[House Hearing, 119 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
MARKUP OF: H.R. 5100, TO EXTEND
THE SBIR AND STTR PROGRAMS, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES
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HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS
UNITED STATES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
HEARING HELD
SEPTEMBER 9, 2025
__________
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Small Business Committee Document Number 119-018
Available via the GPO Website: www.govinfo.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
61-894 WASHINGTON : 2026
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HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS
ROGER WILLIAMS, Texas, Chairman
PETE STAUBER, Minnesota
DAN MEUSER, Pennsylvania
BETH VAN DUYNE, Texas
JAKE ELLZEY, Texas
MARK ALFORD, Missouri
NICK LALOTA, New York
BRAD FINSTAD, Minnesota
TONY WIED, Wisconsin
ROB BRESNAHAN, Pennsylvania
BRIAN JACK, Georgia
TROY DOWNING, Montana
KIMBERLYN KING-HINDS, Northern Marina Islands
DEREK SCHMIDT, Kansas
JIMMY PATRONIS, Florida
NYDIA VELAZQUEZ, New York, Ranking Member
MORGAN MCGARVEY, Kentucky
HILLARY SCHOLTEN, Michigan
LAMONICA MCIVER, New Jersey
GIL CISNEROS, California
KELLY MORRISON, Minnesota
GEORGE LATIMER, New York
DEREK TRAN, California
LATEEFAH SIMON, California
JOHNNY OLSZEWSKI, Maryland
HERB CONAWAY, New Jersey
MAGGIE GOODLANDER, New Hampshire
Lauren Holmes, 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. 5100, To extend the SBIR and STTR Programs, and for
other purposes............................................. 4
Support Document:
E-Vote Results............................................... 7
Votes:
Final Passage to H.R. 5100, ``To extend the SBIR and STTR
Programs, and for other purposes........................... 8
MARKUP OF: H.R. 5100, TO EXTEND THE SBIR AND STTR PROGRAMS, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2025
House of Representatives,
Committee on Small Business,
1Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:35 a.m., in Room
2360, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Robert Williams
[chairman of the Committee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Williams, Stauber, Meuser, Van
Duyne, Ellzey, Alford, LaLota, Finstad, Wied, Bresnahan, Jack,
Downing, King-Hinds, Schmidt, Patronis, Velazquez, McGarvey,
Scholten, McIver, Cisneros, Morrison, Latimer, Tran, Simon,
Olszewski, Conaway, and Goodlander.
Chairman WILLIAMS. The Committee will now come to order. A
quorum is present. Without objection, the Chair is authorized
to declare a recess of the committee at any time.
I ask unanimous consent to name Mr. Alford and Mr. Ellzey
to the Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure. Without
objection, so moved.
As required by House Rules, a copy of this legislative
measure has been made available to Members and the public at
least 24 hours in advance. Without objection, the Committee
will vote electronically in accordance with the Committee rules
and regulations developed by the House Committees on Rules and
Administration.
I now recognize myself for opening remarks.
Today we will mark up a bipartisan bill that is critical to
protecting American innovation. The Small Business Innovation
Research, SBIR, and Small Business Technology Transfer, STTR,
programs are set to expire on September 30th unless Congress
takes action to reauthorize them. For over the decades, the
SBIR and the STTR programs have fueled American innovation by
providing early stage funding to small businesses, allowing
them to develop cutting-edge technologies that strengthen our
economy and defend our nation. As Chairman, I am committed to
ensuring these programs remain strong and uninterrupted.
America's small business cannot operate in uncertainty and
our national security cannot afford an innovation gap. SBIR and
STTR investments have developed some of the world's most
advanced defense technologies with one goal: to keep Americans
safe from foreign adversaries. All of us on this Committee have
worked hard to reauthorize the programs in a bipartisan way
that protects American innovators from foreign adversaries and
encourages greater support for breakthrough technologies. We
have had great bipartisan and bicameral discussions in an
effort to move forward the INNOVATE Act. I, along with all my
colleagues, am committed to continuing these discussions.
With long-term reauthorization remains the goal, one thing
has become clear: time is working against us. We cannot allow
these vital programs to expire while Congress continues to
consider possible reforms and examine their impact. That is why
I introduced H.R. 5100 alongside Ranking Member Velazquez,
House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Chairman
Babin, and Ranking Member Lofgren. This bill will extend the
SBIR and the STTR programs for one more year, allowing
meaningful discussions towards long-term reauthorization to
continue.
This Committee is responsible for empowering small
businesses to do what they do best, innovate. Extending these
programs keeps America ahead of their adversaries, creates jobs
at home, and ensures that small business remain at the
forefront of discovery.
I want to thank Ranking Member Velazquez and her team for
working with us and ensuring that these programs do not expire.
I would also like to thank Chairman Babin, Ranking Member
Lofgren, and their staffs for their support.
This 1-year extension sends a clear message we will not let
America's innovation pipeline run dry. I look forward to
working with my colleagues in the House and the Senate to
ensure continuity for SBIR and STTR programs and the small
businesses participating in them.
With that, I look forward to today's markup and yield to
the distinguished Ranking Member from New York and my friend,
Ms. Velazquez.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your efforts on
this clean 1-year extension of the Small Business Innovation
Research and Technology Transfer programs.
For more than 40 years, SBIR and STTR have been among the
federal government's most effective engines for driving
innovation, channeling a small share of the research and
development budgets into highly competitive awards that fuel
cutting-edge discoveries by small businesses. Economic analyses
consistently show an outside return on investment for taxpayers
and the program throughout its lifetime has been overwhelmingly
successful.
Unfortunately, the SBIR and STTR programs are set to expire
at the end of the fiscal year. If these programs were allowed
to expire agencies will lose the ability to issue new awards,
cutting off a vital source of early stage funding for small
businesses, delay commercialization and promising technologies,
and weaken the federal government's ability to access new and
emerging technologies. This is why one of my main priorities
for the program is permanence.
The SBIR and STTR reauthorization is our Committee's only
must pass legislation this year. Despite the urgency, we are
still in early stages of negotiating a comprehensive
reauthorization and time is running short. While we share
priorities, such as bringing in new entrants or modernizing
Phase III, significant differences remain. To that end, I
appreciate Chairman Williams' recognition of the obstacles we
are facing with this reauthorization and his support for a 1-
year extension to bring all sides together to bridge the
differences.
Letting the reauthorizations lapse, even briefly, will
disrupt hundreds of small businesses in the middle of their
research and put innovation at risk. This extension is the only
responsible course, and I look forward to continuing to work
with Chairman Williams and his team to reach a comprehensive
bipartisan agreement.
I encourage my colleagues to vote yes and I yield back.
Chairman WILLIAMS. The gentlelady yields back. Now the
Committee now moves to consideration of H.R. 5100. The clerk
will report the bill.
The CLERK. H.R. 5100, a bill to extend the SBIR----
Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, H.R. 5100 is
considered as read and open for amendment.
Does anyone wish to offer an amendment?
Seeing none, the question is now on favorably reporting
H.R. 5100 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. 5100
is agreed to.
Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Chairman?
Chairman WILLIAMS. For what purpose does the gentleman from
Pennsylvania seek recognition?
Mr. MEUSER. I would like to request a recorded vote.
Chairman WILLIAMS. A recorded vote has been requested. A
roll call vote is ordered. The clerk will open the vote.
[The vote was taken.]
Chairman WILLIAMS. Are there any Members who have not voted
or wish to change their vote?
Ms. HOLMES. If you guys need to go to other meetings, you
absolutely can. We are going to give a couple Members time to
run back and vote. But if you have voted, you are free to go.
Mr. Chairman, we are just going to--we have two Members
that are running here.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay, good. Good, good, good.
Ms. HOLMES. Thank you, guys. We appreciate it.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Are there any other Members who have not
voted or wish to change their vote? If not, the clerk will
close the vote.
The clerk will report.
The CLERK. Mr. Chairman, on this vote the ayes are 27 and
the noes are 0.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay. The motion is agreed to and H.R.
5100 is adopted and will be reported favorably to the House.
Without objection, the 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 all of you for being here today. If there's
no further business, this concludes our day's markup. Without
objection, the Committee stands adjourned. Thank you.
[Whereupon, at 10:49 a.m., the committee was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
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