[House Hearing, 119 Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] MARKUP OF: H.R. 5100, TO EXTEND THE SBIR AND STTR PROGRAMS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES ======================================================================= HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION __________ HEARING HELD SEPTEMBER 9, 2025 __________ [GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] Small Business Committee Document Number 119-018 Available via the GPO Website: www.govinfo.gov __________ U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 61-894 WASHINGTON : 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS ROGER WILLIAMS, Texas, Chairman PETE STAUBER, Minnesota DAN MEUSER, Pennsylvania BETH VAN DUYNE, Texas JAKE ELLZEY, Texas MARK ALFORD, Missouri NICK LALOTA, New York BRAD FINSTAD, Minnesota TONY WIED, Wisconsin ROB BRESNAHAN, Pennsylvania BRIAN JACK, Georgia TROY DOWNING, Montana KIMBERLYN KING-HINDS, Northern Marina Islands DEREK SCHMIDT, Kansas JIMMY PATRONIS, Florida NYDIA VELAZQUEZ, New York, Ranking Member MORGAN MCGARVEY, Kentucky HILLARY SCHOLTEN, Michigan LAMONICA MCIVER, New Jersey GIL CISNEROS, California KELLY MORRISON, Minnesota GEORGE LATIMER, New York DEREK TRAN, California LATEEFAH SIMON, California JOHNNY OLSZEWSKI, Maryland HERB CONAWAY, New Jersey MAGGIE GOODLANDER, New Hampshire Lauren Holmes, Majority Staff Director Melissa Jung, Minority Staff Director C O N T E N T S OPENING STATEMENTS Page Hon. Roger Williams.............................................. 1 Hon. Nydia Velazquez............................................. 2 APPENDIX Additional Material for the Record: H.R. 5100, To extend the SBIR and STTR Programs, and for other purposes............................................. 4 Support Document: E-Vote Results............................................... 7 Votes: Final Passage to H.R. 5100, ``To extend the SBIR and STTR Programs, and for other purposes........................... 8 MARKUP OF: H.R. 5100, TO EXTEND THE SBIR AND STTR PROGRAMS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES ---------- TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2025 House of Representatives, Committee on Small Business, 1Washington, DC. The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:35 a.m., in Room 2360, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Robert Williams [chairman of the Committee] presiding. Present: Representatives Williams, Stauber, Meuser, Van Duyne, Ellzey, Alford, LaLota, Finstad, Wied, Bresnahan, Jack, Downing, King-Hinds, Schmidt, Patronis, Velazquez, McGarvey, Scholten, McIver, Cisneros, Morrison, Latimer, Tran, Simon, Olszewski, Conaway, and Goodlander. Chairman WILLIAMS. The Committee will now come to order. A quorum is present. Without objection, the Chair is authorized to declare a recess of the committee at any time. I ask unanimous consent to name Mr. Alford and Mr. Ellzey to the Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure. Without objection, so moved. As required by House Rules, a copy of this legislative measure has been made available to Members and the public at least 24 hours in advance. Without objection, the Committee will vote electronically in accordance with the Committee rules and regulations developed by the House Committees on Rules and Administration. I now recognize myself for opening remarks. Today we will mark up a bipartisan bill that is critical to protecting American innovation. The Small Business Innovation Research, SBIR, and Small Business Technology Transfer, STTR, programs are set to expire on September 30th unless Congress takes action to reauthorize them. For over the decades, the SBIR and the STTR programs have fueled American innovation by providing early stage funding to small businesses, allowing them to develop cutting-edge technologies that strengthen our economy and defend our nation. As Chairman, I am committed to ensuring these programs remain strong and uninterrupted. America's small business cannot operate in uncertainty and our national security cannot afford an innovation gap. SBIR and STTR investments have developed some of the world's most advanced defense technologies with one goal: to keep Americans safe from foreign adversaries. All of us on this Committee have worked hard to reauthorize the programs in a bipartisan way that protects American innovators from foreign adversaries and encourages greater support for breakthrough technologies. We have had great bipartisan and bicameral discussions in an effort to move forward the INNOVATE Act. I, along with all my colleagues, am committed to continuing these discussions. With long-term reauthorization remains the goal, one thing has become clear: time is working against us. We cannot allow these vital programs to expire while Congress continues to consider possible reforms and examine their impact. That is why I introduced H.R. 5100 alongside Ranking Member Velazquez, House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Chairman Babin, and Ranking Member Lofgren. This bill will extend the SBIR and the STTR programs for one more year, allowing meaningful discussions towards long-term reauthorization to continue. This Committee is responsible for empowering small businesses to do what they do best, innovate. Extending these programs keeps America ahead of their adversaries, creates jobs at home, and ensures that small business remain at the forefront of discovery. I want to thank Ranking Member Velazquez and her team for working with us and ensuring that these programs do not expire. I would also like to thank Chairman Babin, Ranking Member Lofgren, and their staffs for their support. This 1-year extension sends a clear message we will not let America's innovation pipeline run dry. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and the Senate to ensure continuity for SBIR and STTR programs and the small businesses participating in them. With that, I look forward to today's markup and yield to the distinguished Ranking Member from New York and my friend, Ms. Velazquez. Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your efforts on this clean 1-year extension of the Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer programs. For more than 40 years, SBIR and STTR have been among the federal government's most effective engines for driving innovation, channeling a small share of the research and development budgets into highly competitive awards that fuel cutting-edge discoveries by small businesses. Economic analyses consistently show an outside return on investment for taxpayers and the program throughout its lifetime has been overwhelmingly successful. Unfortunately, the SBIR and STTR programs are set to expire at the end of the fiscal year. If these programs were allowed to expire agencies will lose the ability to issue new awards, cutting off a vital source of early stage funding for small businesses, delay commercialization and promising technologies, and weaken the federal government's ability to access new and emerging technologies. This is why one of my main priorities for the program is permanence. The SBIR and STTR reauthorization is our Committee's only must pass legislation this year. Despite the urgency, we are still in early stages of negotiating a comprehensive reauthorization and time is running short. While we share priorities, such as bringing in new entrants or modernizing Phase III, significant differences remain. To that end, I appreciate Chairman Williams' recognition of the obstacles we are facing with this reauthorization and his support for a 1- year extension to bring all sides together to bridge the differences. Letting the reauthorizations lapse, even briefly, will disrupt hundreds of small businesses in the middle of their research and put innovation at risk. This extension is the only responsible course, and I look forward to continuing to work with Chairman Williams and his team to reach a comprehensive bipartisan agreement. I encourage my colleagues to vote yes and I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. The gentlelady yields back. Now the Committee now moves to consideration of H.R. 5100. The clerk will report the bill. The CLERK. H.R. 5100, a bill to extend the SBIR---- Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, H.R. 5100 is considered as read and open for amendment. Does anyone wish to offer an amendment? Seeing none, the question is now on favorably reporting H.R. 5100 to the House. All those in favor, say aye. All those opposed, say no. In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it and H.R. 5100 is agreed to. Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Chairman? Chairman WILLIAMS. For what purpose does the gentleman from Pennsylvania seek recognition? Mr. MEUSER. I would like to request a recorded vote. Chairman WILLIAMS. A recorded vote has been requested. A roll call vote is ordered. The clerk will open the vote. [The vote was taken.] Chairman WILLIAMS. Are there any Members who have not voted or wish to change their vote? Ms. HOLMES. If you guys need to go to other meetings, you absolutely can. We are going to give a couple Members time to run back and vote. But if you have voted, you are free to go. Mr. Chairman, we are just going to--we have two Members that are running here. Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay, good. Good, good, good. Ms. HOLMES. Thank you, guys. We appreciate it. Chairman WILLIAMS. Are there any other Members who have not voted or wish to change their vote? If not, the clerk will close the vote. The clerk will report. The CLERK. Mr. Chairman, on this vote the ayes are 27 and the noes are 0. Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay. The motion is agreed to and H.R. 5100 is adopted and will be reported favorably to the House. Without objection, the Committee staff is authorized to make technical and conforming changes. And Members have 2 business days to file additional supplemental, dissenting, and minority views. I want to thank all of you for being here today. If there's no further business, this concludes our day's markup. Without objection, the Committee stands adjourned. Thank you. [Whereupon, at 10:49 a.m., the committee was adjourned.] A P P E N D I X [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] [all]