WASHINGTON – The House Committee on Small Business today approved two bipartisan pieces of legislation to foster innovation from America’s small businesses and help them better compete in the global science and technology marketplaces. The first, H.R. 4783, reauthorizes the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs ahead of their scheduled expiration dates in 2017.
Chairman Chabot has made the reauthorization of SBIR and STTR a top priority for the Committee. With H.R. 207, the Committee also approved reforms to three programs administered by the Small Business Administration that were informed by its probe of mismanagement at the agency this year. The bills now advance to the full U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.
“Business as usual in Washington is, usually, bad for small business. When Congress puts things off until the last minute, it puts small businesses behind the eight ball,”said Chairman Steve Chabot (R-OH).“Today, our Committee was both productive and proactive by improving key small business programs ahead of schedule. By ensuring the continued success of SBIR and STTR, we will provide certainty and predictability to thousands of American entrepreneurs.”
Last week, Chabot penned an op-ed for The Hill explaining how early reauthorization will help small businesses. Earlier this month, the Committee held a series of hearings where it heard from small business owners how important these programs are to their business.
You can read all materials from the Committee’s markup here and watch this morning’s full markup here.
