CONGRESSMAN STEVE CHABOT 1ST DISTRICT OF OHIO

The U.S. House Committee on Small Business today approved bipartisan legislation to expand and improve opportunties for America’s small firms to compete for federal contracts. The measure, H.R. 4341, the Defending America’s Small Contractors Act of 2016, was approved unanimously by the panel and now advances to the full House of Representatives for consideration.

“As a Committee, we’ve worked tirelessly to ensure that federal contracts are awarded appropriately to small businesses in order to maximize competition, create jobs and foster innovation,” said Committee Chairman Steve Chabot (R-OH). “This bipartisan, common-sense legislation will allow America’s small businesses new and improved opportunities to provide value and quality to the taxpayer.”

Specifically, the Defending America’s Small Contractors Act of 2016:

• Modernizes the Small Business Act, and the SBA’s reporting requirements, to ensure that the language used is clear and consistent across federal procurement programs.

• Strengthens the small business advocates within SBA and other federal agencies so they can promote competition and compliance.

• Improves opportunities for small businesses to compete for subcontracts, and then to capitalize on that experience to compete as prime contractors, thereby strengthening the industrial base.

• Improves coordination and data sharing between the SBA’s government-wide mentor-protégé program, civilian agency mentor-protégé programs, and the mentor-protégé program at the Department of Defense.

• Implements common sense reforms to ensuring integrity in small business programs, such as the agricultural size standards, veterans contracting programs, SBA operations and contracting officer training programs.

The measure was informed by the Committee’s ongoing efforts to improve contracting opportunities for small businesses across all federal agencies. Chairman Chabot noted that the first Committee markup of 2015 was also on contracting reform legislation and almost all of those provisions have since become law.

You can view the full Committee markup HERE.