Business Resilience Act, will
require the SBA to meet communities where they are following a
disaster. And there is no secret that Americans in rural
communities face different challenges following a disaster than
their urban counterparts.
It makes sense then that a one-size-fits-all outreach and
marketing plan from the SBA is inadequate. The GAO confirmed
this in their February 2024 report stating that oftentimes
individuals in rural areas do not even know assistance is
available from the SBA as they try to get back on their feet
following a disaster.
The SBA's disaster loan program offers loans to help
homeowners, renters, businesses, and nonprofits recover from
physical and economic losses following a declared disaster.
And I am grateful to Representatives Pappas and Bean for
introducing this legislation so that rural Americans will have
full access to their resources when disaster strikes and I urge
my colleagues to support this bill.
If there is no further discussion, the committee now moved
to consider of H.R. 7984.
The clerk will report.
The CLERK. H.R. 7984, to require the administration----
Mr. WILLIAMS. Without objection, the first reading of the
bill is dispensed and, without objection, the bill is
considered and is read and open for amendment. Do any Members
seek recognition for the purpose of offering an amendment?
Seeing none, the question is now on adoption of H.R. 7984
and favorably reporting it to the House.
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it and H.R. 7984
is agreed to be reported favorably to the House.
Mr. BEAN. Mr. Chairman?
Mr. WILLIAMS. What do you seek recognition for?
Mr. BEAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I seek to request a
recorded vote.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Okay. A recorded voted has been requested and
a roll call vote is ordered pursuant to Committee Rule 13 and
House rule XI. Further proceedings on the bill are postponed.
H.R. 5333
The next bill we will markup is H.R. 5333, the Investing in
All of America Act of 2023, introduced by Representatives
Meuser and Scholten. The clerk will report.
The CLERK. H.R. 5333, to amend the----
Mr. WILLIAMS. Without objection, H.R. 5333 is considered as
read and open for amendment.
The bill's sponsor, Mr. Meuser, has an amendment in the
nature of a substitute at the desk. The amendment has been pre-
distributed to all Members and the clerk will report the
amendment.
The CLERK. Amendment in the nature of a substitute to
H.R.----
Mr. WILLIAMS. Without objection, the amendment is
considered as read and the substitute will be considered base
text of the bill for the purpose of amendment.
I now recognize the bill's sponsor, Mr. Meuser, for his
statement.
Mr. MEUSER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Small business investment companies, SBICs, are privately
owned companies that are licensed and regulated by the SBA.
SBICs raise private capital by the Small Business
Administration and it is matched with leverage by the SBA.
SBICs then deploy these private funds along with the SBA
guaranteed funding to invest directly in small businesses.
The SBIC program operates at a zero-subsidy cost to the
American taxpayer. In other words, taxpayer funds are not
utilized to support credit extended to SBIC investments. SBIC-
backed businesses have created over 3 million new jobs and
supported an additional 10.5 million jobs over just the last
two decades.
Last year alone SBICs invested over $8 billion in small
businesses across America, including $412 million in my home
state of Pennsylvania to small business. Now, the SBIC program
has been very successful in responsibly deploying capital to
small businesses. Recent studies have shown that less than 20
percent of SBIC investment reaches low- to middle-income
communities.
So, H.R. 5333, the Investing in All of America Act, which I
introduced with Representative Scholten, would incentive the
deployment of additional capital to small business located in
rural or low-income areas as well as small businesses in the
national security technology sectors. Dollars invested in these
areas will not count against individual SBIC's leveraged cap.
By creating this incentive, the Investing in All of America
Act will encourage private capital investment in the parts of
America that are, in fact, often overlooked. It is important to
note that the bonus leverage included in this legislation does
not change the cost or risks of the SBIC program.
The existing successful private capital ratio to SBA
leverage that has kept the program operating so well and at no
subsidy will remain the same. This legislation would also
adjust the SBIC leverage caps to account for inflation. SBIC
leverage caps have not been adjusted since 2015, for single
licenses in 2018 for a family of funds. Since the last
adjustments inflation has risen nearly 30 percent.
So, as we continue to deal with increasing inflation,
reinstating the inflation adjustor for the leverage cap is
essential to ensure the investment power of SBICs remain
consistent with the broader markets and ensure the program can
continue to provide small business with the capital they need.
Just yesterday the Subcommittee on Economic Growth Tax and
Capital Access, which I Chair, held a hearing examining the
SBIC program. In addition to discussing the positive effects of
the program, we did discuss improvements that could be made. I
am happy to say that a number of the reforms suggested by our
witnesses are included in this legislation.
While there is more work to do, this legislation will make
a positive impact on those participating in the SBIC programs
and assist them deploying even more capital to worthy small
businesses, especially, again, those who are often overlooked.
Now, before I conclude I would ask, Mr. Chairman, for
unanimous consent to insert a letter into the record from
nearly 100 small business investment companies in support of
this legislation.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Granted.
Mr. MEUSER. I would like to thank Representative Scholten
for her partnership on this legislation and bipartisan group of
14 Members who have cosponsored it. I would also like to thank
Chairman Williams for bringing this bill forward for the
consideration today.
I look forward to continued working with my colleagues to
ensure the SBA's programs, like the SBICs, are serving as small
business as well and responsibly deploying capital to areas
where it is most needed.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Mr. WILLIAMS. The gentleman yields back.
I now recognize the bill's cosponsor, Ms. Scholten, for a
statement.
Ms. SCHOLTEN. Thank you so much to the bill's leader, Mr.
Meuser, and to Chairman Williams for bringing this bill before
committee. This is what I came to Congress to do, these types
of bipartisan, commonsense solutions that help Main Street
America and rural parts of our community that are often
overlooked.
Michigan is home to almost 1 million small businesses. That
is 99.6 percent of all privately owned businesses in the state.
This bill is going to have a huge impact. On any given day, the
issue of access to capital is among the greatest challenge for
our small businesses. For low-, middle-income and rural
communities this issue hits even closer to home.
Recent studies have show that less than 20 percent of small
business investment companies, SBIC funds are reaching these
communities. That is insane. For a program with a long history
of success, this disparity is completely unacceptable and it is
incumbent upon this committee the program so that it serves
small business owned by people from all walks of life.
That is exactly what we are doing here today. That is why I
am so proud to lead the Investing in All of America Act, which
would not only incentivize the deployment of additional capital
to underserved communities by not counting dollars invested in
rural or low-income areas or in the national security
technology sector against the SBICs' leverage count.
This bipartisan solution would bolster SBIC program success
as a zero subsidy, pubic-private partnership by encouraging
investments in rural areas in industries that are vital to
national defense here in West Michigan and across the country.
It is critical that these businesses can get the
investments that they need to continue growing our economy
especially those in underserved and rural communities. I
strongly urge Members to vote on this bipartisan and important
legislation.
Thank you again to the bill's cosponsor, Mr. Meuser, and to
the Chair. I yield back the remainder of my time, sir.
Mr. WILLIAMS. The gentlelady yields back.
Are there any other Members who wish to recognized for a
statement on the bill?
Okay. If there are no Members who wish to be recognized, I
would like to recognize the Ranking Member to speak on the
bill.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to
Representatives Meuser and Scholten for your bipartisan
leadership on this bill. H.R. 5333 makes statutory improvements
to the SBAC program to provide access to additional leverage
when they invest in small businesses in rural or underserved
communities, or small business critical to national security.
Due to the capital-intensive nature and early revenue
profile small firms operating in America's critical technology
sector need institutional investors with longer term time
horizons to raise capital. Yet, due to statutory constraints
these investors are often limited in their ability to
participate in the SBIC program, making the program an
unsuitable option for critical technology to raise capital.
By providing SBICs with additional leverage flexibility,
this bill will enable the SBA and Defense Department to
successfully carry out their joint small business investment
company critical technology initiative. By providing SBICs with
additional bonus leverage, we are encouraging investment in
small employers in our communities that need it most.
I again want to thank Representatives Meuser and Scholten
for their leadership on this issue. I also want to thank
Chairman Williams and his team for their collaboration on
technical edits to the bill and the team at the SBA for their
feedback.
I believe through the effort of all parties involved we
have got in this bill to a good place. I am proud to support it
and encourage Members to vote yes.
I yield back.
Mr. WILLIAMS. The gentlelady yields back. And I now
recognize myself to speak in support of this legislation.
Small business are faced with continual disadvantages when
it comes to assessing capital whether it's burdensome
regulations and high interest rates, banks are being forced to
tighten their lending standards.
When this happens, small businesses are often the ones
forced to pay the higher price to much needed funds. This is
where the SBA's SBIC program comes into help. This program
expands the options available to our nation's job creators to
assess vital funding to grow and expand their operations.
And H.R. 5333 makes the thoughtful improvements to ensure
that the SBIC program continues to be an essential part of
helping many small businesses navigate these economic
challenges and increase the avenues to access capital. The bill
allows the SBIC license commitment to account for inflation and
provides additional leverage to licensees when committing to
invest in smaller enterprises in underserved areas,
specifically in rural America and areas of critical national
defense technologies.
Additionally, the bill directs no new spending and no new
mandates allowing the program to continue operating at no cost
to the taxpayer. Just yesterday in a subcommittee hearing we
heard about the benefits this bill will have on program
participants. The bill will make meaningful changes to the SBIC
program all without adding additional risk for the taxpayers.
I urge my colleagues to vote yes, on both the amendment and
the nature of substitute on H.R. 5333 and the underlying bill.
So, do any Members seek recognition of the purpose of
offering the amendment to the amendment in the nature of a
substitute? If there is no further discussion, on the question
now on the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R.
5333, offered by Mr. Meuser.
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it. The
amendment and the nature of the substitute H.R. 5333 offered by
Mr. Meuser is agreed to.
Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Chairman?
Mr. WILLIAMS. Yes, sir?
Mr. MEUSER. I would like to request a recorded vote.
Mr. WILLIAMS. A recorded vote----
Mr. MEUSER. I withdraw my request.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Request is withdrawn. Okay. The question now
is now on favorably reporting H.R. 5333 as amended to the
House. Okay.
All those in favor, say aye.
Opposed?
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it and H.R.
5333, as amended, is agreed to in order to favorably move to
the House.
Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Chairman?
Mr. WILLIAMS. Yes, sir?
Mr. MEUSER. I would now like to request a recorded vote.
Mr. WILLIAMS. For what purpose does the gentleman seek
recognition for a recorded vote?
Mr. MEUSER. Yes, sir, for a recorded vote. Thank you.
Mr. WILLIAMS. A recorded vote has been requested and a roll
call is ordered. Pursuant to Committee Rule 13 and House rule
XI further proceedings on the bill is postponed.
All right.
H.R. 8014
The next bill we will markup is H.R. 8014, the Transparency
and Predictability in Small Business Opportunities Act,
introduced by Representatives Mfume and Alford. I now recognize
the bill's sponsor. Mr. Mfume is not here I don't think. Is he?
Okay. All right. All right.
I now recognize the bill's cosponsor, Mr. Alford for an
opening statement.
Mr. ALFORD. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you so much,
Ranking Member Velazquez, for holding this markup session
today. I tell you what, I love coming to these sessions. It is
a culmination of hard work, determination, and grit, and we are
getting back to doing the business for Main Street America and
I love that.
This committee really exists in Congress to champion main
street, to make sure that small businesses that employ about
half of all Americans continue to thrive. Our role is to help
lower the barriers to creating small businesses and to support
small businesses that already exist. A major tool to help
existing small businesses are government contracts specifically
set aside for small businesses.
However, federal agencies cancel contracts solicitations
many times with no warning and no reason, leaving the small
businesses that spent thousands or tens of thousands of dollars
and hours preparing a bid, leaving them out in the cold.
This bill, the Transparency and Predictability in Small
Business Opportunities Act, would help address this problem,
help solve it, help end it. This legislation would require
agencies to provide the Small Business Administration a
justification for canceled contract solicitations.
Additionally, this would require the agency canceling the
contract solicitations to disclose available information about
plans to reissue similar solicitations.
Finally, if the agency does not plan on reissuing a
solicitation, the agency's director of small and disadvantaged
business utilization must assist the small business in
identifying similar contracting opportunities. Basically, Mr.
Chairman and Ranking Member, this is setting up people for
success and breaking down barriers in the process.
I am proud to support this legislation, proud to be on this
with Mr. Mfume. It is going to help provide stability and
predictability to small business contractors, part of our
responsibility on this committee.
Thank you and I yield back.
Mr. WILLIAMS. The gentleman yields back. Are there any
other Members who wish to recognized for a statement on the
bill?
Okay. If there are no other Members who wish to be
recognized, I would like to recognize the Ranking Member to
speak on the bill.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I commend
Representatives Mfume and Alford for their work on this
legislation which will require the government to provide
information to small business contractors when they cancel
solicitations.
The government has flexibility to change requirements and
solicitations as needed when their circumstances change. While
this flexibility is necessary, the small businesses take on the
risk and can incur losses when it happens. We have heard and
time and again the barriers facing small contractors in our
industrial base.
The Women's Chamber of Commerce has complained how numerous
small business contracts just go away without explanation or
discussion of the obstacles. And during our hearing on February
6th, Andrew Christ, a small business owner highlighted how
small firms can spend significant amounts, an average of
$10,000 to develop a proposal, only to find out that the
project has become inactive.
The bill we are considering today would not limit an
agency's ability to make changes when necessary. It will simply
provide some help to the small business when it does, requiring
an agency to disclose the reasons behind a cancellation and any
plans for the work will provide small contractors with a little
more information to adjust their business plans and operations
accordingly.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill and I yield back,
Mr. Chairman.
Mr. WILLIAMS. The gentlelady yields back.
I now recognize myself to speak in support of this
legislation. H.R. 8014, the Transparency and Predictability in
Small Business Opportunities Act, seeks to bring clarity to
small business owners when an agency cancels a contract
solicitation.
Small business spend an incredible amount of time and
resources preparing to bid on government contracts. When an
agency cancels a contract solicitation the small businesses
that started preparing are left with nothing to show for their
work.
Furthermore, there is little clarity about what the agency
will do with the products and services originally intended to
purchase. So, H.R. 8014 will require the agency to share with
the SBA justifications why the contract was cancelled.
Moreover, this bill requires agencies to assist small
businesses impacted by the canceled solicitation by helping
them identify similar contracts to bid on.
Small businesses deserve to have a full understanding of
what opportunities are available to them and to know how
agencies will fulfill their buying needs. So, I urge all my
colleagues to support H.R. 8014.
If there is no further discussion, the committee now moves
to consideration of H.R. 8014.
The clerk will report.
The CLERK. H.R. 8014, to require the----
Mr. WILLIAMS. Without objection, the first reading of the
bill is dispensed and, without objection, the bill is
considered as read and open for amendment.
Do any Members seek recognition for the purpose of offering
an amendment?
Seeing none, the question is that now on adoption of H.R.
8014 and favorably reporting to the House.
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it and H.R. 8014
is agreed to and ordered favorably to the House.
Mr. ALFORD. Mr. Chairman?
Mr. WILLIAMS. What recognition do you seek?
Mr. ALFORD. I seek to have recorded votes, sir.
Mr. WILLIAMS. A record of votes has been requested and a
roll call vote is ordered. Pursuant to committee rule 13 and
House rule XI, further proceedings on the bill are postponed.
H.R. 7987
The next bill we will markup is H.R. 7987, the Plain
Language in Contracting Act, introduced by Representatives
LaLota and Thanedar. I recognize the bill's sponsor, Mr. LaLota
for an opening statement.
Mr. LALOTA. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman, it shouldn't be as hard as the federal government
makes it for America's small businesses to apply for an to win
a federal contract. Small business, who are the life blood of
America's economy and often have a single-digit or a low
double-digit number of employees, shouldn't require a lawyer or
compliance office to compete for and ultimately win a federal
contract. But we have a solution.
My bill, and a shout-out to my cosponsor and Representative
Thanedar, the Plain Language in Contracting Act, would help
solve that problem by making it easier for small businesses to
secure government contracts.
There are over 33 million small businesses in America, 33
million. And many of these companies offer products and
services that are crucial for the procurement of key projects
both here in the United States and abroad. However, of those 33
million only about 65,000 of those small businesses actually
win federal prime contracts. That is a terrible ratio.
We have heard from many small business owners who say that
complexity of the bidding process for a government contract
ultimately turns them away. Preparing for that bid is difficult
enough, but the process is made even more difficult when the
government is ambiguous about what it wants and its language is
so complex that understanding it requires an advance degree.
I challenge everyone of you, both Members, audience, and
folks at home to try to understand some of these contract
requirements. I know that it is frustrating for me and it is
absolutely ridiculous. It takes an advanced law degree to make
sense of it and even a lot of folks with those degrees can't
make that sense.
In fact, a naval postgraduate school commissioned a study
of over 1 million DOD solicitations and they found three key
things. Less than 3 percent of DOD contract solicitations are
written in plain English. Second, most DOD solicitations
require a college education just to understand it. And third
and final, on a standard readability scale most DOD contracts
are either difficult or very difficult to read on their rating
scale.
The detrimental effect of our government's convoluted
language on small businesses cannot be overstated. It is a
direct cause of small businesses' exodus from federal
contracting leading to a significant loss in competition. And
let me be clear, the competition lost by reduced small business
hurts all of us, especially on the pricing and the quality.
Small businesses are the backbone of our great nation's economy
and we should be doing everything we can to support them.
That is why I am proud I have introduced my bill, the Plain
Language in Contracting Act, which will require federal
agencies to use clear language when publishing contact
solicitations, finally allowing greater access to solicitations
bids.
I urge all of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to
support this commonsense bill. Again, one more shout-out to my
colleague, Representative Thanedar, with whom I also serve on
the Homeland Security Committee for his co-lead on this, and,
Chairman Williams, for you and your staff, for your diligence
on this.
This could be my fourth bill that gets to the House floor
and appreciate it, sir. I yield.
Mr. WILLIAMS. The gentleman yields back.
And I recognize the bill's co-sponsor, Mr. Thanedar, for an
opening statement.
Mr. THANEDAR. Thank you, Chairman Williams and Ranking
Member Velazquez. I appreciate both of you and your leadership
in this bipartisan effort. What a great work. This is really
what I came to Congress to do. As an entrepreneur I am
delighted with what this committee does and the collaboration
with both sides.
Today, alongside my esteemed colleague, Representative
LaLota from New York, I am proud to co-lead the Plain Language
in Contracting Act, a bipartisan initiative aimed at
revolutionizing how government communicates with small
businesses.
As a co-lead on this vital legislation, I am deeply
committed to simply find the often convoluted and inaccessible
notices that hinder small businesses' access to government
contracts.
Having experienced the challenges of entrepreneurship
firsthand, Representative LaLota and I recognize the urgent
need to cut through bureaucratic jargon and provide clear,
concise, and accessible information to our nation's small
business owners. This bill not only aligns with our core values
of transparency and efficiency but also reflects our unwavering
dedication to fostering a level playing field for all
businesses regardless of size.
By requiring the inclusion of key words and adherence to
federal plain language guidelines we are not just drafting
legislation, we are empowering small businesses to navigate the
complexity of government contracting with confidence and ease.
This is about just--is this about more than just policy. It is
about supporting the backbone of our economy and ensuring that
every entrepreneur has the opportunity to succeed.
I am proud to stand alongside Representative LaLota and our
colleagues in this bipartisan effort and I look forward to
working tirelessly to advance this critical legislation for the
betterment of our small business community and our nation as a
whole.
Thank you, Representative LaLota, and thank you all, and I
yield back.
Mr. WILLIAMS. The gentleman yields back.
Are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for a
statement on this bill? If there are no other Members to be
recognized, I would like to recognize the Ranking Member to
speak on the bill.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the
work done on this legislation that seeks to provide clarity for
some small business government contractors working or looking
to work with the federal government. It would require certain
contracting documents, including requests for proposals and
solicitations be written in a way that is clear, concise, and
accessible.
The goals of this bill are laudable. There are certainly
ways in which the federal government can improve in this area
in the language used and on contracting opportunities is one.
Thanks to our sponsor for their work.
Thank you again and I yield back.
Mr. WILLIAMS. The gentlelady yields back. And I now
recognize myself to speak in support of this legislation.
H.R. 7987, the Plain Language in Contracting Act, is a very
important piece of legislation which removes a hurdle small
businesses face as they consider doing business with the
government.
The complexity of government contracting often turns small
businesses away from even attempting to compete for these
awards. The government-speak used in federal contracting only
adds confusion to small businesses and often takes a team of
attorneys to fully comprehend what they mean or services that
are being requested and government language is so problematic
that the committee has heard firsthand testimony from small
business owners about the challenges of navigating government
language.
In a subcommittee hearing we held just yesterday we heard
that most DOD solicitations require at least some higher
education to understand what is written. This burden is just
one of the many reasons that small businesses' participation in
the industrial base has been cut by nearly one-half over the
past decade.
The Plain Language in Contracting Act makes it easier for
small businesses to federal contracting to navigate these
unnecessarily complex documents by finally requiring agencies
to write concisely. I want to thank the Ranking Member and her
staff and her team for working with us in drafting this bill
and I urge all of my colleagues to vote for the Plain Language
in Contracting Act.
If there is no further discussion, the committee now moved
to consideration of H.R. 7987.
Mr. LALOTA. Mr. Chairman?
Mr. WILLIAMS. The clerk will report.
Mr. LALOTA. Chairman?
Mr. WILLIAMS. Yes.
Mr. LALOTA. Disregard, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. WILLIAMS. What you would----
Mr. LALOTA. Disregard my comment, Mr. Chairman. I pulled a
Meuser, sorry.
Mr. WILLIAMS. We good? We can--do you want us to take a
recess and we will----
Mr. LALOTA. No, sir. No, sir.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Okay. Here we go. If there is no further
discussion, the committee now moves to consider H.R. 7987. The
clerk will report.
The CLERK. H.R. 7986, to require plain language----
Mr. WILLIAMS. Without objection, the first reading of the
bill is dispensed and, without objection, the bill is
considered as read and open for amendment. Do any Members seek
recognition for the purpose of offering an amendment?
If no, seeing none, the question is now on the adoption of
H.R. 7987 and favorably reporting it to the House.
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it and H.R.
7987----
Mr. LALOTA. Mr. Chairman?
Mr. WILLIAMS. Seek recognition.
Mr. LALOTA. Mr. Chairman, I request a role call vote.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Okay. The Member asked for a recorded vote. A
recorded vote has been requested and roll call vote is order.
Pursuant to committee rule 13 and House rule XI, further
proceedings on this bill----
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Chair?
Mr. WILLIAMS.--are postponed.
H.R. 7988
The next bill we will--Gluesenkamp Perez. I now recognize
the bill's sponsor, Mr. Stauber, for an opening statement.
Mr. STAUBER. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I rise to
speak in favor of my bill, H.R. 7988, the Small Business
Procurement and Utilization Reform Act of 2024, or the SPUR
Act.
Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They are
the innovators, the job traders, and the driving force behind
economic growth. In Minnesota, small businesses account for
over 99 percent of all businesses and employ over half of the
workforce.
It is no exaggeration to say that the success of our
economy is tied to the success of our small businesses. I
believe there is no better way for the government to support
small businesses than to ensure they have ever opportunity to
contract with the largest purchaser of goods and services in
the world, the federal government.
The problem is that while government agencies set aside
contract opportunities for small businesses participation in
federal contracting has declined by half in the last decade. We
have an existing system in place that helps us see that we need
to improve.
Agencies are graded on the total number and value of small
business contracts, yet they do not factor in small businesses
who won a federal contract for the first time. So, without
incorporating this into the agency's scoreboard grade, we have
no ability to tell whether the shrinking pool of small
businesses are first time contractors or have been contracting
for multiple years.
My bill, the SPUR Act, addresses this concern. It will
provide us with more information to see where the federal
government can improve. I would like to thank my colleague from
Washington, Representative Gluesenkamp Perez, for her support
of this important legislation.
Too many federal agencies fall short of their goals for
awarding contracts to small businesses leaving billions of
dollars in contracts out of reach of America's small
businesses. And I urge my colleagues to support this
legislation as it will help ensure that the federal government
is doing everything it can to support small businesses in
America.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I yield back.
Mr. WILLIAMS. The gentleman yields back. I now recognize
the bill's cosponsor, Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez, for an opening
statement.
Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Thank you, Chairman Williams, and
thank you to my colleague, Mr. Stauber, for his partnership on
this bill and your valiant efforts at pronouncing my last name.
The SBA is tasked with ensuring that small businesses are
given a fair shot at competing for federal contracting dollars.
SBA publishes an annual small business procurement scorecard
that grades each federal agency on their spending towards the
goal and gives agencies a score for their performance. We all
know the adage there is lies, damn lies, and statistics. And I
am certainly not accusing anyone of lying here, but I think it
is important that when we are looking at these numbers we are
understanding what they are representing.
Put simply the federal government is not retaining current
small business government contractors and new small businesses
are not choosing to enter the federal market. This is a big
problem.
For our local economies to thrive it is important that we
level the playing field, ensure more Southwest Washington small
businesses can benefit from these opportunities. Our bill would
require that the SBA include the number of new entrants into
the federal market and the methodology for scoring each federal
agency's small business performance.
After the pandemic hit in 2020, my husband and I spent the
better part of the year working on upgrades to the
infrastructure in our auto shop, like better ventilation,
lighting, things that would keep our employees and customers
safe.
Our good friends who own an autobody shop spent the entire
year trying to figure out how to navigate a contract with the
City of Portland. To me this is a really good example of how it
is a real loss to our workforce and our local economy when
small business owners have to spend the whole year figuring out
how to do business with the government.
Our bill will help shed light on how successful federal
agencies are at making sure that new businesses see the value
in contracting with the federal government and have the
capacity to overcome the regulatory burdens to tap into these
resources.
I am proud to co-lead this bill with Representative Stauber
and I urge my colleagues on the committee to support it. Thank
you and I yield back.
Mr. WILLIAMS. The gentlelady yields back. Are there any
other Members who wish to be recognized for a statement on the
bill?
If there are no other Members who wish to be recognized, I
would like to recognize the Ranking Member to speak on the
bill.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I commend
Representatives Stauber and Gluesenkamp Perez for the work to
require SBA to consider new small business contractors when
grading a federal agency performance toward meeting its small
businesses goals.
The government has roughly 40 percent fewer small
businesses in its ecosystem then it did just a decade ago. This
decline of the industrial base has produced negative
consequences for both the government and small firms and
taxpayers. They lose out on the stability government
contracting can provide and the government loses out on the
innovation and competition that a larger small based of small
businesses provides.
Yet despite this decline, federal agencies award a record
amount of contracting dollars to small businesses each year.
This means fewer small businesses are getting larger contracts.
And since contracts are getting larger, fewer small businesses
are willing and able to compete for them. This legislation is a
productive step that will help break that cycle.
By requiring a year-over-year comparison of new entrants
rather than a single target, federal agencies will be compelled
to continuously focus on bringing in new companies and
addressing the barriers, like contract size, that prevent
greater small business participation.
I again applaud the work put into this legislation. It is a
thoughtful product that I am pleased to support and I urge my
colleagues to support as well.
Mr. WILLIAMS. The gentlelady yields back.
And I now recognize myself to speak in support of this
legislation.
H.R. 7988 makes it clear that small businesses are vital in
the American industrial base. Each year agencies set a goal to
spend at least 23 percent of their contract dollars with main
street. The government generally meets this goal in dollars,
but the number of small businesses actually winning contracts
continues to decline and agencies are prioritizing the total
dollars it awards, not the number of small firms.
The decline in participation that we are seeing is a
critical threat to America's industrial base and we must take
action to reverse this trend. That is why the SPUR Act is
critical. It will force agencies to factor in small businesses
who won a government contract for the first time when they are
graded on SBA's annual procurement scorecard.
As agencies plan out their contracting activities they must
ensure that increasing small businesses awards is a priority so
that they have every opportunity to compete for these
contracts. So, I urge all my colleagues to support the SPUR
Act.
And if there is no further discussion, the committee now
moves to consideration of H.R. 7988. The clerk will report.
The CLERK. H.R. 7988----
Mr. WILLIAMS. Without objection, the first reading of the
bill is dispensed. With--and without objection, the bill is
considered as read and open for amendment. Do any Members seek
recognition for the purpose of offering an amendment?
Seeing none, the question is now on adoption of H.R. 7988
in favor of reporting it to the House.
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it.
Do you seek recognition?
Mr. STAUBER. I ask for a recorded vote. Thank you.
Mr. WILLIAMS. A recorded vote has been requested and a roll
call vote is ordered. Pursuant to committee rule 13 and House
rule XI, any further proceedings on the bill are postponed.
H.R. 7985
The next bill we will markup is H.R. 7985, Entrepreneurs
with Disabilities Reporting Act of 2024, introduced by
Representatives McGarvey and Molinaro. I now recognize the
bill's sponsor, Mr. McGarvey for an opening statement.
Mr. MCGARVEY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you for
your support of H.R. 7985 and for including it in today's
markup.
I would also like to especially thank Chairman Molinaro.
Not only is he the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Innovation,
Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development, but he held a
really great hearing about how we help people with disabilities
become entrepreneurs and he very compassionately, courageously
detailed the obstacles his own daughter has faced. And of
course, brought up, for everyone on that subcommittee, brought
up Maeve from Maeve's Coffee in the Hudson Valley, who was an
absolute star in showing us the opportunities that exist if we
are willing to invest and make this part of the American Dream
available to everybody.
I was also honored to have my constituent, Cody Clark, come
up from Louisville, a small business owner, disability rights
advocate, and I think the first person to perform a magic trick
in front of this committee, at least this Congress. He did a
great job telling us about the problems that people with
disabilities face and his experience as an entrepreneur. His
experience and those like the ones we heard from helped lead to
today's legislation.
This bipartisan legislation will require the Small Business
Administration to submit a report to Congress on the challenges
faced by entrepreneurs with disabilities. The report will
include an assessment of these entrepreneurs' challenges and
needs and detail what resources the SBA currently provides to
entrepreneurs with disabilities. Importantly, it is also going
to recommend legislative action to improve how the SBA serves
entrepreneurs with disabilities.
By requiring a report from the Small Business
Administration, this bill will better help Congress understand
how to support these entrepreneurs who face different
challenges. I encourage all of my colleagues to support this
bill, and yield back.
Mr. WILLIAMS. The gentleman yields back.
I now recognize the bill's cosponsor, Mr. Molinaro, for an
opening statement.
Mr. MOLINARO. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I was glad to hear
the great applause for this legislation, cheering in the
hallways. I commend Mr. McGarvey for sponsoring the bill and
thank you, Mr. Chairman, for moving the Entrepreneurs with
Disability Reporting Act here today.
I do want to extend my appreciation, Mr. McGarvey, Cody was
a wonderful witness, but also a strong testament to the ability
of every individual should be given the support from family and
removed obstacles by government to attain success. And I for
one was very grateful that Maeve was able to join us, but an
important hearing addressing the challenges and obstacles that
many with intellectual, physical, and developmental
disabilities face every day.
This particular bill, bipartisan in nature, will provide
much needed clarity for entrepreneurs with disabilities as the
navigate SBA's complex maze of over 50 different programs
geared towards assisting them in starting a business. As of
April 2022, 74 percent of adults with disabilities work outside
the traditional workforce with approximately 1.8 million of
these individuals with disabilities as business owners
themselves.
Entrepreneurs of ability should have a fair shot at
pursuing their passion and we ought to work hard to remove
obstacles from them.
As the Chairman of the Small Business Subcommittee on
Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development I join
my colleagues in remaining committed to empowering our
entrepreneurs with disabilities to contribute more to main
street and lead really more independent and fulfilled lives.
I am grateful again to Mr. McGarvey and the commitment of
this committee to move this legislation today. This act would
provide a comprehensive assessment of the needs of our
entrepreneurs with disabilities and help to inform lawmakers of
legislative solutions to address the challenges these
individuals face and breakdown barriers so they can pursue
their employment options.
I urge my colleagues to support the bill. As I like to say
back home this is one more effort to show America what it means
to think differently for those with intellectual, physical, and
developmental disabilities.
And with that I yield back.
Mr. WILLIAMS. The gentleman yields back.
Are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for a
statement on this bill?
If no other Members wish to be recognized, I would like to
recognize the Ranking Member to speak on the bill.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased
support the legislation offered by Mr. McGarvey and Mr.
Molinaro, which will require the SBA to submit a report to
Congress on the challenges facing entrepreneurs with
disabilities.
There are 44 million people with disabilities in the United
States. While progress has been made to increase employment
rates, disabled individuals lag behind people without
disabilities. Only 26 percent of people with disabilities
participate in the labor force.
As a country we can do better and we must do better.
Studies have found higher rates of self-employment among
disabled Americans, most often because it offers more
flexibility and the ability to work remotely. That is why we
need a comprehensive study to assess the SBA resources that are
available to entrepreneurs with disabilities examine their
effectiveness and determine what actions need to be take to
help support entrepreneurs with disabilities.
I applaud Mr. McGarvey and Mr. Molinaro for their
leadership on this issue. I support the bill, and I yield back
my time.
Mr. WILLIAMS. The gentlelady yields back.
H.R. 7985, the Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Reporting
Act of 2024, will require the SBA to issue a report to Congress
on the challenges individuals with disabilities face when
starting a business. Furthermore, it would require the SBA to
look at resources across the federal government that assist
individuals with disabilities.
The Government Accountability Office estimate there are
only 50 programs across 9 federal agencies that support
employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
However, as we know federal agencies often fail to coordinate
or collaborate on such programs to ensure that their efforts
are not duplicated.
The Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Reporting Act of 2024
will require the SBA to look at this fragmented system and do
its part to consolidate and streamline these efforts. I thank
Representatives McGarvey and Molinaro for introducing this
legislation. I urge all Members to vote yes.
If there's no further discussion, the committee now moves
to consideration of H.R. 7985. The clerk will report.
The CLERK. H.R. 7985, to require the administrator of the
Small Business Administration----
Mr. WILLIAMS. Without objection, the first reading of the
bill is dispensed and, without objection, the bill is
considered as read and open for amendment. Do any Members seek
recognition for purpose of offering an amendment?
Seeing none, the question is now on the adoption of H.R.
7985 and favorably reporting to the House?
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it.
Mr. MCGARVEY. Chairman?
Mr. WILLIAMS. Seek recognition.
Mr. MCGARVEY. Mr. Chairman, I seek a roll call vote.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Okay. A recorded vote has been requested and
a roll call vote is ordered. Pursuant to committee rule 13 and
House rule XI further proceedings on the bill are postponed.
H.R. 7989
The next bill we will markup is H.R. 7989, the
ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disabilities Employment Act, introduced
by Representatives Molinaro and Pappas.
I now recognize the bill's sponsor, Mr. Molinaro for an
opening statement.
Mr. MOLINARO. Thank you again, Mr. Chairman. I am proud to
speak in favor of this bill and very grateful to the committee
for moving forward H.R. 7989, the ThinkDIFFERENTLY About
Disabilities Employment Act.
Building off of a nationwide effort to an initiative we
refer to as ThinkDIFFERENTLY in my home state this bill will
require greater cooperation between the SBA and the National
Counsel on Disability to expand employment and entrepreneurship
opportunities for the disability community. In New York State
alone, as was noted, 60 percent of working-age people with
disabilities are unemployed. Nationwide that number rises to 80
percent of those with intellectual, physical, and developmental
disabilities remain unemployed and outside the workforce.
We know from small businesses throughout upstate New York
and across America, we understand the many benefits of hiring
individuals with intellectual, physical, and developmental
disabilities. And especially we understand that in many cases
their unique skillsets are sound economic investments, but, as
importantly, help to boost company morale and make a benefit to
the company overall. And their participation in the workforce
promotes greater employee engagement.
The ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act paves
the way for lawmakers to assess the challenges that employees
and entrepreneurs with disabilities face while proactively
working to ensure those with disabilities have the support to
pursue real career opportunities.
I'd like to thank my colleague, Representative Pappas, for
his partnership and leadership on the bill and I urge my
colleagues to support this very simple, smart, bipartisan
legislation that is meant again to tear down barriers and
create opportunities for everyone of every ability and perhaps
show Congress and the world what it means to think differently.
Mr. WILLIAMS. The gentleman yields back. I now recognize
the bill's cosponsor, Mr. Pappas, for an opening statement.
Mr. PAPPAS. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Small
business ownership is a major pathway for all Americans to
achieve success and self-sufficiency and people with
disabilities participate in entrepreneurship at a higher rate
than nondisabled Americans. The ThinkDIFFERENTLY About
Disability Employment Act will support collaboration between
SBA and the National Counsel on Disability to help folks with
disabilities pursue small business ownership and employment
opportunities.
Individuals with disabilities deserve equal access to
support from SBA and this bipartisan legislation is an
important step forward that will help achieve that. This will
support entrepreneurship and employment of individuals with
disabilities while helping our main street economies grow and
our communities thrive.
So, I am pleased to partner with Representative Molinaro on
this bill. I thank him for his steadfast leadership in this
space and I urge my colleagues to support it.
I yield back.
Mr. WILLIAMS. The gentleman yields back.
Are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for a
statement on this bill?
If there are no other Members who wish to be recognized, I
would like to recognize the Ranking Member to speak on the
bill.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank the sponsor
of this bill and I strongly support the bill.
I yield back.
Mr. WILLIAMS. I now recognize myself to speak in support of
this legislation.
Individuals with disabilities are more likely to be self-
employed than the average American. Across the federal
government there are numerous programs and resources to assist
Americans with disabilities, yet resources tailored to
entrepreneurs with disabilities at the SBA are sorely lacking.
H.R. 7989, the ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disabilities Employment
Act, will require the SBA to enter into a Memorandum of
Understanding with the National Council on Disability, which is
an independent federal agency whose mission is to provide a
recommendation to policymakers and issues impacting individuals
with disabilities.
This makes the National Disability Council equally
qualified or uniquely qualified to advise and assist the SBA in
the pursuit of assisting individuals with disabilities achieve
the American dream.
I would like to thank Representative Molinaro for his
commitment to ensuring Congress works to pave the pathway to
success for entrepreneurs and employees with disabilities and
thank him and Mr. Pappas for introducing this legislation. I
urge all my colleagues to vote yes this legislation.
So, if there is no further discussion, the committee now
moves to the consideration of H.R. 7989. The clerk will report.
The CLERK. H.R. 7989, to provide----
Mr. WILLIAMS. Without objection, the first reading of the
bill is dispended and, without objection, the bill is
considered and read and open for amendment. Do any Members seek
recognition for the purpose of offering an amendment?
Seeing none, the question is now on the adoption of H.R.
7989 and favorably reporting to the House.
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it. H.R. 7989--
do you seek recognition?
Mr. MOLINARO. I request a recorded vote.
Mr. WILLIAMS. A recorded vote has been requested and a roll
call vote is ordered. Pursuant to committee rule 13 and House
rule XI, further proceedings on the bill are postponed.
The committee now stands in recess. Subject to the call of
the Chair, we will resume at a later time. But I think we
decided on 11:30, right? We will resume at 11:30.
[Recess.]
Mr. WILLIAMS. The committee will now come to order. The
committee will now resume consideration of the bills on which
roll call votes were requested and postponed. We will start
with H.R. 7984.
The question now is on adopting H.R. 7984 and ordering it
favorably to the House. The clerk will call the role.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer?
[No response.]
Mr. Stauber?
[No response.]
Mr. Meuser?
Mr. MEUSER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye.
Ms. Van Duyne?
Ms. VAN DUYNE. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye.
Ms. Salazar?
Ms. SALAZAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye.
Mr. Mann?
Mr. MANN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Mann votes aye.
Mr. Ellzey?
[No response.]
Mr. Molinaro?
Mr. MOLINARO. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Molinaro votes aye.
Mr. Alford?
Mr. ALFORD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye.
Mr. Crane?
Mr. CRANE. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye.
Mr. Bean?
Mr. BEAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Bean votes aye.
Mr. Hunt?
[No response.]
Mr. LaLota?
[No response.]
Ms. Maloy?
Ms. MALOY. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Maloy votes aye.
Mr. Golden?
Mr. GOLDEN. Yes.
The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye.
Mr. Mfume?
[No response.]
Mr. Phillips?
[No response.]
Mr. Landsman?
Mr. LANDSMAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye.
Mr. McGarvey?
Mr. MCGARVEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye.
Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez?
Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Yes.
The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp votes aye.
Ms. Scholten?
Ms. SCHOLTEN. Yes.
The CLERK. Ms. Scholten votes aye.
Mr. Thanedar?
Mr. THANEDAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye.
Ms. Chu?
Ms. CHU. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye.
Ms. Davids?
Ms. DAVIDS. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Davids votes aye.
Mr. Pappas?
Mr. PAPPAS. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Pappas votes aye.
Ranking Member Velazquez?
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Yes.
The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez votes aye.
Chaiman Williams?
Mr. WILLIAMS. Aye.
The CLERK. Chairman Williams votes aye.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Are there any other Members who have not
voted or wish to change their vote?
Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Chair, how am I reported?
Mr. WILLIAMS. As absent.
Mr. STAUBER. Please change it to a yes.
The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye.
Mr. ELLZEY. Mr. Chairman, how was my vote recorded?
The CLERK. The congressman was recorded as no vote or as
not voting.
Mr. ELLZEY. Ellzey, aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Do any other Members with to vote or change
their vote? Seeing none, the clerk will report.
The CLERK. On that vote, Mr. LaLota is recorded as an aye.
Mr. Chairman, on that vote 23 ayes, 0 nays, and 0 present.
Mr. WILLIAMS. H.R. 7984 is adopted and will be reported
favorably to the House.
Before I move on, there are two people I want to thank that
have made our hearing go as it has today, go very well. I want
to first of all thank Ellen. Thank you very much for all you
have done on your side and we appreciate it very much. And
also, I want to thank Andrew, who has done a good job over
here. They have made everything run well and we appreciate
them. So, thank you.
The question is now on adopting H.R. 5333, as amended, and
order it favorably reported to the House. The clerk will call
the role.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer?
[No response.]
Mr. Stauber?
[No response.]
Mr. Meuser?
Mr. MEUSER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye.
Ms. Van Duyne?
Ms. VAN DUYNE. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye.
Ms. Salazar?
Ms. SALAZAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye.
Mr. Mann?
Mr. MANN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Mann votes aye.
Mr. Ellzey?
Mr. ELLZEY. Ellzey, aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye.
Mr. Molinaro?
Mr. MOLINARO. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Molinaro votes aye.
Mr. Alford?
Mr. ALFORD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye.
Mr. Crane?
Mr. CRANE. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye.
Mr. Bean?
Mr. BEAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Bean votes aye.
Mr. Hunt.
[No response.]
Mr. LaLota?
Mr. LALOTA. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye.
Ms. Maloy?
Ms. MALOY. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Maloy votes aye.
Mr. Golden?
Mr. GOLDEN. Yes.
The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye.
Mr. Mfume?
[No response.]
Mr. Phillips?
[No response.]
Mr. Landsman?
Mr. LANDSMAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye.
Mr. McGarvey?
Mr. MCGARVEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye.
Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez?
Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Yes.
The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp votes aye.
Ms. Scholten?
Ms. SCHOLTEN. Yes.
The CLERK. Ms. Scholten votes aye.
Mr. Thanedar?
Mr. THANEDAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye.
Ms. Chu?
Ms. CHU. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye.
Ms. Davids?
Ms. DAVIDS. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Davids votes aye.
Mr. Pappas?
Mr. PAPPAS. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Pappas votes aye.
Ranking Member Velazquez?
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Yes.
The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez votes aye.
Chaiman Williams?
Mr. WILLIAMS. Aye.
The CLERK. Chairman Williams votes aye.
Mr. STAUBER. Stauber votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Okay. Are there any other Members who have
not voted or wish to change their vote?
All right. Seeing none, the clerk will report.
The CLERK. Mr. Chairman, on that vote 23 ayes, 0 nays, and
0 present.
Mr. WILLIAMS. The motion is agreed to and H.R. 5333, as
amended, is adopted and will be reported favorably to the
House.
The question now is on adopting H.R. 8014 and ordering it
favorably to the House. The clerk will call the roll.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer?
[No response.]
Mr. Stauber?
Mr. STAUBER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye.
Mr. Meuser?
Mr. MEUSER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye.
Ms. Van Duyne?
Ms. VAN DUYNE. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye.
Ms. Salazar?
Ms. SALAZAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye.
Mr. Mann?
Mr. MANN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Mann votes aye.
Mr. Ellzey?
Mr. ELLZEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye.
Mr. Molinaro?
Mr. MOLINARO. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Molinaro votes aye.
Mr. Alford?
Mr. ALFORD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye.
Mr. Crane?
Mr. CRANE. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye.
Mr. Bean?
Mr. BEAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Bean votes aye.
Mr. Hunt?
[No response.]
Mr. LaLota?
Mr. LALOTA. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye.
Ms. Maloy?
Ms. MALOY. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Maloy votes aye.
Mr. Golden?
Mr. GOLDEN. Yes.
The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye.
Mr. Mfume?
[No response.]
Mr. Phillips?
[No response.]
Mr. Landsman?
Mr. LANDSMAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye.
Mr. McGarvey?
Mr. MCGARVEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye.
Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez?
Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Yes.
The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez votes aye.
Ms. Scholten?
Ms. SCHOLTEN. Yes.
The CLERK. Ms. Scholten votes aye.
Mr. Thanedar?
Mr. THANEDAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye.
Ms. Chu?
Ms. CHU. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye.
Ms. Davids?
Ms. DAVIDS. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Davids votes aye.
Mr. Pappas?
Mr. PAPPAS. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Pappas votes aye.
Ranking Member Velazquez?
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Yes.
The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez votes aye.
Chaiman Williams?
Mr. WILLIAMS. Aye.
The CLERK. Chairman Williams votes aye.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Are there any other Members who have not
voted or wish to change their vote?
All right. Seeing none, the clerk will report.
The CLERK. Mr. Chairman, on that vote 23 ayes, 0 nays, and
0 present.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Okay. The motion is agreed to and H.R. 8014
is adopted and will be reported favorably to the House.
The question now is on adopting H.R. 7987 and ordering it
favorably to the House. The clerk will call the roll.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer?
[No response.]
Mr. Stauber?
Mr. STAUBER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye.
Mr. Meuser?
Mr. MEUSER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye.
Ms. Van Duyne?
Ms. VAN DUYNE. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye.
Ms. Salazar?
Ms. SALAZAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye.
Mr. Mann?
Mr. MANN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Mann votes aye.
Mr. Ellzey?
Mr. ELLZEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye.
Mr. Molinaro?
Mr. MOLINARO. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Molinaro votes aye.
Mr. Alford?
Mr. ALFORD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye.
Mr. Crane?
Mr. CRANE. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye.
Mr. Bean?
Mr. BEAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Bean votes aye.
Mr. Hunt?
[No response.]
Mr. LaLota?
Mr. LALOTA. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye.
Ms. Maloy?
Ms. MALOY. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Maloy votes aye.
Mr. Golden?
Mr. GOLDEN. Yes.
The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye.
Mr. Mfume?
[No response.]
Mr. Phillips?
[No response.]
Mr. Landsman?
Mr. LANDSMAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye.
Mr. McGarvey?
Mr. MCGARVEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye.
Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez?
Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Yes.
The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez votes aye.
Ms. Scholten?
Ms. SCHOLTEN. Yes.
The CLERK. Ms. Scholten votes aye.
Mr. Thanedar?
Mr. THANEDAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye.
Ms. Chu?
Ms. CHU. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye.
Ms. Davids?
Ms. DAVIDS. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Davids votes aye.
Mr. Pappas?
Mr. PAPPAS. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Pappas votes aye.
Ranking Member Velazquez?
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Yes.
The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez votes aye.
Chaiman Williams?
Mr. WILLIAMS. Aye.
The CLERK. Chairman Williams votes aye.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Are there any other Members who have not
voted or wish to change their vote?
All right. Seeing none, the clerk will report.
The CLERK. Mr. Chairman, on that vote 23 ayes, 0 nays, and
0 present.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Okay. The motion is agreed to and H.R. 7987
is adopted and will be reported favorably to the House.
The question now is on adopting H.R. 7988 and ordering it
favorably to the House. The clerk will call the roll.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer?
[No response.]
Mr. Stauber?
Mr. STAUBER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye.
Mr. Meuser?
Mr. MEUSER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye.
Ms. Van Duyne?
Ms. VAN DUYNE. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye.
Ms. Salazar?
Ms. SALAZAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye.
Mr. Mann?
Mr. MANN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Mann votes aye.
Mr. Ellzey?
Mr. ELLZEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye.
Mr. Molinaro?
Mr. MOLINARO. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Molinaro votes aye.
Mr. Alford?
Mr. ALFORD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye.
Mr. Crane?
Mr. CRANE. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye.
Mr. Bean?
Mr. BEAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Bean votes aye.
Mr. Hunt?
[No response.]
Mr. LaLota?
Mr. LALOTA. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye.
Ms. Maloy?
Ms. MALOY. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Maloy votes aye.
Mr. Golden?
Mr. GOLDEN. Yes.
The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye.
Mr. Mfume?
[No response.]
Mr. Phillips?
[No response.]
Mr. Landsman?
Mr. LANDSMAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye.
Mr. McGarvey?
Mr. MCGARVEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye.
Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez?
Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Yes.
The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez votes aye.
Ms. Scholten?
Ms. SCHOLTEN. Yes.
The CLERK. Ms. Scholten votes aye.
Mr. Thanedar?
Mr. THANEDAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye.
Ms. Chu?
Ms. CHU. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye.
Ms. Davids?
Ms. DAVIDS. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Davids votes aye.
Mr. Pappas?
Mr. PAPPAS. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Pappas votes aye.
Ranking Member Velazquez?
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Aye.
The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez votes aye.
Chairman Williams?
Mr. WILLIAMS. Aye.
The CLERK. Chairman Williams votes aye.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Are there any other Members that have not
voted or wish to change their vote?
Seeing none the clerk will report.
The CLERK. Mr. Chairman, on that vote 23 ayes, 0 nays, and
0 present.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Okay. The motion is agreed to and H.R. 7988
is adopted and will be reported favorably to the House.
The question now is on adopting H.R. 7985 and ordering it
favorably to the House. The clerk will call the roll.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer?
[No response.]
Mr. Stauber?
Mr. STAUBER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye.
Mr. Meuser?
Mr. MEUSER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye.
Ms. Van Duyne?
Ms. VAN DUYNE. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye.
Ms. Salazar?
Ms. SALAZAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye.
Mr. Mann?
Mr. MANN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Mann votes aye.
Mr. Ellzey?
Mr. ELLZEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye.
Mr. Molinaro?
Mr. MOLINARO. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Molinaro votes aye.
Mr. Alford?
Mr. ALFORD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye.
Mr. Crane?
Mr. CRANE. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye.
Mr. Bean?
Mr. BEAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Bean votes aye.
Mr. Hunt?
[No response.]
Mr. LaLota?
Mr. LALOTA. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye.
Ms. Maloy?
Ms. MALOY. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Maloy votes aye.
Mr. Golden?
Mr. GOLDEN. Yes.
The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye.
Mr. Mfume?
[No response.]
Mr. Phillips?
[No response.]
Mr. Landsman?
Mr. LANDSMAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye.
Mr. McGarvey?
Mr. MCGARVEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye.
Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez?
Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Yes.
The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez votes aye.
Ms. Scholten?
Ms. SCHOLTEN. Yes.
The CLERK. Ms. Scholten votes aye.
Mr. Thanedar?
Mr. THANEDAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye.
Ms. Chu?
Ms. CHU. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye.
Ms. Davids?
Ms. DAVIDS. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Davids votes aye.
Mr. Pappas?
Mr. PAPPAS. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Pappas votes aye.
Ranking Member Velazquez?
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Aye.
The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez votes aye.
Chairman Williams?
Mr. WILLIAMS. Aye.
The CLERK. Chairman Williams votes aye.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Are there any other Members who have not
voted or wish to change their vote?
Seeing none the clerk will report.
The CLERK. Mr. Chairman, on that vote 23 ayes, 0 nays, and
0 present.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Okay. The motion is agreed to and H.R. 7985
is adopted and will be reported favorably to the House.
The question now is on adopting H.R. 7989 and ordering it
favorably reported to the House. The clerk will call the roll.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer?
[No response.]
Mr. Stauber?
Mr. STAUBER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye.
Mr. Meuser?
Mr. MEUSER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye.
Ms. Van Duyne?
Ms. VAN DUYNE. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye.
Ms. Salazar?
Ms. SALAZAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye.
Mr. Mann?
Mr. MANN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Mann votes aye.
Mr. Ellzey?
Mr. ELLZEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye.
Mr. Molinaro?
Mr. MOLINARO. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Molinaro votes aye.
Mr. Alford?
Mr. ALFORD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye.
Mr. Crane?
Mr. CRANE. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye.
Mr. Bean?
Mr. BEAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Bean votes aye.
Mr. Hunt?
[No response.]
Mr. LaLota?
Mr. LALOTA. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye.
Ms. Maloy?
Ms. MALOY. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Maloy votes aye.
Mr. Golden?
Mr. GOLDEN. Yes.
The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye.
Mr. Mfume?
[No response.]
Mr. Phillips?
[No response.]
Mr. Landsman?
Mr. LANDSMAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye.
Mr. McGarvey?
Mr. MCGARVEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye.
Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez?
Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Yes.
The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez votes aye.
Ms. Scholten?
Ms. SCHOLTEN. Yes.
The CLERK. Ms. Scholten votes aye.
Mr. Thanedar?
Mr. THANEDAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye.
Ms. Chu?
Ms. CHU. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye.
Ms. Davids?
Ms. DAVIDS. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Davids votes aye.
Mr. Pappas?
Mr. PAPPAS. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Pappas votes aye.
Ranking Member Velazquez?
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Aye.
The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez votes aye.
Chairman Williams?
Mr. WILLIAMS. Aye.
The CLERK. Chairman Williams votes aye.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Are there any other Members who have not
voted or wish to change their vote?
All right. Seeing none, the clerk will report.
The CLERK. Mr. Chairman, on that vote 23 ayes, 0 nays, and
0 present.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Okay. The motion is agreed to and H.R. 7989
is adopted and will be reported favorably to the House.
Without objection, committee staff is authorized to make
technical and conforming changes and Members have 2 business
days to file additional supplemental, dissenting, and minority
views.
I want to thank everyone for being here today. I also want
to say it was a great hearing. I think when you go home you can
tell them about a committee that actually is getting something
done in a bipartisan fashion. And I appreciate everybody's work
on both sides of the aisle.
And if there is no further business, this concludes today's
markup. Without objection, the committee stands adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:57 a.m., the committee was adjourned.]
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