[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 150 (Monday, September 15, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H4273-H4274]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXTENSION OF SBIR AND STTR AUTHORITY
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 5100) to extend the SBIR and STTR programs, and for
other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5100
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF SBIR AND STTR AUTHORITY.
(a) SBIR.--Section 9(m) of the Small Business Act (15
U.S.C. 638(m)) is amended by striking ``September 30, 2025''
and inserting ``September 30, 2026''.
(b) STTR.--Section 9(n)(1)(A) of the Small Business Act (15
U.S.C. 638(n)(1)(A)) is amended by striking ``through fiscal
year 2025'' and inserting ``though fiscal year 2026''.
SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF SBIR AND STTR PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES.
(a) Phase Flexibility.--Section 9(cc) of the Small Business
Act (15 U.S.C. 638(cc)) is amended by striking ``through
2025'' and inserting ``through 2026''.
(b) Commercialization Readiness Program for Civilian
Agencies Pilot Program.--Section 9(gg)(7) of the Small
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638(gg)(7)) is amended by striking
``fiscal year 2025'' and inserting ``fiscal year 2026''.
(c) Accelerated Awards.--Section 9(hh)(2)(C) of the Small
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638(hh)(2)(C)) is amended by striking
``September 30, 2025'' and inserting ``September 30, 2026''.
(d) Phase 0 Pilot Program.--Section 9(jj)(7) of the Small
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638(jj)(7)) is amended by striking
``fiscal year 2025'' and inserting ``fiscal year 2026''.
(e) Administrative Assistance.--Section 9(mm)(1) of the
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638(mm)(1)) is amended by
striking ``September 30, 2025'' and inserting ``September 30,
2026''.
(f) Increased Minimum Performance Standards.--Section
9(qq)(3)(I) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C.
638(qq)(3)(I)) is amended by striking ``September 30, 2025''
and inserting ``September 30, 2026''.
(g) Commercialization Assistance Pilot Programs.--Section
9(uu)(3) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638(uu)(3)) is
amended by striking ``September 30, 2025'' and inserting
``September 30, 2026''.
(h) Due Diligence Program.--Section 9(vv)(3)(C) of the
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638(vv)(3)(C)) is amended by
striking ``September 30, 2025'' and inserting ``September 30,
2026''.
(i) STTR Participation of Military Research and Educational
Institutions Pilot Program.--Section 9(yy)(2) of the Small
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638(yy)(2)) is amended by striking
``September 30, 2025'' and inserting ``September 30, 2026''.
(j) Budget Calculation Pilot Program.--Section 9(zz)(3) of
the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638(zz)(3)) is amended by
striking ``September 30, 2025'' and inserting ``September 30,
2026''.
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 today in support of my bill, H.R. 5100. This bill
extends two programs critical for American innovation, the Small
Business Innovation Research, SBIR, and the Small Business Technology
Transfer, STTR, programs, for 1 year.
I thank my colleagues, Ranking Member Velazquez and Chairman Babin
and Ranking Member Lofgren of the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology for cosponsoring this bipartisan legislation.
Since the 1980s, the SBIR and the STTR programs have fueled American
innovation by providing early-stage funding to small businesses. These
investments have led to groundbreaking technologies that grow our
economy and strengthen our national defense.
SBIR and STTR programs have been regularly reauthorized by Congress
to include many reforms to drive small business. However, the programs
will expire at the end of this month, on September 30, just 15 days
away.
As my colleagues and I continue to work toward the goal of a long-
term reauthorization, one thing has become clear: Time is working
against us. We cannot allow these critical programs to expire. Failing
to extend these programs would be a disservice to small businesses
across the country. Put simply, American innovators cannot operate in
uncertainty, and national security cannot afford an innovation gap.
As chairman of the Small Business Committee, I am committed to
ensuring these programs remain strong and uninterrupted. H.R. 5100 will
allow Congress the additional time to work toward a meaningful long-
term and bipartisan reauthorization while also ensuring that small
businesses can continue to do what they do best, and that is innovate.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues in the House again for joining me
in reintroducing this legislation. Their partnership shows the SBIR and
the STTR programs' strong bipartisan support and our shared commitment
to keeping America at the forefront of discovery.
I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense extension, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5100, a simple bill to
extend the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business
Technology Transfer programs for an additional year.
Over the course of its 40-year history, the SBIR and STTR have been
among the Federal Government's most effective engines for driving
innovation. By channeling a small portion of research and development
budgets into highly competitive awards, the government is able to
utilize our nimble and innovative small businesses to drive forward
technological innovation and meet critical agency needs.
These programs have been endlessly scrutinized since their founding,
but economic analysis has shown an overwhelmingly successful program
with an outsized return on investment for taxpayers.
Unfortunately, the SBIR and STTR programs are set to expire on
September 30. If these programs are allowed to expire, agencies would
lose the ability to issue new awards, cutting off a vital source of
early-stage funding for small businesses. It would also delay
commercialization of promising technologies and weaken the United
States' competitiveness with foreign adversaries.
Despite this fast-approaching deadline, negotiations for a
comprehensive reauthorization are ongoing, and while I attempted to
start the process early by introducing a bill last December, formal
negotiations didn't start until last month.
There are many areas of overlapping priorities between the majority
and minority on this bill. We share a desire to lower the barrier to
entry for new entrants and bridging the valley of death for the most
promising ideas.
However, there are some outstanding issues we are working through
that will take additional time. That is why I am grateful to our
chairman, Mr. Williams, as well as Chairman Babin and Ranking Member
Lofgren for their support for a 1-year extension.
This program has always been bipartisan, and it is imperative that we
continue to work together to bridge our differences in a thoughtful
manner. A 1-year extension is the most responsible course forward, one
that five out of six corners agree on. It gives agencies and small
businesses the certainty they need, while giving us adequate time to
make the best decisions we can.
While we have heard arguments that this could be added to the NDAA,
the timeline simply does not make sense. The programs will expire long
before final passage of the NDAA, and doing so will result in a lapse
in the program, something that has never happened before.
A 1-year extension does not mean that the work ends. We will continue
to be at the table, ready to negotiate and ultimately pass a
bipartisan, bicameral comprehensive reauthorization.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the
balance of my time.
[[Page H4274]]
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin), my good friend and the
chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Williams, my good friend
from Texas, as well, for yielding.
The Small Business Innovation Research, SBIR, and Small Business
Technology Transfer, STTR, programs are the Federal Government's
largest source of funding for small businesses focused on early-stage
technology development and commercialization.
They offer small businesses an opportunity to participate in Federal
research and development, facilitating the transition of federally
funded R&D into innovative products and services. For this reason,
these programs are often referred to as America's seed fund, as they
invest in research and emerging technology ideas that may be too risky
for private sector funding.
These SBIR and STTR programs are funded from set-asides of the
extramural research budgets at Federal agencies, providing billions of
dollars in awards every year. This substantial investment by taxpayers
necessitates diligent oversight by Congress to ensure that these
programs are operating efficiently and are protected from theft and
abuse by our adversaries, such as the Chinese Communist Party.
The reauthorization Congress passed in 2022 for these programs
addressed some vulnerabilities, but more work needs to be done. Both
the Small Business Committee and the Science, Space, and Technology
Committees are dedicated to addressing these issues and ensuring that
taxpayer funds support American small businesses rather than being
funneled to foreign adversaries.
While we continue our work, it is critical that we do not allow this
vital program to expire. Therefore, we have introduced this 1-year
extension of SBIR and STTR programs and encourage all Members to vote
``yes'' on this bill.
I look very much forward to working with Chairman Williams, Ranking
Member Velazquez, Chairwoman Ernst, Ranking Member Markey, and Ranking
Member Lofgren to get a full reauthorization completed and through
Congress as soon as possible.
{time} 1510
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to close by reminding everyone that this is
a bipartisan program that has never seen a lapse in its over 40-year
history. The House is taking the responsible step of extending this
program for a year to give us time to negotiate a longer-term
reauthorization.
I appreciate the partnership of Chairman Williams and of my
colleagues on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Chairman
Babin and Ranking Member Lofgren, for keeping this vital source of
capital for our Nation's most promising innovators alive. I look
forward to continuing discussions in the coming weeks and months to
reach a bipartisan agreement.
Allowing this program to lapse is simply not an option. I encourage
all of my colleagues to support this commonsense measure.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Velazquez, and I urge
my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation to continue
uplifting small business innovation across America.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 5100, a bill that I
cosponsored along with the Chair of the Science Committee,
Representative Babin, and the Chair and Ranking Member of the Small
Business Committee, Representatives Williams and Velazquez. Like my
colleagues, I am a strong supporter of the SBIR and STTR programs and
it is my priority to see these programs continue without disruption.
For more than 40 years, and Small Business Innovation Research
Program (SBIFR), and later its companion program the Small Business
Technology Transfer Program (STTR), have been contributing to U.S.
leadership in technological innovation through support for small
business research and development.
My home state of California has long been one of the Nation's leading
states for science and technology. Because of our rich and diverse
culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, our small companies--across
sectors--have successfully competed for SBIR/STTR funds since the
programs' inception. In 2022, California companies won a total of $887
million in SBIR/STTR awards. I celebrate the success of California's
small businesses. But more importantly, I celebrate the return on
investment (ROI) that benefits the entire Nation. While estimates vary
depending on the scope and methodology of each study, the studies I
have seen report a ROI of at least 10:1. That is a remarkable win for
the taxpayer for a relatively small investment.
While the Small Business Administration administers the overall
program, it is the science agencies themselves that solicit and fund
SBIR/STTR award proposals. As the Ranking Member of the Science, Space,
and Technology Committee, I am familiar with the diversity of our
Federal scientific enterprise and the vast differences in missions and
needs across our science agencies, including the Department of Defense
(DOD). So, it is no surprise to me that over the lifetime of the SBIR/
STTR programs, each agency has evolved the particulars of their
individual programs to align with their specific needs. That also
applies to how they approach risk assessment in their due diligence
programs. While clear, standard definitions are an important goal that
I share, an agency like NSF is rightfully going to assess and mitigate
risk differently than an agency like DOD.
It is with that context in mind that I have serious concerns about
the INNOVATE Act as currently proposed by the Chairs of the House and
Senate Small Business Committees. Even DOD itself has flagged
significant concerns. I do support a long-term comprehensive
reauthorization of the program, and I am committed to taking a serious
look at where the program has challenges and needs good governance
updates. I am also committed to discussing the opportunities to
continue to strengthen the outcomes of the program, including by doing
more to attract new entrants across the Nation. I have instructed my
staff accordingly and they have been at the table for more than a month
negotiating in good faith with staff from the other committees.
However, we remain far apart on certain key issues and simply need more
time to work through them. At the moment, we don't even have agreement
on the fundamentals. What I do not accept is a repeat of the 2022
process, in which one corner out of six effectively dictated the
process and rammed through a bill that narrowly reflected only their
priorities and completely omitted Science Committee priorities, among
others.
That is why I am encouraging all of my colleagues, in the House and
the Senate, to support a clean one-year reauthorization of the SBIR/
STTR programs. We must be allowed time to engage in the kind of
thoughtful deliberation and debate that the public and the stakeholders
expect from us before we enact monumental changes to a program that has
been an undisputed success for more than 40 years.
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. 5100.
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.
____________________