U.S. Senate considers bill to increase SBA transparency

News - Published Apr 12, 2024

A bill, entitled the "Small Business Contracting Transparency Act of 2024", has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Chris Coons of Delaware and John Kennedy (of Louisiana). The bill has already unanimously passed the U.S. House of Representatives, where it had been introduced by Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (of Pennsylvania) and Congressman Pete Stauber (of Minnesota).

The bill affects three certification programs overseen by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) - the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program, the Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Program, and the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Program. The bill would require SBA to submit annual reports on the number of small businesses that have been certified under those programs, the percentage of federal contracts awarded to businesses under those programs (including the total dollar amount of such awards made), and the number of ineligible businesses that were erroneously awarded contracts under those SBA certification programs.

"This commonsense, bipartisan legislation is a key step toward ensuring the federal government keeps its promises to women, veterans, and underserved communities when awarding federal contracts," said Senator Coons in a statement.

Read a press release from the office of Senator Coons at https://www.coons.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-coons-kennedy-introduce-bill-to-help-small-businesses-compete-for-federal-contracts.

Find the bill at https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3971.