Providing for Consideration of H.R. William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year Providing for Consideration of H.R. Child Care is Essential Act; Providing for Consideration of H.R. Child Care for Economic Recovery Act; and Providing for Consideration of Senate Amendments to H.R. Taxpayer First Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the chairman and ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee for including my legislation in the NDAA for 2021. I would also like to thank my good friend from Maine, Congressman Jared Golden, for introducing the legislation with me and championing its amendment during markup.

My bill holds Federal agencies accountable for paying businesses for work already performed due to contract modifications made by Federal agency clients.

As ranking member of the House Committee on Small Business' Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure, I think it is important to speak up for the small businesses that support the Federal Government and procurement marketplace.

When small businesses work with the Federal Government, they choose to do so risking their livelihoods on the promise that they will be paid for the work that they have agreed to perform. Access to steady and stable cash flow is the lifeblood of a small business, and they trust that they will be paid timely and fairly each and every time they sign on the dotted line.

Unfortunately, the Federal Government has not been holding up their end of that bargain, particularly when it comes to contract modifications or change orders issued unilaterally by an agency on Federal construction projects. These delays in the approval and payment of change orders have a disproportionate impact on small construction contractors.

My legislation provides a measure of financial stability to our small contractors by requiring the government to pay for at least half of the work the small business has completed, at the time an invoice is submitted, pursuant to the change order work requested by the agency.

This will ensure that our small businesses obtain at least some fair and timely compensation for the work performed, without having to wait for the change order payment approval to work its way through miles of government red tape and bureaucracy. This legislation holds agencies accountable for the changed work they request, which is simply the right thing to do.

Again, I thank the chairman and ranking member for including this legislation in the NDAA.

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