Plain Language in Contracting Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their work on this bill, which states that certain contracting documents should be written in a way that is ``clear, concise, and accessible'' for small businesses.

This bill is an attempt to reduce confusion and add clarity for some small firms that contract with or are looking to contract with the Federal Government.

While we have concerns about how elements of this legislation could be implemented, simplifying the contracting process and recruiting new entrants into the Federal marketplace are priorities that we share. There are certainly ways for the government to improve in both of those areas.

Again, I thank the sponsors for their work on this bill, and I believe that the goals are laudable.

It is a mandate of our committee to regularly review the processes that SBA and Federal agencies put in place to recruit, retain, and contract with small businesses--and do so with the goal of making it easier for them to compete for and win Federal awards.

Given that small businesses are leaving the Federal market at a record pace, and fewer small businesses are choosing to work with the government to begin with, we must use the tools available to us to provide remedies where we can.

In closing, I thank the chairman and the sponsors of the legislation for their commitment and dedication to our Nation's small business owners.

National Small Business Week is a good reminder that we need to work together in a bipartisan way to create more opportunities for our Nation's 33 million entrepreneurs.

Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I didn't mention there are a sizeable number of Democratic bills that have been reported favorably from the committee but have not been scheduled for the floor.

In a spirit of bipartisanship, which is what National Small Business Week showcases to our constituents, I look forward to the chairman bringing more of these bills to the floor soon.

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