[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 146 (Monday, September 11, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S5136]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 884. Mrs. SHAHEEN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by her to the bill H.R. 2810, to authorize appropriations for fiscal 
year 2018 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for 
military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of 
Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, 
and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as 
follows:

       At the end of subtitle D of title VI, add the following:

     SEC. ___. SENSE OF SENATE ON THE USE BY EXCHANGE STORES OF 
                   SMALL BUSINESSES AS SUPPLIERS.

       (a) Findings.--The Senate makes the following findings:
       (1) Exchange stores, as non-appropriated fund 
     instrumentalities of the Department of Defense, are not 
     required to give any preference to particular vendors or 
     suppliers.
       (2) Even so, exchange stores are uniquely positioned to 
     feature products from small businesses, especially veteran-
     owned small businesses.
       (b) Sense of Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate to urge 
     the Department to work with the military exchange services to 
     develop strategies for featuring products of small 
     businesses, particularly products of veteran-owned small 
     businesses, in military exchange stores.
                                 ______