Strengthening Subcontracting for Small Businesses Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. MFUME. Madam Speaker, I particularly thank the chair for yielding this time but also for her very important leadership on the Committee on Small Business and for the excellence of her example--getting all of us to the point of where we are today.

At a time when, as has been said, small businesses are at risk of being pushed out of the Federal procurement space due to forces outside of their control, it is imperative that we unite across the aisle, as has been stated, to stand up for small business concerns and to help grow their presence in the Federal contracting space where possible.

I am very pleased to work with Representative Stauber, the distinguished gentleman from Minnesota, who, on committee and at this time, jointly share an interest in this legislation because of what it does. I look forward to working with Mr. Stauber in the future on other joint endeavors.

I also thank the staff of the Committee on Small Business for working very hard to pull together this commonsense bill that protects small businesses by incentivizing large prime contractors to adhere to their contracting plans.

Now, some might say, well, why do you have to do that? Unfortunately, if we don't do it, they will continue as they have done, to not adhere to those plans, and it hurts the overall small business community.

Currently, prime contractors have very little economic incentive to do the right things, to abide by their subcontracting plans, and these are the plans that they, themselves have negotiated. So when prime contractors disregard these pre-negotiated terms, the only recourse that we have is to make sure that we find a way to involve ourselves before they are left with their only alternative, which is to file a lawsuit.

Given the nature of the courts, any small business relief that may come to them could prove to be too little, too late.

Madam Speaker, again, I thank the gentleman from Minnesota. This bill creates an economic incentive for prime contractors to follow their subcontracting plans by requiring any agency of the government to assess those plans and to offer advice and an opinion on whether or not they have complied.

The SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE. The time of the gentleman has expired.

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Mr. MFUME. Madam Speaker, by amending the language of the Small Business Act, by expanding its scope, this legislation will give contractors that treat small businesses the right and the fair way, a greater chance at winning Federal contractors. And it will hopefully incentivize those contractors that are not, to finally do the right thing.

Madam Speaker, I respectfully ask that my colleagues vote in support of H.R. 7694, the Strengthening Subcontracting for Small Businesses Act of 2022.

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