Small Business Contracting Program Improvement Act
Floor Speech
SMALL BUSINESS CONTRACTING PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS ACT -- (House of Representatives - October 30, 2007)
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Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Chairman, first I would like to thank the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velázquez) for her leadership in bringing this bill to the floor today and her steadfast commitment to the small businesses of our Nation.
I support the Small Business Contracting Program Improvements Act, which encourages participation by qualified small businesses and improves key sections of the Small Business Act to prevent fraud in the SBA's contracting programs.
H.R. 3867 requires the Small Business Administration to immediately implement the Women's Procurement Program after 7 years of no action by the administration to put the program in action.
It will allow agencies to limit competition for Federal contracts only to women business owners in industries that have been closed to them. This legislation now requires SBA to evaluate industries where women entrepreneurs are economically disadvantaged and gives the SBA authority to waive any restrictions where women-owned enterprises are substantially underrepresented.
I believe this bill will finally correct the imbalance in the number of women-owned businesses nationally when compared to their presence in the Federal marketplace.
H.R. 3867 also strengthens the HUBZone program by requiring construction contracts to be performed within a reasonable distance of the particular HUBZone the contractor is to benefit. It will limit construction contract awards being performed more than 150 miles from the primary office location of the HUBZone-approved company.
The Small Business Contracting Program Improvements Act modernizes the 8(a) program to update and revise qualification requirements and ensure that 8(a) contracts go to qualified companies.
This bill provides an opportunity for all qualified small businesses to have a fair opportunity in the Federal marketplace. I want to thank Chairwoman Velázquez for her steadfast commitment to the women, minority-owned and disabled veterans and disadvantaged small businesses of America. I strongly support this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to do likewise.
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