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 ...
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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...
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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. Othe...
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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) Progr...
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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 ju...
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WASHINGTON – House Small Business Committee Chairman Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) released the following statement after passage of H.R. 10, the Financial CHOICE Act, to end taxpayer-funded bailouts and replace it with common-sense reforms that will help grow small businesses. “Dodd-Frank has failed our country. For the last seven years, it has only made it more difficult for small businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs to get the credit and capital they need. In contrast, the Financial CHOICE Act wil...
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WASHINGTON – House Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce Chairman Steve Knight (R-CA) today introduced H.R. 2763, the “Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Improvements Act of 2017,” to update and improve the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs. Specifically, H.R. 2763 reinforces the requirement that the SBA give a comprehensive annual report of the SBIR and STTR programs to Congr...
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WASHINGTON – Today, the House Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce and the Subcommittee on Investigations, Oversight, and Regulations heard from small businesses and experts about the effects of change orders on small business contractors and solutions to ease the financial burden. “In contracting, a certain degree of reasonable delay is expected when changes are made; however, this becomes inexcusable when federal agencies are unwilling to formally execute change orders and ...
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WASHINGTON – House Small Business Committee Member Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced H.R. 2594 the Small Business Payment for Performance Act to ensure small business federal contractors get paid in a timely manner for change orders. Specifically, the legislation allows contractors to submit a request for equitable adjustment (REA) - or an increase in fee - to the agency. The contractor may then bill the agency for any actual change order work completed, while the REA is pending. Once the...
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WASHINGTON – Today, the House Small Business Committee heard from the Small Business Administration (SBA) about its ongoing efforts to help small businesses participate in the international marketplace. Peter Cazamias, the Associate Administration of the Office of International Trade, testified on behalf of the SBA. “There is no question that foreign markets hold incredible opportunities for America’s small businesses. Ninety-five percent of all consumers live outside the borders of the United S...
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