[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 115 (Thursday, July 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4577-S4578]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2250. Mr. COONS (for himself and Mr. Kennedy) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4638, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2025 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 H of title X, add the following:
SEC. 1095. SMALL BUSINESS CONTRACTING TRANSPARENCY.
(a) Report on Small Business Concerns Owned and Controlled
by Women.--
(1) 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:
``(9) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of the Small Business Contracting Transparency Act
of 2024, and annually thereafter, the Administrator shall
submit to the Committee on Small Business and
Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Committee on Small
Business of the House of Representatives a report on small
business concerns owned and controlled by women, which 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 the certification described in
subparagraph (B).
``(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 paragraph (7) or (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 the Administrator to train the
personnel of each Federal agency described in clause (ii) 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
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 any successor
regulation.
``(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.''.
(2) Technical amendment.--Section 8(m)(2)(C) of the Small
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(m)(2)(C)) is amended by striking
[[Page S4578]]
``paragraph (3)'' and inserting ``paragraph (4)''.
(b) 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:
``(f) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of the Small Business Contracting Transparency Act
of 2024, and annually thereafter, the Administrator shall
submit to the Committee on Small Business and
Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Committee on Small
Business of the House of Representatives a report on HUBZone
small business concerns, which 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
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.''.
(c) 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:
``(j) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of the Small Business Contracting Transparency Act
of 2024, and annually thereafter, the Administrator shall
submit to the Committee on Small Business and
Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Committee on Small
Business of the House of Representatives a report on small
business concerns owned and controlled by service-disabled
veterans, which 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 small business concerns 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.''.
(d) Compliance With CUTGO.--No additional amounts are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section or
the amendments made by this section.
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