OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Sbir and Sttr Extension Act of 2022

Floor Speech

Date: Sept. 28, 2022
Location: Washington, DC

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. FLOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the SBIR and STTR Extension Act of 2022.

I thank Chair Velazquez and Ranking Member Luetkemeyer for their work in a bipartisan fashion. I also thank Senators Ernst and Cardin for what they have done for this legislation. I am pleased that this bill has been brought to the floor in an expedited fashion.

The Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Extension Act is an important piece of legislation, and the changes this bill brings to these programs are urgently needed.

For those who are not familiar, the Small Business Innovation Research program was created in 1982. The program was intended to spur American innovation and harness ingenuity by increasing small business engagement in federally funded research and development.

More recently, however, the Chinese Government has been manipulating this program. A report from the Department of Defense in April 2021 revealed some of the tactics China has used to this end.

The DOD revealed instances where companies were created, received SBIR grants, and then the founders mysteriously dissolved the company. Upon further investigation, it became clear that these companies were either recruited to China or were formed with the intent of returning to China from the start.

Either way, the result was the same: The American taxpayers funded projects that were stolen by the Chinese Government. This was simply an unacceptable status quo.

This bill fixes those problems. It implements strong safeguards against the influence of China or other foreign actors, and it creates new reporting requirements for these programs that will ensure taxpayer dollars are properly used.

This bill also brings the SBIR back to its original purpose: to spur innovation and unlock the ingenuity of American small businesses.

With these changes to the program, we can make sure the SBIR and STTR are stronger and more accessible for entrepreneurs in Nebraska and across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT


Source
arrow_upward