    [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 36 (Monday, February 24, 2025)]
    [House]
    [Pages H740-H742]
    From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

         SMALL BUSINESS PROCUREMENT AND UTILIZATION REFORM ACT OF 2025

      Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
    pass the bill (H.R. 818) to amend the Small Business Act to include
    requirements relating to new small business entrants in the scorecard
    program, and for other purposes.
      The Clerk read the title of the bill.
      The text of the bill is as follows:

                                    H.R. 818

           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 Procurement
         and Utilization Reform Act of 2025'' or the ``SPUR Act''.

         SEC. 2. MODIFICATIONS TO SCORECARD REQUIREMENTS.

           Section 15(y) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 644(y))
         is amended--
           (1) in paragraph (2)--
           (A) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as subparagraph (F);
         and
           (B) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the following new
         subparagraph:
           ``(E) The number of new small business entrants, including
         new small business entrants that are small business concerns
         owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans, qualified
         HUBZone small business concerns, small business concerns
         owned and controlled by socially and economically
         disadvantaged individuals, and small business concerns owned
         and controlled by women awarded prime contracts in each North
         American Industry Classification System code during the
         fiscal year, and a comparison to the number awarded prime
         contracts during the prior fiscal year, if available.'';
           (2) in paragraph (3), by striking ``subparagraphs (B)
         through (E) of paragraph (2)'' and inserting ``subparagraphs
         (B) through (F) of paragraph (2)''; and
           (3) by amending paragraph (6) to read as follows:
           ``(6) Definitions.--In this subsection:
           ``(A) New small business entrant.--The term `new small
         business entrant' means a small business concern that--
           ``(i) has been awarded a prime contract by a Federal
         agency; and
           ``(ii) has not previously been awarded a prime contract by
         any Federal agency.
           ``(B) Scorecard.--The term `scorecard' means any summary
         using a rating system to evaluate the efforts of a Federal
         agency to meet goals established under subsection (g)(1)(B)
         that--
           ``(i) includes the measures described in paragraph (2); and
           ``(ii) assigns a score to each Federal agency evaluated.''.

         SEC. 3. COMPLIANCE WITH CUTGO.

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

    [[Page H741]]

      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.
      Mr. Speaker, I rise in full support of H.R. 818, the SPUR Act, led by
    my colleagues Representatives Stauber, Cisneros, and Perez.
      The SPUR Act is crucial in assessing the Federal Government's
    progress in bringing in new companies and expanding the industrial
    base.
      Understanding the number of new small businesses engaged in
    government contracting will highlight the concerning decline in
    industrial base participation and track agencies' progress on
    rebuilding it.
      Small businesses are an essential component of the United States
    industrial base. Despite their importance, over the last few decades,
    small businesses have been squeezed out of the industrial base at an
    alarming rate, with nearly half of the businesses leaving over the past
    10 years. This threatens America's economic interests and strategic
    readiness, which must be remedied.
      Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote for H.R. 818, and I
    reserve the balance of my time.
      Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
    consume.
      Mr. Speaker, I commend Representatives Stauber and Cisneros for their
    work to bring this important bipartisan legislation to the floor today.
      Mr. Speaker, Congress and the executive branch have carefully crafted
    fair and deliberate policies to ensure that small businesses can
    compete for Federal contracts.
      These policies, including and especially the small business
    procurement goals and set-aside authorities, have leveled the playing
    field for small businesses and enabled their participation in the
    Federal marketplace. They have a proven record of success.
      Federal agencies award a record amount of contracting dollars to
    small businesses each year. However, many other factors, complexities,
    and policies, like category management and overly strict past
    performance requirements, are countering the impact of these programs.
    As a result, the government has over 40 percent fewer small businesses
    in its ecosystem than it did just a decade ago.
      These trends mean that fewer small businesses are getting larger
    contracts and that contracts are becoming out of reach for many small
    businesses, especially those that are not already government
    contractors.
      This legislation is a productive step that will help break that
    cycle. The SPUR Act will require SBA to take into account new small
    business government contractors when grading a Federal agency's
    performance toward meeting its small business goal.
      Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, 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 in strong support of my bill,
    the Small Business Procurement and Utilization Reform Act, also known
    as the SPUR Act.
      I will begin by thanking my colleagues and friends from California
    and Washington, respectively, Representatives Cisneros and Gluesenkamp
    Perez, for their support of this legislation.
      Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They are the
    innovators, the job creators, and the driving force behind economic
    growth.
      In Minnesota, small businesses account for over 99 percent of all
    businesses and employ over half of the workforce. It is no exaggeration
    to say that the success of our economy is tied to the success of our
    small businesses.
      Despite government set-asides meant to help small businesses compete,
    participation in Federal contracting has dropped by 50 percent over the
    past decade. That means fewer small businesses are securing Federal
    contracts, and fewer are benefiting from the opportunity to grow and
    innovate.
      The Federal Government is the largest purchaser of goods and services
    in the world. If we are serious about supporting small businesses, we
    need to ensure they have a fair shot at competing for these contracts.

                                  {time}  1630

      Right now, the scorecard system measures whether agencies are meeting
    their small business contracting goals, but it fails to consider how
    many of those contracts go to first-time participants. Without this
    data, we don't know if new small businesses are successfully entering
    the marketplace or if the same firms are winning contracts year after
    year.
      If small businesses can't break into Federal contracting, innovation
    is stifled, costs for taxpayers increase, and American entrepreneurs
    lose out on opportunities to grow.
      My bill, the SPUR Act, addresses this issue by requiring the SBA to
    track and report the number of new small business participants into the
    Federal procurement space. This simple but crucial change will ensure
    that small businesses, especially new and growing ones, have a fair
    shot at competing.
      Too many Federal agencies fall short of their small business
    contracting goals, leaving billions of dollars in contracts out of
    reach for American entrepreneurs. The SPUR Act will provide
    transparency and accountability, ensuring that the Federal Government
    is doing its part to support small businesses. I urge my colleagues to
    support this important legislation.
      Mr. Speaker, you are from the great State of New York. Forty-five
    years ago tonight, Team USA, led by Herb Brooks and 12 Minnesotans,
    beat Finland for the gold medal, and I congratulate them 45 years
    later.
      Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
    California (Mr. Cisneros).
      Mr. CISNEROS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Small
    Business Procurement and Utilization Reform, or SPUR, Act.
      I thank Congressman Stauber and Congresswoman Gluesenkamp Perez for
    joining me in introducing this bipartisan legislation.
      Mr. Speaker, small business owners and entrepreneurs take a chance
    when they start their ventures, so it is only right that the Federal
    Government do what it can to provide them with a greater opportunity to
    succeed.
      Our government plays a vital role in working to keep our economy
    strong and vibrant, and Federal contracts can be a great opportunity
    and boon for our small businesses.
      However, the government isn't doing enough to ensure our local small
    businesses have access to these opportunities. We need to not only do
    more for small businesses with existing Federal contracts but also help
    attract new small businesses to navigate the Federal contracting
    process.
      The SPUR Act will help ensure more small businesses, like those in
    the San Gabriel Valley which I represent, can fairly compete for
    Federal contracts.
      The SPUR Act will require Federal agencies to examine the following
    data:
      How many small businesses received a prime contract for the first
    time and are owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans.
      It will track the concerns of qualified HUBZone small businesses,
    track the concerns of businesses controlled by socially and
    economically disadvantaged individuals, and track the concerns of small
    businesses owned and controlled by women.
      There are several HUBZones in my district, including the cities of El
    Monte, Covina, Azusa, and La Puente. There are even more small
    businesses owned by women and people of color in my district. They are
    working just as hard as other small business owners to realize their
    dreams, and they deserve to play on the same level playing field as
    other small business owners that

    [[Page H742]]

    have experience navigating the Federal bureaucracy.
      I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense, bipartisan piece of
    legislation, and I thank, again, the co-leads of Congressman Stauber
    and Congresswoman Gluesenkamp Perez.
      Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I
    am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.
      Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the work of my colleagues on
    this bill, and I urge its adoption. I yield back the balance of my
    time.
      Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support
    this commonsense legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
      The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Moore of North Carolina). 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. 818.
      The question was taken.
      The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
    being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
      Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
    nays.
      The yeas and nays were ordered.
      The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
    proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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