[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 166 (Friday, December 21, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1992-E1993]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 4310, NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR 
                            FISCAL YEAR 2013

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. SAM GRAVES

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 20, 2012

  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, today I proudly endorse the 
passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference 
report. As Chairman of the Small Business Committee, over the past two 
years, we have held over a dozen hearings on federal procurement issues 
which resulted in eleven contracting reform bills being voted out of 
Committee with bipartisan support. At the same time that our Committee 
was developing

[[Page E1993]]

legislation, the HASC's Panel on Business Challenges in the Defense 
Industry was holding hearings and roundtables examining many of the 
same issues. I appreciate the leadership of Mr. Shuster and Mr. Larsen 
in this effort, and I was pleased to be part of one of these 
roundtables. The Panel and my Committee share a common understanding of 
issues facing small business participation in contracting and the 
health of the industrial base, which is the basis for the package of 
about thirty-five provisions that were included in the House-passed 
version of the NDAA.
  As HASC's Panel and my Committee found, the federal government 
marketplace is full of great opportunities for small businesses to 
succeed, if only we give them the chance. The federal government spends 
over half a trillion dollars each year on private sector contracts; 
small businesses deserve a chance to compete for the work, because they 
bring efficiency and cost-savings to the taxpayer and create jobs while 
doing it.
  This year's NDAA makes substantial reforms to small business 
contracting which will benefit small contractors throughout the Nation 
and is supported by nearly 30 trade associations. The small business 
provisions in the NDAA will help make sure existing small business 
goals are actually met, empower small business advocates, and crack 
down on fraud. Most importantly, this legislation ensures that small 
businesses have greater opportunities to compete. Government 
contracting offers a unique opportunity to invest in small businesses 
while also stimulating our economy, considering small businesses create 
the majority of new jobs. The passage of the conference report is a 
victory for the 27 million small businesses hard at work throughout 
America.

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