WASHINGTON – Today, Members of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy, and Trade heard from a group of experts in the first of a series of hearings addressing the rural broadband deployment efforts small telecommunications companies are undergoing in rural America. Witnesses also discussed the potential for policy changes at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and what the FCC has done to help or hinder broadband deployment. “Our small businesses, particularly ones in rural areas, depend on new telecommunications t... [...]
Washington, D.C. – Today, House Small Business Committee Chairman Steve Chabot (R-OH) joined Senate Small Business Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID) to introduce bipartisan, bicameral legislation to improve cybersecurity resources for small businesses. The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Cyber Training Act will be a priority in each respective committee. Representative Dwight Evans (D-PA) and Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) are original co-sponsors of the bills. “Many small business owners lack the capital and expertise they need to preve... [...]
WASHINGTON – Today, the House Small Business Committee examined the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC) and its efforts to partner with federal, state, and local trade promotion agencies to help provide small businesses with the tools they need in a global marketplace and create new jobs in the United States. “Unfortunately, many small businesses consider exporting to be out of reach because they believe it is either too expensive or they don’t know how to find overseas customers. Other small businesses that dive into the export proce... [...]
WASHINGTON – Today, the House Small Business Committee approved five bipartisan pieces of legislation to amend the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act. H.R. 2763, Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Improvements Act of 2017, introduced by Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce Chairman Steve Knight (R-CA) H.R. 2763 will update and improve the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs. Specifically, it will reinforce the requireme... [...]
WASHINGTON – Today, the House Small Business Committee reviewed the Small Business Administration's (SBA) failed attempt to restructure the agency, particularly its use of the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) and Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) Programs. The VERA and VSIP programs were created to help agencies restructure or downsize their workforce. “The Office of Inspector General conducted an audit of SBA’s management of its VERA-VSIP program. In its audit released just a couple of weeks ago, the OIG determined that ... [...]
