[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 195 (Tuesday, November 28, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H5914-H5917]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          SMALL BUSINESS CONTRACTING TRANSPARENCY ACT OF 2023

  Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 4670) to amend the Small Business Act to require 
reporting on additional information with respect to small business 
concerns owned and controlled by women, qualified HUBZone small 
business concerns, and small business concerns owned and controlled by 
veterans, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4670

       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 ``Small Business Contracting 
     Transparency Act of 2023''.

     SEC. 2. REPORT ON SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS OWNED AND 
                   CONTROLLED BY WOMEN.

       (a) In General.--Section 8(m) of the Small Business Act (15 
     U.S.C. 637(m)) is amended by adding at the end the following 
     new paragraph:
       ``(9) Report.--Not later than May 1, 2024, and annually 
     thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee 
     on Small

[[Page H5915]]

     Business of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
     Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate a report on 
     small business concerns owned and controlled by women. Such 
     report shall include, for the fiscal year preceding the date 
     of the report, the following:
       ``(A) The number of applications for certification as a 
     small business concern owned and controlled by women that 
     have sufficient information for the Administrator to make a 
     certification determination, disaggregated by--
       ``(i) the number of applications certified;
       ``(ii) the number of applications denied; and
       ``(iii) the number of applications for which a 
     determination has not been made.
       ``(B) The number of concerns certified as small business 
     concerns owned and controlled by women by a national 
     certifying entity approved by the Administrator.
       ``(C) The amount of fees, if any, charged by each national 
     certifying entity for such certification.
       ``(D) The total dollar amount and total percentage of prime 
     contracts awarded to small business concerns owned and 
     controlled by women pursuant to paragraph (2) or pursuant to 
     a waiver granted under paragraph (3).
       ``(E) The total dollar amount and total percentage of prime 
     contracts awarded to small business concerns owned and 
     controlled by women pursuant to paragraphs (7) and (8).
       ``(F) With respect to a contract incorrectly awarded 
     pursuant to this subsection because it was awarded based on 
     an industry in which small business concerns owned and 
     controlled by women are not underrepresented--
       ``(i) the number of such contracts;
       ``(ii) the Federal agencies that issued such contracts; and
       ``(iii) any steps taken by Administrator to train the 
     personnel of such Federal agency on the use of the authority 
     provided under this subsection.
       ``(G) With respect to an examination described in paragraph 
     (5)(B)--
       ``(i) the number of examinations due because of 
     recertification requirements and the actual number of such 
     examinations conducted; and
       ``(ii) the number of examinations conducted for any other 
     reason.
       ``(H) The number of small business concerns owned and 
     controlled by women that were found to be ineligible to be 
     awarded a contract under this subsection as a result of an 
     examination conducted pursuant to paragraph (5)(B) or failure 
     to request an examination pursuant to section 127.400 of 
     title 13, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor rule).
       ``(I) The number of small business concerns owned and 
     controlled by women that were decertified.
       ``(J) The total number of small business concerns owned and 
     controlled by women.
       ``(K) Any other information the Administrator determines 
     necessary.''.
       (b) Technical Amendment.--Section 8(m)(2)(C) of the Small 
     Business Act is amended by striking ``paragraph (3)'' and 
     inserting ``paragraph (4)''.

     SEC. 3. REPORT ON SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS OWNED AND 
                   CONTROLLED BY QUALIFIED HUBZONE SMALL BUSINESS 
                   CONCERNS.

       Section 31 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657a) is 
     amended--
       (1) by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (g); and
       (2) by inserting after subsection (e) the following new 
     subsection:
       ``(f) Report.--Not later than May 1, 2024, and annually 
     thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee 
     on Small Business of the House of Representatives and the 
     Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the 
     Senate a report on HUBZone small business concerns. Such 
     report shall include, for the fiscal year preceding the date 
     of the report, the following:
       ``(1) The number of applications for certification as a 
     qualified HUBZone small business concern that have sufficient 
     information for the Administrator to make a certification 
     determination, disaggregated by--
       ``(A) the number of applications certified;
       ``(B) the number of applications denied; and
       ``(C) the number of applications for which a determination 
     has not been made.
       ``(2) The total dollar amount and total percentage of prime 
     contracts awarded to qualified HUBZone small business 
     concerns pursuant to this section.
       ``(3) The total dollar amount and percent of sole source 
     contracts awarded to qualified HUBZone small business 
     concerns under subsection (c)(2)(A).
       ``(4) With respect to an examination described in 
     subsection (d)(5)--
       ``(A) the number of examinations due because of 
     recertification requirements and the actual number of such 
     examinations conducted; and
       ``(B) the number of examinations conducted for any other 
     reason.
       ``(5) The number of HUBZone small business concerns that 
     were found to be ineligible to be awarded a contract under 
     this subsection as a result of an examination conducted 
     pursuant to subsection (d)(5) or a verification conducted 
     pursuant to subsection (d)(2).
       ``(6) The number of small business concerns that were 
     decertified as qualified HUBZone small business concerns.
       ``(7) The number of qualified HUBZone small business 
     concerns.
       ``(8) Any other information the Administrator determines 
     necessary.''.

     SEC. 4. REPORT ON SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS OWNED AND 
                   CONTROLLED BY SERVICE-DISABLED VETERANS.

       Section 36 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657f) is 
     amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(j) Report.--Not later than May 1, 2024, and annually 
     thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee 
     on Small Business of the House of Representatives and the 
     Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the 
     Senate a report on small business concerns owned and 
     controlled by service-disabled veterans. Such report shall 
     include, for the fiscal year preceding the date of the 
     report, the following:
       ``(1) The total number of small business concerns certified 
     as small business concerns owned and controlled by service-
     disabled veterans.
       ``(2) The total dollar amount and total percentage of prime 
     contracts awarded to small business concerns owned and 
     controlled by service-disabled veterans pursuant to this 
     section.
       ``(3) The total dollar amount and percent of sole source 
     contracts awarded to owned and controlled by service-disabled 
     veterans pursuant to subsection (c).
       ``(4) With respect to an examination described in 
     subsection (h)(2)--
       ``(A) the number of examinations due because of 
     recertification requirements and the actual number of such 
     examinations conducted; and
       ``(B) the number of examinations conducted for any other 
     reason.
       ``(5) The number of small business concerns owned and 
     controlled by service-disabled veterans that were found to be 
     ineligible to be awarded a contract under this subsection as 
     a result of an examination conducted pursuant to subsection 
     (h)(2).
       ``(6) The number of small business concerns decertified as 
     small business concerns owned and controlled by service-
     disabled veterans.
       ``(7) The total number of small business concerns owned and 
     controlled by service-disabled veterans.
       ``(8) Any other information the Administrator determines 
     necessary.''.

     SEC. 5. COMPLIANCE WITH CUTGO.

       No additional amounts are authorized to be appropriated to 
     carry out this Act or the amendments made by this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Williams) and the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I support H.R. 4670, the Small Business Contracting Transparency Act, 
introduced by Congressman Stauber from the great State of Minnesota.
  The U.S. Government is one of the largest customers in the world. 
They contract out purchases of things as simple as office supplies to 
complicated rockets that go into space. Each year, the government sets 
a contracting goal that they look to hit so that small businesses can 
help service the various needs of the Federal Government.
  To be considered a small business in contracting, there are certain 
verification procedures to ensure that a small business does, in fact, 
qualify. It would be problematic if larger corporations were posing as 
small businesses in order to compete for some of the small business 
set-aside contracts.
  For some of these small business categories, the businessowner simply 
gets to self-certify that they are who they say the business 
represents. For others, the Small Business Administration or third-
party entities do a more rigorous certification process.
  Since there isn't a uniform process to verify the small businesses 
are who they claim to be, it calls into question the accuracy of the 
contracting data that we receive. The Small Business Contracting 
Transparency Act brings much-needed insight into these certification 
activities and whether the SBA is meeting its requirements.
  Mr. Speaker, I applaud Congressman Stauber for introducing this bill, 
and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

[[Page H5916]]

  


                              {time}  1645

  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Houlahan, Ms. Scholten, Mr. Stauber, and Ms. 
Tenney for their work on H.R. 4670 and getting it to the floor today.
  Mr. Speaker, well over a decade ago, I helped enact and implement the 
SBA's Women-Owned Small Business program to better serve female 
entrepreneurs and small businesses contracting with the Federal 
Government. Unfortunately, setting up this program proved to be a 
challenge, and it was delayed longer than anticipated. As of now, it is 
up and running, and women-owned firms are certified by the SBA or a 
national certifying entity to participate in contracting programs.
  This has led to improvements in the program's execution and enhanced 
its integrity. Most importantly, it has helped thousands of women-owned 
firms compete in the Federal marketplace.
  However, there are some aspects of the program with less visibility, 
including and especially the operations of the four national certifying 
entities working with the SBA. That is why additional oversight is 
warranted, and this bill provides it.
  This Small Business Contracting Transparency Act requires annual 
reports on the WOSB certification process to ensure it is serving 
female entrepreneurs as we intended.
  Having this information is critical to further strengthening and 
improving the program to meet the needs of both the Federal Government 
and women-owned small firms.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4670, as amended, 
and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber).
  Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in favor of the Small 
Business Contracting Transparency Act.
  I thank my colleague, Representative Houlahan, for bringing this up. 
It is a very good bill and I am proud to stand in support of it.
  In Minnesota, Feeding Our Future, a supposed nonprofit in Minnesota 
meant to feed children, used $250 million of COVID-19 Federal funds to 
buy luxury cars and real estate.
  Since COVID-19, fraud has been on the rise. Bad actors are taking 
advantage of vulnerable government programs and stealing taxpayer 
dollars for their own benefit and wealth. We must be better stewards of 
taxpayer dollars and ensure proper safeguards are in place.
  The Small Business Administration is charged with ensuring that only 
eligible firms are participating in its Women-Owned Small Business 
Federal Contract program, HUBZone programs, and the Service-Disabled 
Veteran-Owned Small Business programs.
  The Small Business Contracting Transparency Act would bring much-
needed oversight to the certification process, ensure the SBA is only 
approving appropriate firms, and give Congress the tools to hold the 
SBA accountable, if necessary.
  By supporting the Small Business Contracting Transparency Act, we 
will not only provide valuable assistance to small businesses but also 
ensure effectiveness in government contracting.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the Small 
Business Contracting Transparency Act.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Houlahan).
  Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to vote 
for my bipartisan and very much commonsense legislation, the Small 
Business Contracting Transparency Act, that will help level the playing 
field for underrepresented entrepreneurs across the country.
  I thank my Republican colleague, Representative Pete Stauber, for his 
partnership on this legislation. Furthermore, I thank Chairman Williams 
and Ranking Member Velazquez for their leadership in advancing this 
legislation through the Small Business Committee on a unanimous basis. 
I thank them for me being able to stand on their shoulders on this.
  As a former entrepreneur myself, I understand the many challenges 
that come with running and scaling a business. Every day brings a 
unique challenge. I regularly hear from businessowners in my own 
community, in Pennsylvania's Sixth District, who are navigating 
inflation, supply chain challenges, workforce needs, and so much more.
  One way that our Federal Government can help protect entrepreneurs is 
to address these issues and ultimately succeed. One way they can do 
that is by providing contracting opportunities for small business 
owners. For entrepreneurs who are seeking to do business with our 
Federal Government, I know that every single contract secured or lost 
can be the difference in keeping Americans on their payroll or losing 
them, expanding or scaling back their operations, or beating or missing 
their projections.
  That is why the Federal small business contracting programs are so 
very important. Through these programs, the Federal Government 
maintains its various statutory goals that ensure equitable 
participation by small businesses, and importantly, by underrepresented 
small businesses in Federal contracting.
  Across various agencies, the Federal Government aims to provide 5 
percent of Federal prime contracts to women-owned small businesses, 3 
percent to service-disabled veteran-owned businesses, and 3 percent to 
the Historically Underutilized Business Zone, otherwise known as 
HUBZone, small businesses, as well.
  While figures like 5 percent or 3 percent may not sound a whole lot 
like large targets, our Federal Government, unfortunately, struggles 
regularly to meet them.
  Indeed, in fiscal year 2022, the Federal Government failed to reach 
its target goals for both women-owned businesses and HUBZone small 
businesses, as well. Even more troubling, the Federal Government has 
only met the statutory goal of awarding 5 percent of contracts to 
women-owned businesses twice in the last 23 years.

  In addition, the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, has cited 
deficiencies in the Small Business Administration's oversight of the 
program.
  It is clear that disadvantaged entrepreneurs continue to be 
underrepresented when it comes to Federal contract funding, and that is 
hurting the economy, both at a micro level and at a macro or national 
level. It is well past time that Congress is able to act to ensure that 
these programs are working as they were designed and intended to do.
  That is why I introduced my bill, H.R. 4670, the bipartisan Small 
Business Contracting Transparency Act. My legislation will increase 
transparency, oversight, and will increase accountability of the Small 
Business Administration's Women-Owned, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, 
and HUBZone Small Business Contracting programs.
  Notably, this bill requires the SBA to submit to Congress annual 
reports that benchmark critical data, including: the number of small 
businesses that are certified, the total dollar amount of contracts 
awarded to qualifying businesses, and the number of contracts that are 
incorrectly awarded to ineligible recipients, among other figures, as 
well.
  Simply put, my bill, the Small Business Contracting Transparency Act, 
will allow Congress and the SBA to improve these Federal contracting 
programs to ensure that these programs run efficiently and to 
ultimately benefit disadvantaged entrepreneurs in their pursuit of 
securing government contracts. In turn, we will strengthen our economy, 
we will support Main Streets all over in every ZIP Code, and we will 
grow the middle class.
  The time to act is now, especially as the Federal Government works to 
award additional contracts through this historic implementation of the 
bipartisan Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, the bipartisan 
CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act, as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my Republican colleague, Representative Pete 
Stauber, for his partnership in this really important legislation. Once 
again, I thank Chairman Williams and Ranking Member Velazquez for their 
leadership in this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for this Small Business 
Contracting Transparency Act that will

[[Page H5917]]

help level the playing field for entrepreneurs in Pennsylvania, and 
indeed, across the Nation, as well.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government routinely fails to 
meet the goals of awarding 5 percent of contract dollars to women-owned 
small businesses. While this administration has prioritized meeting 
these goals and last year awarded over $28 billion to women-owned 
firms, more can be done.
  H.R. 4670, as amended, is an important step in that direction. It 
ensures that we have the necessary information to conduct proper 
oversight of the SBA's programs designed to assist women who start and 
grow government contracting firms.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the sponsors of this bill and appreciate the 
bipartisan work of the committee to build in the HUBZone and SDVOSB 
programs. They face issues as well and could benefit from the 
additional reporting.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4670 provides a necessary 
check on the SBA as it brings much needed insight into certification 
activities verifying small business contractors and provides further 
transparency.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Stauber and Houlahan for leading 
this bill. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to take a 
page out of our playbook and put politics aside to unanimously pass 
H.R. 4670.
  I also thank the Democrats I missed earlier for their participation, 
specifically Representatives Mfume, McGarvey, and Scholten.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Williams) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4670, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________