Washington, D.C.— Today, the House passed seven bipartisan committee bills to improve the operation and oversight of key Small Business Administration (SBA) programs. The slate of bills includes legislation to extend the statute of limitations on small business pandemic fraud cases, enhance workforce development offerings, and improve the procurement process for small businesses.
“Our continued recovery from COVID depends on the well-being of American small businesses that create jobs and grow our economy. That’s why Congress must continue to advance policies that address the issues that small businesses face and promote growth on Main Street,” said Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY). “These seven bills will help make key SBA programs more secure, accessible, and focused on the most pressing challenges for small firms.”
H.R. 7352, the “PPP and Bank Fraud Enforcement Harmonization Act of 2022”
Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) and Ranking Member Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO)
The bill would establish a 10-year statute of limitations for all forms of PPP loan fraud, including cases involving fintech originated loans, consistent with that for bank fraud.
H.R. 7334, the “COVID-19 EIDL Fraud Statute of Limitations Act of 2022”
Ranking Member Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) and Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY)
The bill would establish a 10-year statute of limitations for all COVID EIDL fraud, including for EIDL Advances and Targeted EIDL Advances. The 10-year statute of limitations is consistent with that for bank fraud.
H.R. 7622, the “Small Business Workforce Pipeline Act of 2022”
Reps. Jason Crow (D-CO), Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), and Andrew Garbarino (R-NY)
The bill would allow Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) to provide assistance to small businesses regarding apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and job training programs by disseminating information from the DOL.
H.R. 7664, the “Supporting Small Business and Career and Technical Education Act of 2022”
Reps. Roger Williams (R-TX) and Marie Newman (D-IL)
The bill would help small businesses meet their hiring needs. This legislation directs SBDCs and WBCs to assist small businesses in hiring graduates from career and technical education programs, in addition to the existing services SBDCs and WBCs provide. Additionally, this legislation supports career and technical education graduates by directing SBDCs and WBCs to assist them in starting up a small business.
H.R. 7670, the “Women-Owned Small Business Program Transparency Act”
Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Claudia Tenney (R-NY)
The bill would establish reporting requirements for the WOSB Program, furthering transparency, accountability and ensuring that Congress receives the necessary data to closely monitor these issues. In particular, it would require SBA to provide information as to the amount of contracting dollars awarded through the program, the number of certifications being issued, the amount of program examinations being conducted, the number of companies being decertified, and the number of contracts incorrectly awarded under industries or NAICS codes ineligible to the program, as well as any actions taken by SBA to properly train agency personnel.
H.R. 5879, the “Hubzone Price Evaluation Preference Clarification Act of 2021”
Reps. Marie Newman (D-IL) and Maria Salazar (R-FL)
The bill would seek to clarify that the price evaluation preference, which allows HUBZone businesses to compete on a level playing field, does apply to orders.
H.R. 7694, the “Strengthening Subcontracting for Small Businesses Act of 2022”
Reps. Pete Stauber (R-MN) and Kweisi Mfume (D-MD)
The bill would encourage compliance of subcontracting plans by extending the requirement that an agency must consider prior compliance with these plans when evaluating an offeror’s past performance to all contract awards that include a subcontracting plan.
###
