[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 196 (Monday, December 9, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H9370-H9371]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY MENTOR-PROTEGE PROGRAM ACT OF 2019

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4727) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to 
establish a mentor-protege program, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4727

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Department of Homeland 
     Security Mentor-Protege Program Act of 2019''.

     SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY MENTOR-PROTEGE 
                   PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--Subtitle H of title VIII of the Homeland 
     Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 451 et seq.) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following new section:

     ``SEC. 890B. MENTOR-PROTEGE PROGRAM.

       ``(a) Establishment.--There is established in the 
     Department a mentor-protege program (in this section referred 
     to as the `Program') under which a mentor firm enters into an 
     agreement with a protege firm for the purpose of assisting 
     the protege firm to compete for prime contracts and 
     subcontracts of the Department.
       ``(b) Eligibility.--The Secretary shall establish criteria 
     for mentor firms and protege firms to be eligible to 
     participate in the Program, including a requirement that a 
     firm is not included on any list maintained by the Federal 
     Government of contractors that have been suspended or 
     debarred.
       ``(c) Program Application and Approval.--
       ``(1) Application.--The Secretary, acting through the 
     Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization of the 
     Department, shall establish a process for submission of an 
     application jointly by a mentor firm and the protege firm 
     selected by the mentor firm. The application shall include 
     each of the following:
       ``(A) A description of the assistance to be provided by the 
     mentor firm, including, to the extent available, the number 
     and a brief description of each anticipated subcontract to be 
     awarded to the protege firm.
       ``(B) A schedule with milestones for achieving the 
     assistance to be provided over the period of participation in 
     the Program.
       ``(C) An estimate of the costs to be incurred by the mentor 
     firm for providing assistance under the Program.
       ``(D) Attestation that Program participants will submit to 
     the Secretary reports at times specified by the Secretary to 
     assist the Secretary in evaluating the protege firm's 
     developmental progress.
       ``(E) Attestations that Program participants will inform 
     the Secretary in the event of change in eligibility or 
     voluntary withdrawal from the Program.
       ``(2) Approval.--Not later than 60 days after receipt of an 
     application pursuant to paragraph (1), the head of the Office 
     of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization shall notify 
     applicants of approval or, in the case of disapproval, the 
     process for resubmitting an application for reconsideration.
       ``(3) Rescission.--The head of the Office of Small and 
     Disadvantaged Business Utilization may rescind the approval 
     of an application under this subsection if it determines that 
     such action is in the best interest of the Department.
       ``(d) Program Duration.--A mentor firm and protege firm 
     approved under subsection (c) shall enter into an agreement 
     to participate in the Program for a period of not less than 
     36 months.
       ``(e) Program Benefits.--A mentor firm and protege firm 
     that enter into an agreement under subsection (d) may receive 
     the following Program benefits:
       ``(1) With respect to an award of a contract that requires 
     a subcontracting plan, a mentor firm may receive evaluation 
     credit for participating in the Program.
       ``(2) With respect to an award of a contract that requires 
     a subcontracting plan, a mentor firm may receive credit for a 
     protege firm performing as a first tier subcontractor or a 
     subcontractor at any tier in an amount equal to the total 
     dollar value of any subcontracts awarded to such protege 
     firm.
       ``(3) A protege firm may receive technical, managerial, 
     financial, or any other mutually agreed upon benefit from a 
     mentor firm, including a subcontract award.
       ``(4) Any other benefits identified by the Secretary.
       ``(f) Reporting.--Not later than one year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the head 
     of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization 
     shall submit to the Committees on Homeland Security and Small 
     Business of the House of Representatives a report that--
       ``(1) identifies each agreement between a mentor firm and a 
     protege firm entered into under this section, including 
     number of protege firm participants that are--
       ``(A) small business concerns;

[[Page H9371]]

       ``(B) small business concerns owned and controlled by 
     veterans;
       ``(C) small business concerns owned and controlled by 
     service-disabled veterans;
       ``(D) qualified HUBZone small business concerns;
       ``(E) small business concerns owned and controlled by 
     socially and economically disadvantaged individuals;
       ``(F) women-owned small business concerns;
       ``(G) historically Black colleges and universities; and
       ``(H) minority institutions of higher education;
       ``(2) describes the type of assistance provided by mentor 
     firms to protege firms;
       ``(3) identifies contracts within the Department in which a 
     mentor firm serving as the prime contractor provided 
     subcontracts to a protege firm under the Program; and
       ``(4) assesses the degree to which there has been--
       ``(A) an increase in the technical capabilities of protege 
     firms; and
       ``(B) an increase in the quantity and estimated value of 
     prime contract and subcontract awards to protege firms for 
     the period covered by the report.
       ``(g) Definitions.--In this section:
       ``(1) Historically black college or university.--The term 
     `historically Black college or university' means any of the 
     historically Black colleges and universities referred to in 
     section 2323 of title 10, United States Code, as in effect on 
     March 1, 2018.
       ``(2) Mentor firm.--The term `mentor firm' means a for-
     profit business concern that is not a small business concern 
     that--
       ``(A) has the ability to assist and commits to assisting a 
     protege to compete for Federal prime contracts and 
     subcontracts; and
       ``(B) satisfies any other requirements imposed by the 
     Secretary.
       ``(3) Minority institution of higher education.--The term 
     `minority institution of higher education' means an 
     institution of higher education with a student body that 
     reflects the composition specified in section 312(b) of the 
     Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058(b)).
       ``(4) Protege firm.--The term `protege firm' means a small 
     business concern, a historically Black college or university, 
     or a minority institution of higher education that--
       ``(A) is eligible to enter into a prime contract or 
     subcontract with the Department; and
       ``(B) satisfies any other requirements imposed by the 
     Secretary.
       ``(5) Small business act definitions.--The terms `small 
     business concern', `small business concern owned and 
     controlled by veterans', `small business concern owned and 
     controlled by service-disabled veterans', `qualified HUBZone 
     small business concern', and `small business concern owned 
     and controlled by women' have the meaning given such terms, 
     respectively, under section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 
     U.S.C. 632). The term `small business concern owned and 
     controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged 
     individuals' has the meaning given such term in section 
     8(d)(3)(C) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
     637(d)(3)(C)).''.
       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 
     1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by 
     inserting after the item relating to section 890A the 
     following new item:

``Sec. 890B. Mentor-protege program.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Michigan (Ms. Slotkin) and the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Higgins) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Michigan.


                             General Leave

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4727, the 
Department of Homeland Security Mentor-Protege Program Act of 2019.
  Since the very earliest days of the Department of Homeland Security, 
it has operated a mentor-protege program to encourage large businesses 
to help small businesses build their capacity to compete for government 
contracts. However, this important program was never codified into law. 
H.R. 4727 not only authorizes the existing program but improves it.
  Small businesses, including women-, veteran-, and minority-owned 
firms, are the backbone of our economy, but far too often, complex 
Federal contracting requirements shut them out of the Federal 
marketplace.
  Building and sustaining a reliable pool of small business vendors is 
critical to ensuring that DHS and its ever-evolving contracting needs 
are met and that America's security is enhanced. H.R. 4727 seeks to 
build and sustain this pool by incentivizing large businesses to 
provide technical, managerial, financial assistance, and subcontracting 
opportunities to small businesses. This bill requires participating 
businesses to commit to a mentor-protege relationship for 3 years to 
help establish long-term relationships between large and small 
contractors.
  Additionally, to ensure that Congress can monitor the effectiveness 
of the program in an ongoing way, it requires DHS to annually report on 
program participation and the benefits conferred upon small businesses.
  Enactment of H.R. 4727 will ensure the continued and lasting success 
of the mentor-protege program, a vital small business program.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass this commonsense 
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4727, the Department of 
Homeland Security Mentor-Protege Program Act of 2019.
  The Department of Homeland Security has an important mission to 
protect this Nation, but they cannot do it on their own. For many 
functions, DHS relies on contractors to get the job done.
  H.R. 4727 would expand the contractor pool that DHS relies on by 
creating a mentor-protege program to help small businesses grow their 
technical capabilities.

                              {time}  1630

  I support the legislation and the creation of this program at DHS, 
modeled after a similar one at the Department of Defense. Under the 
program, larger contractors would develop agreements with smaller firms 
to provide assistance and to potentially involve the smaller firm in 
DHS contracts at a subcontractor level.
  To provide transparency into this program, the Office of Small and 
Disadvantaged Business Utilization will report annually to Congress. 
This will allow us to evaluate the benefit of this program and its 
progress in developing the contractor base.
  I would like to thank Representative McEachin for introducing H.R. 
4727 and for his work to grow the capability of small businesses that 
contract for the DHS.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I do urge the adoption of the bill, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, formally authorizing the Department of 
Homeland Security's mentor-protege program will ensure the continued 
success of this important small business program.
  DHS is to be commended in its earliest days for setting this program 
up.
  I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. McEachin) for introducing 
this bill to help grow partnerships between small businesses and DHS.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4727, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Slotkin) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4727.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________