[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 58 (Tuesday, May 3, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2611-S2613]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               SBIR/STTR

  Ms. LANDRIEU. Madam President, I would like to speak for the next few 
minutes as in morning business about the subject that has been before 
the Senate now for 5 weeks. In some ways, it is unprecedented that a 
bill of only 100 pages would actually take up 5 weeks of the Senate's 
time. And you know as a member of the Small Business Committee, Madam 
President, how important, although only 100 pages and although only in 
the law since 1982, this program is not just to the Federal Government 
but to the taxpayers who are relying on this to spend their money 
wisely on their behalf, and they are looking to us to promote and 
extend the life of programs that actually work and return a great 
investment to them, particularly in these challenging budget times and 
economic times.
  This program, which was created by Senator Warren Rudman for the 
specific purpose of stimulating technological innovation, encouraging 
greater utilization of small businesses to meet Federal research and 
development needs, and to increase private sector commercialization of 
innovations derived from Federal research and development, is a law 
that we must find a way to reauthorize. We are well overdue. We have 
now passed the authorization point by 3 years.
  We have been unable to reauthorize this important program. It looks 
as if we may be stuck again although the major arguments about this 
bill have been resolved. We are actually not arguing over the nuts and 
bolts of this bill. Is that not sad, that all of the arguments about 
what percentage venture capitalists should get, by what amount we 
should increase the allocation--we have worked through all of those 
because we have worked in good

[[Page S2612]]

faith. We have compromised, Democrats and Republicans.
  The bill passed out of our committee I believe 18 to 1. Authoring 
this piece of legislation is myself, the chairperson, Senator Snowe, a 
strong supporter of the underlying bill--let me get the other 
cosponsors. Senator Levin is a cosponsor. Senator Brown of 
Massachusetts is a cosponsor. Senator Kerry, the former chair, is a 
cosponsor. The Presiding Officer is an original cosponsor. I thank you. 
The new Senator, your junior Senator from New Hampshire, is an original 
cosponsor. Senator Cardin. Senator Pryor. So we have a good number of 
Republican and Democratic Senators.
  This is the bill. It is 100 pages. The sad thing is that in 5 weeks, 
we have had over 150 amendments filed on this bill. Very few of them 
have anything to do with this bill. That is more amendments than there 
are pages of the original bill. And you can understand why the majority 
leader, Senator Reid, cannot allow a vote on all 150 amendments. We 
might be here for another year, which is not fair to the Senate, it is 
not fair to Congress. There are other important issues we have to get 
to. So we are trying to compromise. Senator Reid has been extremely 
patient trying to work with Republicans and Democrats. And I think the 
last offer that was being considered would have made both sides even--
with 12 amendments, an equal amount, for both sides, most of which have 
nothing to do with this bill but that we will accept votes on.
  Actually, one big amendment, significant amendment that had nothing 
to do with this bill has already been voted on, agreed to, detached 
from this bill, and sent to the President, and he has already signed 
it. And we are still on this bill. That was the repeal of 1099, which 
was almost unanimously supported to repeal a very onerous provision of 
paperwork and regulation that was not proper to put on the backs of 
small businesses. And I am proud that I led, with others, the effort to 
repeal that. That has been done. Yet we find ourselves still not in 
complete agreement that it is time to move on.

  I just wish to say a few more things. No. 1, every State will benefit 
when this program is reauthorized. Most important, taxpayers will see 
significant results. Let me just tell you one that is quite startling 
but true and I want it to be in the Record.
  One company that participated in this program and received a small 
grant many years ago and then received another grant to help them get 
started, Qualcomm, is now one of the most successful businesses in the 
world. That one company pays more taxes to the Federal Government every 
year than the entire budget of the Small Business Administration. Let 
me repeat: One company, started in large measure--not solely, but they 
testified on the record in large measure--because of this program, was 
created. It grew and grew and grew and now pays more in taxes annually 
to the Federal Government than the entire budget of the SBA.
  You would ask yourself: So what is the problem? Why can't we get this 
bill passed? I can only say we have Members who think they need to have 
votes or discussion on 187 amendments that have nothing to do with this 
bill, and they think the majority leader is being unreasonable when he 
tries to bring this to an end.
  As chair of this committee, I have to say again--and I am going to 
end with this--this recession we are in will never end--never end--and 
the budget deficit that is crushing the economic potential of this 
Nation will never be eliminated if we do not create jobs in America.
  This program is a job-creating machine that is being shut down by 
this inability of us to come to terms over this debate. It is a shame 
because everyone is counting on us--not just my committee, but the 
Small Business Committee is one of the important committees here--to 
put this recession in the rearview mirror. I cannot do it if I cannot 
pass legislation.
  If we want jobs, if we want innovation, if we want to create the kind 
of jobs the SBIR Program--you can see here: SBIR-awarded firms add five 
times as many employees. These are kind of our supercompanies. These 
are companies, the smartest. They are on the edge. They are the best. 
They have gotten the attention of many smart people in the government. 
Yes, we do have smart people who work for the Federal Government. These 
companies and their technology have become known, and they say: Gee, 
this is the kind of technology that could change this situation, save 
taxpayer money, and it has such commercial application. Let's give it 
an award. We might not be able to give it an award because we are stuck 
talking about 150 amendments that have nothing to do with this program, 
and the extension to operate this program expires on May 31st.
  I am sorry I cannot solve all the problems of the world in the Small 
Business Committee. I am very sorry. I cannot solve all the health care 
problems. I cannot resolve the debt situations. I cannot talk about 
sunset commissions and the Gang of 6 and put every piece of legislation 
in this bill. We have to stay focused. We have been moving some very 
good legislation out of this committee, completely with bipartisan 
support, with a few little bumps here and there.
  The small business lending program was not supported by the 
Republicans. We only had two Senators who crossed the aisle to give us 
the 60 votes to do it. I understand it is controversial. Not everything 
here is done in such perfect precision, but we still have high hopes 
for that program. Six hundred banks have applied. We believe billions 
of dollars will be lent out and that debate is still going on as the 
administrators come up. But other than that, everything we have passed 
in our committee has been with bipartisan support. The same with this 
bill: It comes out 18 to 1.
  I will finally say for the record--and will submit this letter for 
the Record--I was asked by Senator Coburn, who has been cooperative 
actually--although he has had quite a few amendments, he has been very 
open to negotiation--but he sent me a letter on January 26, and it 
basically says: I would like to help you pass your SBIR bill, but would 
you please get it out of your committee clean because I do not want 
other extraneous things attached to it because there are ``lesser'' 
programs--he said--that I do not support. But I support this one.
  He is not a member of the committee. He said: Senator, if you can get 
it out clean, then maybe I can support it on the floor.
  So what do I do? I tell all my Members: I am sorry. You cannot have 
the amendments in committee. I am sorry. We cannot attach anything to 
this bill because I am trying to move a clean bill to the floor--only 
to get to the floor and have more than 150 amendments, most of which 
have nothing to do with this bill put on this bill under the guise of: 
Well, we have to do it. We need time on the floor to debate our issue.
  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the letter I referenced 
from Senator Coburn be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                                      U.S. Senate,


                               Russell Senate Office Building,

                                 Washington, DC, January 26, 2011.
     Hon. Mary Landrieu,
     Small Business Committee Chairman, U.S. Senate, Washington, 
         DC.
       Dear Senator Landrieu:  I wanted to thank you for your 
     letter regarding passage of the SBIR/STTR reauthorization 
     bill and oversight of the Small Business Administration 
     (SBA). I appreciate your commitment to review and eliminate 
     fraud within programs such as 8(a) and HUBZone, to streamline 
     federal regulations and their burden on small businesses, and 
     to eliminate wasteful and duplicative SBA programs that 
     increase our debt and limit expenditures to more worthy SBA 
     programs.
       Thank you also for your letters, co-signed by Senator 
     Olympia Snow, Ranking Member of the Committee, to SBA 
     Administrator Karen Mills and SBA Inspector General Peggy 
     Gustafson regarding possible terminations of wasteful and 
     duplicative SBA programs. I applaud your oversight and look 
     forward to working with you and Senator Snowe to eliminate 
     waste, fraud and duplication within SBA and to help small 
     businesses excel.
       I believe that should there be another broad extension of 
     SBA programs such as H.R. 366 in four months, any programs 
     that are not fulfilling their purpose, fail to consistently 
     encourage sustainable private growth, or have significant 
     overhead costs should be eliminated. I do not believe long-
     standing and popular SBA programs like SBIR/STTR should be 
     lumped with lesser SBA programs. It is my hope that we can 
     come to an agreement before another temporary extension bill 
     is considered on what programs at SBA should be terminated.

[[Page S2613]]

       Again, thank you for your oversight and for your 
     consideration of my concerns. I look forward to working with 
     you this Congress.
           Sincerely,
                                              Tom A. Coburn, M.D.,
                                                     U.S. Senator.

  Ms. LANDRIEU. I have tried to be patient. I understand that. But I am 
asking one last time--I am asking my ranking member, I am asking the 
other members of my committee, I am asking my Democratic colleagues and 
Republican colleagues--please, in the next few hours, please, let your 
voice be heard to your leaders--the minority leader and the majority 
leader--and please try to come to some reasonable agreement.
  I think the cloture motion is quite reasonable, the cloture motion 
Senator Reid has put down. If we could agree to that, get 60 votes or 
more, we could move on and pass this reauthorization, which is so 
important for job creation in America.
  We are 3 years behind schedule--not 6 months, not 8 months, but 3 
years behind schedule. We have been operating this program--a very good 
program, one of the best--every 3 months, sometimes one month, 
sometimes a bit longer, but people have to guess whether we are going 
to extend it. That is no way to run an airline or a train or a bus or 
even a two-seated car, for that matter. You have to have a long runway 
here to get good things done and to stop wasting taxpayer money and 
their time.
  So I am going to ask, please, let's try to get cloture.
  Finally, the States that are most affected--the Senators who 
represent these States might want to be heads up--but Colorado, 
Maryland, Virginia, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, 
Texas and Alabama are among the States that benefit the most from this 
program. All our States benefit. Companies in my own State of Louisiana 
have received some of these awards and have gone on to hire hundreds, 
if not thousands, of people. But these other States have managed to 
actually get themselves to the front of the line.
  I thank Senator Brown for his cosponsorship of this bill. I thank 
other Senators from these States. But the Texas and Florida and Alabama 
Senators, the New York Senators, the Senators from Ohio and 
Pennsylvania, particularly, Massachusetts and California--the top of 
the list--have a lot to lose if we cannot get this program 
reauthorized.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SHELBY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. SHELBY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to proceed in 
morning business for 8 minutes.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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