[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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