[House Hearing, 118 Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] MARKUP OF: H.R. 5450; H.R. 6591; H.R. 7102; H.R. 7103; H.R. 6156; H.R. 7104; H.R. 7105; H.R. 7128; AND H.R. 7129 ======================================================================= HEARING before the COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION __________ HEARING HELD JANUARY 31, 2024 __________ [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] Small Business Committee Document Number 118-038 Available via the GPO Website: www.govinfo.gov _______ U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 55-405 WASHINGTON : 2024 HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS ROGER WILLIAMS, Texas, Chairman BLAINE LUETKEMEYER, Missouri PETE STAUBER, Minnesota DAN MEUSER, Pennsylvania BETH VAN DUYNE, Texas MARIA SALAZAR, Florida TRACEY MANN, Kansas JAKE ELLZEY, Texas MARC MOLINARO, New York MARK ALFORD, Missouri ELI CRANE, Arizona AARON BEAN, Florida WESLEY HUNT, Texas NICK LALOTA, New York CELESTE MALOY, Utah NYDIA VELAZQUEZ, New York, Ranking Member JARED GOLDEN, Maine KWEISI MFUME, Maryland DEAN PHILLIPS, Minnesota GREG LANDSMAN, Ohio MARIE GLUESENKAMP PEREZ, Washington SHRI THANEDAR, Michigan MORGAN MCGARVEY, Kentucky HILLARY SCHOLTEN, Michigan JUDY CHU, California SHARICE DAVIDS, Kansas CHRIS PAPPAS, New Hampshire Ben Johnson, 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............................................. 3 APPENDIX Additional Material for the Record: H.R. 5450.................................................... 41 H.R. 6591.................................................... 43 H.R. 7102.................................................... 46 H.R. 7103.................................................... 51 H.R. 6156.................................................... 54 H.R. 7104.................................................... 57 H.R. 7105.................................................... 59 H.R. 7128.................................................... 65 H.R. 7129.................................................... 69 Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 5450......... 87 Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 6591......... 89 Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 6156......... 91 Minority Views H.R. 5450..................................... 93 Minority Views H.R. 7102..................................... 95 Minority Views H.R. 7103..................................... 96 Minority Views H.R. 6156..................................... 98 Minority Views H.R. 7104..................................... 99 Minority Views H.R. 7105..................................... 100 Minority Views H.R. 7128..................................... 102 Minority Views H.R. 7129..................................... 103 DOJ Compelling Interest Document............................. 105 Hon. Morgan McGarvey Letter.................................. 164 Joint Letter Supporting SBA ONAA Bill........................ 165 MARKUP OF: H.R. 5450, THE ENHANCING COMPETITION IN CONTRACTING ORDERS ACT; H.R. 6591, THE ENCOURAGING SUCCESS ACT; H.R. 7102, THE NATIVE AMERICAN ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITY ACT; H.R. 7103, THE AGENCY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2024; H.R. 6156, THE CHILD CARE SMALL BUSINESS INSIGHT AND IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2023; H.R. 7104, THE NATIONAL SBDC ADVISORY BOARD IMPROVEMENT ACT; H.R. 7105, THE WOSB CERTIFICATION AND OPPORTUNITY EXPANSION ACT; H.R. 7128, THE WOSB INTEGRITY ACT OF 2024; AND H.R. 7129, THE PUT AMERICA ON COMMISSION ACT OF 2024. ---------- WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2024 House of Representatives, Committee on Small Business, Washington, DC. The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 9:50 a.m., in Room 2360, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Roger Williams [chairman of the Committee] presiding. Present: Representatives Williams, Luetkemeyer, Stauber, Meuser, Van Duyne, Salazar, Mann, Ellzey, Molinaro, Alford, Crane, Bean, Hunt, LaLota, Maloy, Velazquez, Golden, Mfume, Landsman, McGarvey, Gluesenkamp Perez, Scholten, Thanedar, Chu, Davids, and Pappas. Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay. If I can have everyone's attention If we can have everybody's attention. Before we get started, I want to recognize Congressman Alford from the great state of Missouri to say the Pledge of Allegiance and a short prayer. Mr. ALFORD. Well, let's start with a prayer, Chairman. Dear God, we just thank you for providing us a place and a manner and a time to conduct the business of this nation. I thank you for our Chair and our Ranking Member, for the guidance and leadership they provide each day in this Committee. God, thank you for the Members here. Bless us. Give us strength, courage, wisdom, and discernment as we move forward for the American people. And God, I just thank you for our small businesses. Thank you for the men and women who roll up their sleeves, who empty their wallets, who spend time with their families, who dedicate their lives, basically, to starting a small business. And I just ask that every decision we make here, every rule we put forward or bill we put forward, as we are doing today, it is your will and your guidance to help those families succeed in America. Through Christ, I pray. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. 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. As required by the House rules, a copy of the legislative measures have been made available to Members and the public at least 24 hours in advance. Pursuant to Committee rule 13 and House rule XI, all votes will be rolled to the end of the meeting. I now recognize myself for opening remarks. Good morning again to everyone, and I welcome today's markup, where we will be discussing nine bills that address the various needs of our nation's small businesses. I am going to be speaking on each of the bills we bring up today in greater detail, so I want to keep my opening statement brief and just highlight a few points. When I took over as the Chairman of this Committee, I wanted to bring my private sector experience to the forefront. And I employ hundreds of people back home in Texas at my car dealerships, and almost all of them work on commission. It incentivizes them to work hard and take ownership of what they are selling. This was the inspiration behind one of the bills we were marking up today, and I want to thank our colleague, Chairman Luetkemeyer, for a lot of his input on this very thing. This was the inspiration behind one of the bills we are marking up today. It is Put America on Commission Act of 2024. This bill creates a whistleblower program that will align the incentives of the public and the government to help achieve the shared goal of holding criminals that took advantage of the government lending programs during the COVID-19 pandemic accountable. When Congress passed the Pandemic Assistance Program here, there was a need to strike the balance between getting money out quickly and having appropriate fraud mitigation tools in place. There was always the assumption that we would be able to catch the fraudsters on the back end. However, as the inspector general shared with the Committee, he knew this would lead to a disaster and the after action report show he was correct. There has been an estimated $200 billion in fraud in the SBA pandemic programs and the OIG has 100-year backlog. A 100-year backlog to get through all of these cases. This is not an issue that can simply be fixed by throwing money at the existing problem. We need something that will speed up the process. That is where this bill will come into play. By creating this new whistleblower program within the SBA, the inspector general will receive a higher quality information that will lead to more and quicker convictions. Whistleblower programs have been proven to be effective in many other agencies, such as the IRS and the SEC, and I am confident that this bill will lead to more convictions of COVID fraud when we look to replicate it at the SBA. I will have more to say on this bill when it is brought up later today, but I want to thank the staff on both sides of the aisle for making this bill a reality. And in closing, I would like to thank our Members for bringing all of the bills forward for consideration in today's markup. Every piece of legislation we are going to look at today is the product of hearings and our oversight efforts that we have conducted, and I am proud to see our Committee activity being turned into legislation that will make main street even stronger. With that, I look forward to today's markup, and I yield to distinguished Ranking Member from New York, Ms. Velazquez. Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this markup today. I plan to lend my support to the nine bills we are considering. They make important improvements to the contracting programs at SBA, codify the Office of Native American Affairs, takes a good first step on childcare, and works to recover fraudulent pandemic funds. This Committee has a long tradition of working together to get things done for small businesses, and I appreciate Chairman Williams and his staff for their efforts to work with us. I would like to also commend the Members of the Committee to put differences aside and improve SBA programs for small businesses. Small business growth has proven resilient in uncertain times. Since President Biden took office, 16 million Americans have filed to start new businesses and more than 14 million jobs have been created. Our nation's 33 million small businesses play an important role in driving our nation's economy, and I am committed to supporting entrepreneurs as they create good paying jobs in our local community. Thank you, Mr. Williams for joining forces with me on behalf of small businesses and I look forward to a productive markup. I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back. And does any other Member seek recognition for the purpose of making an opening statement? Okay, if none, seeing none, we will now move to the consideration of the first bill. H.R. 5450 The first bill we will mark up is H.R. 5450, the Enhancing Competition in Contracting Orders Act, introduced by Representatives Scholten and Salazar. The clerk will report. The CLERK. H.R. 5450 to amend the Small Business Act---- Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, H.R. 5450 is considered as read and open for amendment. The bill sponsor, Ms. Scholten, has an amendment in the nature of a substitute at the desk. The amendment has been predistributed to all Members and the clerk will report the amendment. The CLERK. Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 5450 offered by Ms. Scholten. Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, the amendment is considered as read and the substitute will be considered base text of the bill for the purpose of amendment. I now recognize the bill's sponsor, Ms. Scholten, for her statement. Ms. SCHOLTEN. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. I am proud to speak on behalf of my bill, the Enhancing Competition in Contracting Orders, which is cosponsored by my wonderful colleague, Congresswoman Salazar. The job of this Committee is to foster small business growth, which means uplifting small businesses from historically underutilized business zones, HUBZones, and ensuring that they can compete and continue contributing to the American economy. My district in Michigan is home to several HUBZones where businesses who qualify for the program are eligible for certain contracting opportunities, including contract set-asides, sole source awards, and price evaluation preferences. My bill would provide additional clarification to federal agencies on how and when to apply price evaluation preferences to HUBZones. Currently, the HUBZone price evaluation preference is not widely used because some agencies have incorrectly interpreted that the preference does not apply to orders. As the federal government increasingly drives its spending through indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contracts, significant opportunities for HUBZone small businesses are being lost because the HUBZone price evaluation is not being applied in the award of orders. Importantly, the price evaluation preference language in the Small Business Act is broad and does not exclude orders. It states, in fact, that, ``In any case in which a contract is to be awarded on the basis of a full and open competition, the price offered by a qualified HUBZone small business concern shall be deemed as lowering--or, excuse me, as lower than the price offered by another offerer.'' The only exception in the Small Business Act for the application of the HUBZone price evaluation preference is for procurements of agricultural commodities. The fact that Congress explicitly provided one exception, but did not provide an exception for orders indicates that Congress did not intend there to be an exception for orders. How could it? The price evaluation preference applies to orders because orders are contracts. Given the broad language in the statute and the fact that there is only one explicit exception and that orders are themselves contracts, the HUBZone price evaluation preference should be applied as broadly as possible. And my bill, the Enhancing Competition for Contracting Orders, would do just that, leveling the playing field for all qualifying small businesses under the HUBZone program. Many small businesses are unable to competitively bid on large contracts--on contracts against these larger companies, and this would make it more tenable to do so. The 10 percent price preference granted by the HUBZone program has been game-changing for HUBZone small businesses and their ability to participate in the contracting marketplace. This legislation would further clarify HUBZone benefits and ensure even more businesses in West Michigan and across the country can compete for government contracts. I strongly urge Members to vote yes on this important legislation. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair, and I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back. And I now recognize the bill's cosponsor, Ms. Salazar, for a statement. Ms. SALAZAR. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you very much for calling me your wonderful colleague. Very good. You see, this is the way we have to work in Congress, in a bipartisan fashion. And I think this is a fantastic bill because it is called Enhancing Competition in Contracting Orders. Basically what it does is that the pie, it cuts the pie, the big pie of a government contract and gives big pieces to the small guy. And that is what I like. We have 250 HUBZones in Florida, 22 in the city of Miami that I proudly represent. So that means that the big guys are now need to share the pie with the small people. Those people that up to now have not been able to bid and become what we consider the American dream, which is to be a client of the federal government. What a fantastic bill. So thank you very much for cosponsoring with me. And thank you, Mr. Chairman, for allowing me to speak. I am very, very excited that we are going to be able to bring the American dream down to the small business owners. I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back. And are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for a statement on this bill? Okay. I now recognize the gentlewoman, Ranking Member Ms. Velazquez. Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I commend Ms. Scholten and Ms. Salazar for their bipartisan work to bring H.R. 5450 before the Committee today. When the government invests in small businesses, they in turn invest in their communities by creating jobs and buying local products. This is a driving force behind the HUBZone program. Unfortunately, the program has not reached its full potential. In the more than 25 years since Congress created HUBZones, the federal government has never achieved the 3 percent procurement goal. It is clear that efforts like the HUBZone preference can work. This preference is now providing HUBZones with a competitive advantage when bidding against larger companies, but the authority has not been properly interpreted and it is, therefore, underutilized. This bill will clarify the original intent of Congress that the preference be applied to all contracts and specifically to task orders. Again, I appreciate the sponsors for prioritizing this bill and the HUBZone program. I yield back, Mr. Chairman. Chairman WILLIAMS. Ranking Member yields back. And I now recognize myself to speak in support of this legislation. H.R. 5450, the Enhancing Competition in Contracting Orders Act, seeks to encourage business development and hiring in areas that are historically underutilized from a business perspective. This bill provides the needed certainty about price preference when the SBA HUBZone firm is competing for task order contracts. HUBZone firms have the ability to utilize this price preference tool for other government contracts. This allows them to compete against some of their larger counterparts. Unfortunately, there has been some confusion on if specific task orders are also able to utilize this price preference tool. This legislation looks to end unnecessary confusion for HUBZone firms and make it clear that task orders do qualify for the same price preference as normal contracts. The legislation should increase the ability for small businesses to do business with the federal government and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5450. Do any Members seek recognition for the purpose of offering an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute? Okay. If there is no further discussion, the question is now on the amendment in the nature of a substitute, H.R. 5450 offered by Ms. Scholten. All those in favor, say aye. All those opposed, say no. In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it, and the amendment in the nature of a substitute, H.R. 5450 offered by Ms. Scholten is agreed to. Okay. The question is now on favorably reporting H.R. 5450, as amended, to the House. All those in favor, say aye. Opposed? In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it, and H.R. 5450 is amended as agreed and to and ordered favorably to the house. H.R. 6591 The next bill we will mark up is H.R. 50--or I am sorry 6591, the Encouraging Success Act introduced by Representatives Ellzey and Thanedar and the clerk will report. The CLERK. H.R. 6591, to amend section---- Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, H.R. 6591 is considered as read and open for amendment. The bill sponsor, Mr. Ellzey, has an amendment in the nature of a substitute at the desk. The amendment has been predistributed to all Members and the clerk will report the amendment. The CLERK. Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 65---- Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, the amendment is considered as read and the substitute will be considered based text of the bill for the purpose of amendment. I now recognize the bill sponsor, Mr. Ellzey, for an opening statement. Mr. ELLZEY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank Mr. Thanedar for joining me on this bill. Thanks for allowing us to mark up H.R. 6591, the Encouraging Success Act. The amendment in the nature of a substitute is a technical correction by striking language on page 3, line 5 in the original bill. Retained is the CutGo language stating no additional amounts are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this act or the amendments made by this act. The Small Business Administration's 8(a) program was established in the '70s to help small businesses compete with large corporations for U.S. Government contracts. A qualifying small business can only be a part of the program for up to 9 years. To initially qualify and remain in the 8(a) program, there is a cap as to the value of a small business' assets. Since the program's inception, the asset cap has only been raised twice and is currently capped at $6-1/2 million. That asset threshold is set through SBA-determined regulation, and the law does not outline any process of when or how the SBA should reassess the threshold to remain in line with market changes. Unfortunately, because the requirements to initially qualify for the program or remain in it haven't kept up with market changes, the cap is set to a level at which a small business is disadvantaged to compete in the open market at the end of the 9-year program. The SBA's slow to change attitude with the asset cap can limit the success of an 8(a) small business. With the threat of being graduated out of the 8(a) program, small business owners must decide whether their firm's growth is worth being removed from the program. My bill, H.R. 6591, with the amendment, helps solve this situation and encourages success of small businesses by compelling the SBA administrator to review the qualification caps with greater frequency to ensure that small businesses participating in the 8(a) program are allowed to grow big enough to compete with larger companies once their participation in the program ends. This bill is needed because if an 8(a) participating small business surpasses the SBA-determined asset threshold, the small business will then be graduated or removed from the 8(a) program. This has literally killed many small businesses. Although the graduated small businesses would still complete existing contracts, they would not be able to compete for future 8(a) contracts while not having grown big enough to compete with the big companies. Mr. Chairman and Members, by supporting this bill, you are supporting small businesses while ensuring they are not punished for their success. Mr. Chairman and Members, I humbly request your support for H.R. 6591, as amended, to send to the full House for consideration. Thank you, Chair Williams. I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back. Now, Mr. Thanedar, the bill's cosponsor, is not here. Are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for a statement on the bill? Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Chairman? Chairman WILLIAMS. Ranking Member. Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Thanedar is here. Chairman WILLIAMS. Oh, he just walked in, huh? You are late, but early. So, Mr. Thanedar, I recognize you as the bill's cosponsor for an opening statement. Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Getting his glasses. Mr. THANEDAR. Good morning and thank you, Mr. Chair. And also thank you, Representative Ellzey, for introducing this important bill. I am proud to strongly support this bill as regular monitoring and assessment of thresholds for the 8(a) program will ensure that this invaluable program is helping those it is intended to. In my home state of Michigan, there were 217 million worth of 8(a) contracts in fiscal year 2022, making up almost 5 percent of Michigan's firms that received federal contracts in that year, according to the Small Business Administration. Fostering entrepreneurship is a key goal. Empowering individuals to start their own businesses not only helps achieve their dreams, but also adds to the economic vibrancy of our nation. Entrepreneurs drive innovation and job creation. Minority entrepreneurs bring diverse perspectives and valuable skills to our local economy. However, they often face unique challenges when starting or growing their businesses, including continued discrimination and discriminatory barriers. The 8(a) program helps address these challenges by providing access to resources, mentorship, and federal contract assistance to the minority community. This supports not only helps minority and immigrant owned businesses thrive, but also enriches our district by contributing to its cultural and economic diversity. It is a win-win. Federal contracts can significantly boost the growth and revenues of local businesses. Programs like the 8(a) program are essential for providing these opportunities. Small business owned by minorities enhance diversity. Encouraging the growth of small businesses owned by minorities and underrepresented groups not only promotes diversity, but also creates economic opportunities and growth for all Members of our community. A diverse economy with thriving small business is more resilient. By fostering a diverse range of small businesses, we ensure that our economy can weather economic challenges more effectively. A resilient economy benefits everyone in our district. In conclusion, the support and encouragement of minority- owned small businesses through continued refinement of the 8(a) program not only benefits the entrepreneurs, but also contributes to the overall wellbeing and prosperity of our community. I urge all Members to support this bipartisan bill. As a serial entrepreneur, Mr. Chair, I have been benefited by small business and small business programs, one of the small business programs, 504, which helped me grow my business. And I have experienced firsthand what these programs can do to help minorities, immigrants, and others to start small businesses create jobs. So I strongly urge support for this and I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back. Are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for a statement on the bill? Yes, ma'am. Refer to the Ranking Member on her statement. Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you, Chairman Williams, and thank you to Representatives Ellzey and Thanedar for their work on H.R. 6591, which will require SBA to regularly update the thresholds for determining economic disadvantage. This bill is designed to help keep the 8(a) program relevant and current, and that is needed. Last week, for only the second time, the SBA released small business federal contracting data disaggregated by race. While I applaud the SBA for releasing it, I and many of my colleagues on the Committee asked them to do it. The data shines a bright light on the inequities in our federal procurement system. It highlights the need to prioritize and protect programs like the 8(a) a program that assists minority business owners who have been subject to discrimination. Seeing that minority-owned businesses do not receive a fair share of contracting dollars does not come as a surprise. We know that discrimination persists and creates barrier. In fact, the Department of Justice annually compiles a report on discrimination and discriminatory barriers faced by women and minority business owners in government contracting. It is compelling, and, Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to insert that into the record. Chairman WILLIAMS. So moved. Ms. VELAZQUEZ. This bill is a productive step designed to ensure that minority business owners can succeed and thrive in the 8(a) program and the federal marketplace. That is why I am pleased to support it, and I urge my colleagues to support as well. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back, thank you. I now recognize myself to speak in support of this legislation. H.R. 6591, the Encouraging Success Act, requires the SBA to reassess the 8(a) business development program asset threshold every 4 years. The SBA 8(a) program allows certain small businesses to compete for valuable contracting opportunities. Small businesses can participate in the program for 9 years. However, there are certain circumstances where a firm will be removed from the program. One of these if the owner's assets reach a certain threshold, essentially punishing a business owner for their success. The goal of this program is to ensure small businesses are not crowded out from the competing for government contracts. With the prices of everything rising the past few years, we should ensure that the SBA is appropriately tailoring this program to true small businesses. The Encouraging Success Act will ensure that this threshold matches current market realities by requiring the SBA to reevaluate it every few years. I encourage all my colleagues to support H.R. 6591. Do any Members seek recognition for the purpose of offering an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute? Okay. If no, there is no further discussion. The question is now on the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 6591 offered by Mr. Ellzey. All those in favor, say aye. All those opposed, say no. In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it. The amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 6591 offered by Mr. Ellzey is agreed to. The question is now on favorably reporting H.R. 6591, as amended, to the House. All those in favor, say aye. Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Chairman? Chairman WILLIAMS. Yes. Mr. STAUBER. Request a recorded vote. Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay. A recorded vote is requested and pursuant to rule 13 and House rule XI, further proceedings on the bill are postponed. H.R. 7102 Next is consideration of H.R. 7102, the Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act. The next bill we will mark up is H.R. 7102, the Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act, introduced by Representatives Davids and Crane. I now recognize the bill's sponsor, Ms. Davids, for an opening statement. Ms. DAVIDS. Thank you, Chairman Williams and Ranking Member Velazquez. Look, it is no secret that our nation's entrepreneurs face challenges in starting and operating their small businesses. I can attest that these challenges are often more pronounced in Tribal communities. Native Americans are twice as likely to live in poverty than other Americans. This affects their ability to use their savings and assets to finance a small business, to access credit, and to undertake just the general risk of entrepreneurship. Also, these business owners face geographical barriers with longer distances for supply deliveries, lack of reliable broadband and telephone service. These long distances have also made it harder for Native American entrepreneurs to network, to find mentors, to reach their consumer base, and ultimately, it reduces their chances of success. Native entrepreneurs also frequently face bigger challenges in attracting private investment and accessing federal contracting opportunities. We really must do everything that we can in our power to find solutions to these challenges, to level the playing field for Tribal small businesses and to boost our overall economy. Currently, the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Native American Affairs does work diligently to connect Native business owners with entrepreneurial development, with lending and procurement programs. However, the SBA currently lacks a congressional mandate for this office, limiting the capacity for the office to do the work that it needs to do, and leaves it vulnerable to challenges or changes from one administration to the next. This is why we really need to advance my Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act. This bill codifies the SBA's Office of Native American Affairs into federal law and establishes an assistant administrator role to oversee the operations and report directly to SBA leadership. It also directs the office to report to Congress on its success or maybe challenges in Indian Country. Native-owned entities employing over 300,000 Americans are vital drivers for our national economy, which is why these Tribal businesses deserve a seat at the table to advocate not only for the challenges, as I mentioned earlier, but also for their successes and their achievements. I do want to thank Congressman Crane for his partnership in introducing this bill, and I absolutely encourage my colleagues to support the Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act and vote in favor of successful entrepreneurship in Tribal communities. And with that, I yield, Mr. Chairman. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back. I now recognize the bill's cosponsor, Mr. Crane, for an opening statement. Mr. CRANE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am proud to colead H.R. 7102, which officially establishes the Office of Native American Affairs under the Small Business Administration. I want to thank my colleague, Representative Davis, for your leadership and the opportunity to work in a bipartisan way. Tribal entrepreneurs face complex hurdles when it comes to running a business. This can come in the form of property rights questions, tax implications, regulatory burdens, and lending opportunities, to name a few. Entrepreneurs should have the flexibility to start a business on a Reservation, just like anywhere else. But in reality, the federal government has created barriers to enter the market. Tribal communities could especially benefit from specialized expertise SBA offers to assist business owners in navigating the unique complexities of running a business on a Reservation. I am hopeful that passing this bill will bring attention to these complexities, as this office will ensure Tribal businesses are not overlooked. Starting a dialogue with our Tribal small business owners, who may be unaware that this office even exists, could spur economic development that supports our entire nation's economic growth and prosperity, which protects freedom for all. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back. And are there any of the Members who wish to be recognized for a statement on this bill? Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Yes, Mr. Chairman. Chairman WILLIAMS. Refer to the Ranking Member. Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I strongly support the Native American Entrepreneurial Development Opportunity Act. Let me begin by commending Ms. Davids for her leadership on efforts to codify the Office of Native American Affairs at the Small Business Administration. The office has been a valuable resource for American Indians, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiians seeking to launch and grow their small businesses. Codifying the office will ensure that Tribal small businesses will have access to SBA full range of business development tools, regardless of the administration. Importantly, the legislation requires the assistant administrator report directly to the administrator, ensuring the voices of their Tribal communities will be heard at the SBA. Native American owned businesses are economic engines, contributing over $33 billion to the U.S. economy every year and employing 200,000 people in their communities. Statutorily authorizing the Office of Native American Affairs as SBA will increase access to federal programs and services that support Native American entrepreneurs across the country and promote economic development. I would also like to thank Mr. Crane for coleading this bill with Ms. Davis. I urge Members to support the bill and I yield back, Mr. Chairman, thank you. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back. And I now recognize myself to speak in support of this legislation. H.R. 7102, the Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act, establishes the Office of Native American Affairs within the Small Business Administration. The SBA Office of Native American Affairs has been providing services like counseling, training, and Tribal consultations for many years. However, the office has not been codified into law. This bill will codify this office and provide Congress with better oversight and performance metrics that could be tracked. This will require the office to provide a report on the services this office provides to ensure that this office is performing their task appropriately. I want to thank my colleagues for introducing this bill and urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7102. If there is no further discussion, the Committee now moves to consideration of H.R. 7102. The clerk will report. The CLERK. H.R. 7102, to establish the office---- Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed. And without objection, the bill is considered as read and open for amendment. Do any Members seek recognition for the purpose of offering an amendment? If no, seeing none, the question is now on adoption of H.R. 7102 in favor of reporting it to the House. All those in favor, say aye. Mr. ELLZEY. Mr. Chairman. Chairman WILLIAMS. All opposed, say no. Mr. ELLZEY. Mr. Chairman, I call for a recorded vote. Chairman WILLIAMS. All right. A recorded vote has been requested and a roll call vote is ordered. Pursuant to Committee Rule 13 and House rule XI, further proceedings on the bill are postponed. H.R. 7103 The next bill we will mark up is H.R. 7103, the Agency Accountability Act of 2024, introduced by Representatives Stauber and McGarvey. I now recognize the bill's sponsor, Mr. Stauber, for an opening statement. Mr. STAUBER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I rise today to speak in favor of my bill, H.R. 7103, the Agency Accountability Act of 2024. It is well known that endless bureaucracy and red tape crushes small businesses. Yet since President Biden took office, over 700 regulations have been added to the Federal Register, costing nearly $440 billion and adding more than 236 million paperwork hours. It is clear that Main Street America is not a priority of this administration. If the Biden administration insists on burdening small businesses with such an overregulated landscape, the very least they could do is ensure that small businesses have every opportunity to contract with the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world, the federal government. Right now, federal agencies set goals for awarding contracts to small businesses. But meeting those goals is often treated like a suggestion and not a requirement. The result? Too many agencies fall short, leaving billions of dollars in contracts off the reach of American dreamers. My bill, the Agency Accountability Act, changes the game. It shines a spotlight on agency performance by requiring public testimony for failures. Agency heads will answer directly to Congress for missing goals, explaining why they haven't prioritized small businesses and what they will do to fix it. This isn't just about finger pointing. It is about finding solutions. Public scrutiny paired with mandated reporting on scorecard performance will expose systemic roadblocks and identify best practices. Our small businesses are more than just economic engines. They are the embodiment of the American spirit, equipped with creativity, resilience, and a fierce determination to succeed. This bill gives them a fighting chance, a seat at the table, and the opportunity to prove themselves on the national stage. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation as it will help ensure the federal government is doing everything it can to support small businesses in America. Mr. Chair, I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back. And I now recognize the bill's cosponsor, Mr. McGarvey, for an opening statement. Mr. MCGARVEY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Representative Stauber. Each week we sit on this Committee and we discuss how we can help ensure the federal government actually supports our small businesses, the small business growth and entrepreneurship in this country. This bill will do exactly that. It is going to bring the federal government one step closer to meeting its small business contracting goals. We can't just walk the walk. We have to talk the talk, too. And that's why I am proud to join Representative Stauber as a proud sponsor of H.R. 7103, the Agency Accountability Act. And I am grateful it was included in today's markup. The bill would require the head of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization of any federal agency that does not receive an A grade on the SBA scorecard or whose agency does not meet two or more of the subcategory goals to hit their quota of contracts awarded to small business recipients to testify before the House and Senate Small Business Committees. We can hold failing agencies accountable, and we can ensure that small businesses everywhere have the opportunity to compete for and win federal contracts that should be going to small enterprises. I urge my colleagues to support the bill and look forward to its passage today. I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back. Are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for a statement on the bill? Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Yes, Mr. Chairman. Chairman WILLIAMS. Recognize the Ranking Member. Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and to Representative Stauber and Mr. McGarvey for their bipartisan work on H.R. 7103. I believe that most agency officials are making good faith efforts to ensure that small businesses are able to participate and maximize opportunities in the federal marketplace. The goals are only goals, though, and agencies are not penalized if they do not meet them. The way we encourage agencies to meet their goal is to name and shame them when they don't. Requiring testimony is an additional way to do that and to use our leverage and congressional oversight tools to hold their feet to the fire. I am particularly pleased to see that this bill includes agencies that have not received an A on the scorecard, but also agencies that have not met two or more of their subcategory goals. Each of the categories, including and especially the HUBZone and WOSB programs, continue to need additional focus, and this is a helpful step in that direction. I am pleased to support it, and I urge my colleagues to do as well. I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back. And I now recognize myself to speak in support of this legislation. H.R. 7103, the Agency Accountability Act, brings accountability to agencies who fail to meet their goals by bringing them in front of Congress to answer to the American people. Government agencies are required to meet a goal of spending a certain amount of their contracting dollars with small businesses. Unfortunately, these goals are not always met, and specifically, certain small businesses, like those that are service-disabled veteran-owned, are commonly left out. To evaluate how agencies are meeting these goals, the SBA produces a scorecard which shows vital information on awards made to small businesses by each agency. Each agency is given a letter grade in the SBA scorecard. This legislation will require those agencies that do not receive an A on their scorecard to be brought before Congress. I urge all my colleagues support H.R. 7103 so that we can finally hold the government accountable for failing to meet its commitment to small businesses. If there is no further discussion, the Committee now moves to consideration of H.R. 7103. The clerk will report. The CLERK. H.R. 7103, to amend the Small---- Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with. And without objection, the bill is considered as read and open for amendment. Do any Members seek recognition for the purpose of offering an amendment? Seeing none, the question is now in the adoption of H.R. 7103 and favorably reporting it to the House. All those in favor, say aye. All those opposed, say no. In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it. Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Chair. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yes, sir? Mr. STAUBER. Request a recorded vote. Chairman WILLIAMS. The recorded vote has been requested and a roll call vote is ordered. Pursuant to Committee rule 13 and House rule XI, further proceedings on the bill are postponed. H.R. 6156 The next bill we will mark up is H.R. 6156, the Childcare Small Business Insight and Improvement Act of 2023, introduced by Representatives Landsman, Molinaro, and Meuser. The clerk will report. The CLERK. H.R. 6156, to require the administrator---- Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, H.R. 6156 is considered as read and open for amendment. The bill's sponsor, Mr. Landsman, has an amendment in the nature of a substitute at the desk. The amendment has been predistributed to all Members. The clerk will report the amendment. The CLERK. Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R.---- Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, the amendment is considered as read and the substitute will be considered base text of the bill for the purpose of amendment. I now recognize the bill sponsor, Mr. Landsman, for an opening statement. Mr. LANDSMAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and to my Republican colleagues who helped us put this bill together, Congresswoman Letlow and, of course, here Congressmembers Molinaro and Meuser. The Childcare Small Business Insight and Improvement Act is an important step in lifting up and supporting childcare providers, which are uniquely special and uniquely important small businesses. They help children as they are developing, and they help families so that they can work. They are, as it has been said, the workforce behind the workforce. They are essential to our economy. And many, if not most, of our childcare providers are, in fact, small businesses. We think about them sometimes as nonprofits, and there are many that are, in fact, nonprofits and many that are part of larger companies or bigger businesses. But the fact is, most are small businesses. But the SBA was not really built for these small businesses. This bill will change that. It assesses the needs of our childcare small businesses. It looks at the resources that the SBA currently provides, but, most importantly, it starts to tackle the gaps of what the SBA could be doing to lift up and support our childcare small businesses and the leadership within the SBA that would be needed to implement the recommendations. So I am grateful for the bipartisan support for our childcare small businesses, the workforce behind our workforce. And with that, I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back. I now recognize the bill's cosponsor, Mr. Meuser, for an opening statement. Mr. MEUSER. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. And I thank my colleague, Mr. Landsman, for his leadership. For parents in the workforce, access to reliable and affordable childcare is not just a convenience, it is a necessity. It enables parents to focus on their careers, contribute to the economy, and pursue their entrepreneurial aspirations with the confidence that their children are in safe hands. Entrepreneurs face unique challenges in balancing the demands of building a successful business and caring for their families. Access to reliable and affordable childcare can make all the difference, allowing entrepreneurs to concentrate on their businesses while providing a secure environment for their children's development. In talking with many small businesses, particularly as of late, and local chambers in my district, such as Mr. Bob Carl, he's president of the Schuylkill County Chamber, they have emphasized the importance and prioritized the importance of access to reliable childcare for our small business owners and local economy. This legislation recognizes the significant role for-profit childcare providers play in supporting working parents. By directing the SBA to conduct a thorough study of the needs and challenges faced by these businesses, this legislation will help this Committee and the SBA understand how to appropriately assist increasing the overall availability and affordability of childcare, benefiting both small business childcare providers as well as the businesses and entrepreneurs. So I do thank my colleague again, Mr. Landsman. I thank my colleague, Mr. Molinaro, for his leadership on this legislation. I urge my colleagues to support its passage and look forward to its consideration on the floor. Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. The gentleman yields back. I now recognize the bill's cosponsor, Mr. Molinaro, for an opening statement. Mr. MOLINARO. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I certainly appreciate it. And I am grateful to my colleague, Mr. Landsman. This bipartisan legislation seeks to address a significant challenge for certainly many families across America. Quality and affordable childcare is as much about providing assistance to children as it is a part of developing young children. And so H.R. 6156, the Childcare Small Business Insight and Improvement Act, is meant to address the need for affordable childcare. The bill seeks to enhance the SBA's role in supporting for-profit childcare providers while seeking to foster a greater understanding of the needs and challenges of small businesses. New York, as sadly in many cases, is either the top or the bottom when it comes to most expensive or least opportunity. New York is the third least affordable state for single parents. And we know in particular in upstate New York, we continue to face the challenge of accessibility to affordable and quality childcare. We hear consistently not only from constituents, but also constituent business owners about the lack of access to quality, affordable childcare and how difficult it is, especially for families in rural communities like mine, to access childcare. The Childcare Small Business Insight and Improvement Act sets our childcare providers up for long-term success and works to ensure that access to quality childcare is not a workforce barrier for our growing communities. We have seen it consistently, too many are locked out of the workforce simply because of lack of access to childcare. And again, I reinforce that access to quality childcare is as much about providing the opportunity for individuals to get to work and kids to have those social relationships. But quality childcare is quality early child development, and all of that is critically important to growing the American economy and closing the gaps in places like upstate New York. And with that, again, I thank my colleagues Mr. Landsman, Mr. Chairman, thank you. And I encourage my colleagues to support of the bill. And I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back. Are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for a statement on this bill? Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Yes, Mr. Chairman. Chairman WILLIAMS. Ranking Member. Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Let me begin by thanking Mr. Landsman and Molinaro and Mr. Meuser. But let me also praise Mr. Landsman for his leadership on this important issue. Since being elected to Congress, he has made it his mission to make life better for children and families, and increasing access to quality childcare is one way to accomplish that goal. Affordable, high-quality childcare is essential to working families, small businesses, and our economy. A recent study found nearly two-thirds of parents of infants and toddlers face childcare issues that affect their productivity at work, resulting in $78 billion in foregone earnings and job search expenses for families. It also means $23 billion in workforce shortages for employers and $21 billion in lower federal, state and local tax revenues. Unfortunately, quality childcare services has been in short supply, and the pandemic exacerbated the shortages within the industry. To make matters worse, the emergency funding provided in the American Rescue Plan for childcare centers has ended. Put simply, we are in the midst of a crisis. In December, we heard testimony that the loss of funds is threatening the existence of more than a third of our nation's centers, and many providers have had to increase their fees. We must tackle this crisis head-on and provide families the support they need to enter and stay in the workforce. That is why I am pleased to support the Childcare Business Insight and Improvement Act, which will make sure our nation's 600,000 childcare businesses have the resources they need to thrive. Mr. Williams, I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. The Ranking Member yields back and I now recognize myself to speak in support of the amendment in nature of a substitute to H.R. 6156, the Childcare Small Business Insight and Improvement Act of 2023. This legislation requires the SBA to examine the landscape of access to childcare through a report that will assess the needs and challenges of for-profit childcare providers as well as potential gaps in federal support for childcare small businesses. The report will include recommendations for the administrator on how to address the challenges uncovered in the study. This amendment preserves the intent of the original bill while removing the mandate to create a new position to carry out the bill before the study is conducted. I commend my colleagues for supporting this legislation today while also maintaining fiscal responsibility. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on the amendment to H.R. 6156. Do any Members seek recognition for the purpose of offering an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute? If there is no further discussion, this question is now on the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 6156 offered by Mr. Landsman. All those in favor, say aye. All those opposed, say no. In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it, and the amendment and nature of a substitute to H.R. 6156 offered by Mr. Landsman is agreed to. Mr. LANDSMAN. Mr. Chair? Chairman WILLIAMS. Yes. Recognized. Mr. LANDSMAN. May I ask for a recorded vote? Chairman WILLIAMS. A recorded vote has been requested and a roll call vote is ordered. Pursuant to Committee rule 13 and House rule XI, further proceedings on the amendment are postponed. The question is now on favorably reporting H.R. 6156, as amended, 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. 6156---- Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Chairman? Chairman WILLIAMS. Yes. Mr. MEUSER. I request a recorded vote. Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay. A recorded vote has been requested and a roll call vote is ordered. Pursuant to Committee rule 13 and House rule XI, further proceedings on the bill are postponed. H.R. 7104 The next bill we will mark up is H.R. 7104, the National SBDC Advisory Board Improvement Act, introduced by Representatives Mann and Golden. I now recognize the bill's sponsor, Mr. Mann, for an opening statement. Mr. MANN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I rise to speak in support of H.R. 7104. In Kansas' big 1st Congressional District, more than 80 percent of employees in the district are employed by small business. There are five small business development centers, or SBDCs, in the district, and they operate in partnership with colleges or universities across the state. We have ones in Liberal, Dodge City, Hayes, Manhattan, and Lawrence. These SBDCs and those around the country offer beneficial resources to small businesses, support entrepreneurship, and drive economic development. Between rampant inflation, high interest rates, a disruptive supply chain, and burdensome federal regulation, our small businesses are struggling. SBDCs often offer the tools and resources that America's small business owners need to get their business off the ground and to keep it running. This legislation, the National SBDC Advisory Board Improvement Act, would require the National Small Business Development Center Advisory Board to provide an annual report to Congress recommending improvements to SBDC's outreach, technical assistant, and training for small businesses. The National SBDC Advisory Board should be a part of the solution to offer recommendations on how to keep those services and resources current and of the highest quality, especially in rural America. I appreciate Representative Golden joining me in this bipartisan legislation, and I encourage my colleagues to join me in voting yes to advance this legislation to the full House. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. The gentleman yields back. I now recognize the bill's cosponsor, Mr. Golden, for an opening statement. Mr. GOLDEN. Thank you, Mr. Chair, Madam Ranking Member. I want to thank Congressman Mann for bringing this bill forward and for asking me to go ahead and partner with him on this. In the interest of time, I will simply say that I am strongly supportive of the work of Small Business Development Centers and take seriously the responsibility of this Committee and Congress to have good oversight of taxpayer-funded programs. So I think this bill makes good sense. It is a commonsense bill, it is a good bill, and I encourage the Committee to support it. Thank you. Chairman WILLIAMS. Are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for a statement on the bill? Yes, ma'am? Ms. DAVIDS. Thank you, Chairman. And I would just like to speak in support of the National SBDC Advisory Board Improvement Act. As Mr. Mann from the Big 1st in Kansas already stated, we have quite a bit of entrepreneurship going on in the state of Kansas. I know certainly the SBDCs in our state, including the one in the 3rd district at Johnson County Community College, works closely with the folks in Lawrence and other places in the state. And just wanted to thank my colleagues for bringing this bill up in a bipartisan way. I think this is a great example of the ways that we can work together to improve the entrepreneurial pursuits of the folks in our communities. So I speak in support of the bill and encourage my colleagues to support it here and on the House floor. I yield. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back. Are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for a statement on the bill? Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Chairman? Chairman WILLIAMS. Ranking Member. Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you. I am pleased to support the legislation offered by Mr. Mann and Mr. Golden, which will require the Small Business Development Center Advisory Board to submit an annual report to Congress and the SBA on their activities and, also, and this is the part that is so important, to make recommendations to improve the program. I applaud Mr. Mann and Mr. Golden for their leadership on this issue, but I will be remiss if I did not mention the importance of reauthorizing the entrepreneurial development programs. It is imperative that this Committee review these programs and make improvements to better meet the needs of today small business owners. As the former Chair of this Committee, I made certain we reauthorized these bills in both the 116 and 117 Congresses. We worked together in a bipartisan manner and all of the bills passed the House overwhelmingly. In closing, Mr. Chairman, I look forward to working together to mark up those reauthorization bills and appreciate your commitment to that effort. I support this bill and I yield back my time. Chairman WILLIAMS. The gentlelady yields back. I now recognize myself to speak in support of the legislation. H.R. 7104, the National Small Business Development Center Advisory Board Improvement Act ensures our nation's SBDCs function at the highest level possible. The National SBDC Advisory Board consists of educators, small business leaders, and industry experts to give advice on improvements to the SBDC program, to the associate administrator. This bill elevates this important advisory board by providing an annual report to Congress on opportunities to improve services and the program as a whole. I want to thank my colleague from Kansas and my colleague from Maine for introducing this bill. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7104. If there is no further discussion, the Committee now moves to consideration of H.R. 7104. The clerk will report. The CLERK. H.R. 7104, to require the---- Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with. And without objection, the bill is considered as read and open for floor amendment. Do any Members seek recognition for the purpose of offering an amendment? Seeing none, the question is now an adoption of H.R. 7104 and favorably reporting it to the House. All those in favor, say aye. Opposed, say no. In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it, and H.R. 7104 is agreed to. Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Chairman, I ask for a recorded vote. Chairman WILLIAMS. Request for a recorded vote has been requested and a roll call vote is ordered. Pursuant to Committee rule 13 and House rule XI, further proceedings on the bill are postponed. H.R. 7105 The next bill we will mark up is H.R. 7105, the WOSB Certification and Opportunity Expansion Act, introduced by Ranking Member of Velazquez and Representative LaLota. I now recognize the bill's sponsor, Ranking Member Velazquez, for an opening statement. Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you, Chairman Williams, and thank you, Representative LaLota, for cosponsoring this bill. Our Committee has regularly worked to strengthen the SBA Small business contracting programs and to protect their integrity. Continuing this tradition, the WOSB Certification and Opportunity Expansion Act will move away from self- certification for the women-owned small business program by requiring federal agencies to only count contracts awarded to certified WOSBs toward meeting their procurement goals. This will bring the WOSB certification process in line with certifications from the other three small business program. And while it will strengthen the program, it is further intended to bolster its use. This administration has awarded a record amount of contracting dollars to women-owned small businesses, yet the top line goal of 5 percent of contracting dollars to WOSBs remains unmet. Simply put, women-owned small businesses are not seeing the contracting opportunities that should accompany their level of participation in the federal market. This is not surprising when looking at the utilization of the contracting authorities for small business programs. According to CRS last analysis, the percentage set-aside or sole sources to the other programs ranges from a low of 17 percent for HUBZones to well over half, about 58 percent, for 8(a)'s. The veteran's programs seized 44 percent of its dollars reserved exclusively for veterans. Of the spending now going to women-owned small businesses, only about 5 percent is moved through the contracting authority. Stakeholders point to confusion around WOSB-specific requirements and processes. By moving more WOSB through the SBA certification contracting process, we are expecting that contracting officers will more confidently and more frequently set aside and sole source contracts to women-owned small businesses. I will close by highlighting two key points. First, we know this will take time and resources for SBA to implement. I appreciate the Chairman's willingness to work with us to provide sufficient time, and in doing so, we expect that WOSBs will not be penalized if SBA faces delays. Second, the WOSB program is unique in its use of third- party certifiers, and those third-party certifiers charge fees. We believe that existing and new processes laid out in the bill will ensure that no WOSB is required to pay for a certification. I intend to monitor both of these issues closely during implementation. Again, thank you, Mr. Williams. I urge Members to support the bill, and I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. The lady yields back. I now recognize the bill's cosponsor, Mr. LaLota, for an opening statement. Mr. LALOTA. Thank you, Chairman Williams. Thank you to Ranking Member Velazquez, a proud fellow New Yorker, for leading this effort with me. It is a good day when Members of the same state delegation, but from opposite sides of the aisle work together on an important issue that will not just benefit our state's small businesses, but America's small businesses. Our Women-Owned Small Business Certification Opportunity Expansion Act will phase out self-certified women-owned small businesses from the governmentwide procurement goals. In doing so, we will achieve two main things: protect the integrity of the women-owned small business program; and two, prevent the abuse of federal small business contracting goals. While our federal government has a goal to spend at least 5 percent of its procurement dollars with women-owned small businesses, at present this includes self-certified firms. The SBA Office of Inspector General has consistently pointed out that with small disadvantaged businesses, the ability to self- certify opens up the designation to risk. This holds true to the ability for self-certified women-owned small businesses as well. Meanwhile, women-owned small business owners in the SBA's Women-Owned Small Business Program go through a certification program to ensure that only women-owned firms enter. This aligns the Women-Owned Small Business Program with similar programs that no longer count self-certified firms in these goals. A similar provision phasing out self-certified service- disabled veteran-owned small businesses from the procurement goals passed in the fiscal year 2024 NDAA. I ask that my colleagues support and vote yes on the Women- Owned Small Business Certification and Opportunity Expansion Act. Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. The gentleman yields back. Are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for a statement on the bill? Seeing none, I now recognize myself to speak in support of H.R. 7105, the Women-Owned Small Business Opportunity and Expansion Act. This bill will remove self-certification from the governmentwide women-owned small business procurement goals, allowing anyone to self-certify their business status could lead to fraud and abuse. Women small business owners competing for critical government contracts deserve to know that their competition did not falsely self-certify their business status. I am proud of the work already done to remove self- certification from the service-disabled veteran-owned small business program in the NDAA. And now it is time to do the same with the WOSB program to help ensure integrity across SBA programs. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 7105. If there is no further discussion, the Committee now moves to consideration of H.R. 7105. The clerk will report. The CLERK. H.R. 7105, to establish---- Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with. And without objection, the bill is considered as read and open for amendment. Do any Members seek recognition for the purpose of offering an amendment? Seeing none, the question is now on the adoption of H.R. 7105 and favorably reporting it to the House. All those in favor, say aye. All those opposed, say no. In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes haven it, and H.R. 7105 is agreed to and ordered favorably to the House. Mr. MANN. Chairman, request a recorded vote, please. Chairman WILLIAMS. A recorded vote has been requested. A roll call vote is ordered. Pursuant to Committee rule 13 and House rule XI, further proceedings on the bill are postponed. H.R. 7128 The next bill we will mark up is H.R. 7128, the WOSB Integrity Act of 2024, introduced by Representatives Maloy and Scholten. I now recognize the bill's sponsor, Ms. Maloy, for an opening statement. Mr. MALOY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'll be brief. We have already talked a fair amount about women-owned small businesses, or WOSBs. This bill seeks to close a loophole. The SBA inspector general found that while the SBA certifies that firms are women-owned, the SBA does not have procedures in place to verify size. And this bill will close a loophole that allows women-owned businesses that are not small businesses to use the resources that have been set aside for women-owned small businesses. It cleans up the process and makes sure that the resources that we have set aside to support women who are trying to enter the marketplace are, in fact, going to women in small businesses who are entering the marketplace. I represent Utah. Utah is the home to a lot of women who are entrepreneurs, and I want to make sure that they can compete and succeed. And in order to make that happen, we have got to level the playing field and make sure these programs are operating the way they were intended to. With that, I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back. I now recognize the bill sponsor, Ms. Scholten, for an opening statement. Ms. SCHOLTEN. Yes, sir. Thank you so much. I am so proud to speak on behalf of this bill. The Women- Owned Small Business--WOSB--Integrity Act, which is cosponsored, of course, by Congresswoman Maloy. Women working together, happy to see it. Women, in particular, have been a driving force behind America's economic rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, creating about half of new businesses for the third year in a row. To that end, it is incumbent on us to continue to find ways to support them. I strongly believe that one of the easiest ways to do this is by streamlining the bureaucratic process required when registering as a women-owned small business with the SBA. That is why I am so proud to support this bill that would require the SBA, or third-party certifiers, to certify that an applicant meets the SBA's size standards as a Small business for participation in the WOSB program. By incorporating the certification at the beginning of the registration process, WOSBs will be able to spend their time running their business instead of defending their legitimacy and being forced to engage in lengthy battles with the competing companies that challenge the contracts they earn in the federal marketplace. As the Ranking Member on the Small Business Committee on Contracting and Infrastructure, I look forward to continuing to find solutions that lighten the bureaucratic burden of running a women-owned small business in America. I urge Members to vote yes on this important legislation. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I yield back the remainder of my time. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back. Are there any Members who wish to be recognized for a statement on this bill? Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Chairman? Chairman WILLIAMS. Yes, Ranking Member. Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you. I really appreciate this bill's sponsors, Representatives Maloy and Scholten, for their work to bring it before us today. The SBA's IG has routinely highlighted what it believes is a discrepancy in SBA implementation of the WOSB program. Like all small business contracting programs, WOSBs must meet a number of criteria for participation, including that the firm is owned and controlled by women, it is certified, and it is small, among others. The IG has stated that implementation of the size requirement is, and I quote, inconsistent with the statutory requirement. The purpose of this bill is to clarify that we expect SBA to have a process similar to the other contracting programs when reviewing WASP applicants. The OIG report states that they acknowledge, and I quote, ``that size determination is a specific process and is not recommending SBA perform size determinations for each applicant.'' The legislation mirrors that language to clarify the intent. With that, I support this bill and I ask for a yes vote. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back. I now recognize myself to speak in support of H.R. 7128, the Women-Owned Small Business Integrity Act. This bill will ensure that women small businesses' owners and the SBA's women-owned small business program do not have to worry about a large firm and misrepresenting themselves as a small business when they enter the program. Self-certification in the SBA contracting programs presents a major concern, as the Committee has heard directly from witnesses in our hearings. Unfortunately, the SBA does not have processes and procedures in place to verify that WOSB applicants are in fact women-owned small businesses. This is a missed opportunity by the SBA to ensure that only small businesses are entering the program and WOSB participants are not competing with fraudulent actors. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7128, the WOSB Integrity Act, and take this step to prevent fraud and abuse. If there is no further discussion, the Committee now moves consideration of H.R. 7128. The clerk will report. The CLERK. H.R. 7128, to establish requirements---- Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, The first reading of the bill is dispensed. And without objection, the bill is considered as read and open for amendment. Do any Members seek recognition for the purpose of offering an amendment? Seeing none, the question is now on the adoption of H.R. 7128 in favor of reporting it 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. 7128 is agreed to and ordered favorably to the House. Ms. SCHOLTEN. Mr. Chair? Chairman WILLIAMS. Recognized. Ms. SCHOLTEN. I request a recorded vote. Chairman WILLIAMS. A recorded vote has been requested and a roll call vote is ordered. Pursuant to Committee Rule 13 and House rule XI, further proceedings on the bill are postponed. H.R. 7129 The next bill we will mark up is H.R. 7129, the Put America on Commission Act of 2024, which I introduced along with many of my colleagues on this Committee. I now recognize myself to speak in support of this legislation H.R. 7129, the Put America on Commission Act of 2024, will maximize recovery efforts of fraudulent pandemic loan funds by incentivizing everyday Americans to submit information on fraudulent loans in exchange for a commission. This bill will establish the Office of Whistleblower awards within the SBA to pass along tips to the Office of Inspector General and credible evidence of pandemic loan fraud submitted by the public. If that information leads to a final conviction, the office will then disperse award money to eligible whistleblowers. The need for this bill was demonstrated during our Committee hearing last year where we examined the SBA inspector general's estimate that over $200 billion in taxpayer money was given out to bad actors through PPP, EIDL, and other COVID-19 funding programs by the SBA. This accounts for nearly 20 percent of all pandemic lending and it is totally unacceptable. One thing became particularly clear in that hearing was that whistleblowers could serve as the key to uncovering this unprecedented amount of fraud. The newly established Office of Whistleblower Awards will be led by one staffer to coordinate tips to the SBA inspector general for investigation. Uniquely, the cost of the office's operations and the whistleblower awards are fully funded by the recovered fraudulent loan amounts which are deposited into the whistleblower award fund. The office will sunset at the conclusion of the final investigation under the expiration of the statute of limitations for pandemic loan fraud. Lastly, the bill provides authority to the SBA to seek a separate civil monetary penalty against convicted fraudsters, which must also be deposited the Whistleblower award fund. Any unused monies in the whistleblower award fund are mandated to be returned to the general fund. In the private sector commission works, this bill will look to bring this common practice to help bring accountability to these individuals that chose to defraud the taxpayers during a global pandemic. I greatly appreciate the work that the Office of the Inspector General has done thus far to uncover the extent of the fraud. But it is clear that more work must be done to do the American people what they need to have done, and also small businesses. I am proud to put forward this piece of legislation that will hold fraudsters accountable and recoup the billions of dollars stolen from the taxpayers. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on H.R. 7129. Are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for a statement on this bill? Seeing none, I would--oh, Mr. Luetkemeyer, sorry. Yes, sir. Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate your hard work on this bill. And you and I have been talking about this for a long time, and I think you articulated some of the problems and ways that we can deal with this. You know, the Inspector general did his job. He did the job of going through the files, seeing what the problem is and showing us how large it was. Now it is our job, the SBA's job, to fix it. SBA doesn't want to do it. They think they can't do it, which is, in my judgment, I don't believe that. But if they can't do it, then maybe we need to help them. And so if that is the case, then this bill is a way to do that. It is a way to take back our first target, the dollars that are taxpayer dollars. They are not the government dollars. They are taxpayer dollars, our dollars that we are supposed to be overseeing and then have SBA go find them, DOJ go find them, whoever and however this is going to work. I think this is extremely important piece of legislation, maybe the most important piece of legislation that comes out of this Committee, because of the total amount of money that you're talking about, number one. And number two, the principle that if you owe money to the government, we are not going to write it off. We are going to ask you to pay it back. Just like every single business in this country, when they do--or individual, when you take out a loan, when you take something from somebody and you commit to pay it back, you pay it back. That is a principle that has to be maintained, and this bill will help do that. Mr. Chairman, again, sincerely, thank you for your hard work on this. I look forward to supporting it and urge my colleagues to do as well. With that, I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. I now recognize Representative Meuser from Pennsylvania for 5 minutes. Mr. MEUSER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So we have discussed in detail, in multiple hearings this year, the SBA's inspector general estimate $200 billion of pandemic loan dollars were potentially obtained fraudulently. So this number includes 8 percent of PPP, 44 percent of vital loans. So by establishing an Office of Whistleblower Rewards within the SBA and putting America on commission, as you have named the bill, and as the Chairman likes to say, this legislation will incentivize Americans to come forward with tips on potential pandemic loan fraud. This office will be another tool at our disposal to fight to recover as much of the potential COVID fraud as possible. This Committee must and will take seriously our role in overseeing the SBA's loan programs, especially the Pandemic Relief Programs, and assure bad actors are pursued. So I thank Chairman Williams for his leadership. I urge my colleagues to support its passage and look forward to its swift consideration on the House floor. Mr. Chairman, thank you. And I yield back. Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back. I would like to recognize the Ranking Member to speak on the bill. Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Throughout the 118th Congress, this Committee has been primarily focused on recovering fraudulent pandemic loans. I share your commitment, and that is why I led efforts, along with Congressman Luetkemeyer, to extend the statute of limitations for fraud in the EIDL and PPP programs. This bill, which became law, sent a strong message that unscrupulous behavior will not be tolerated and that those who commit fraud will be held accountable in the years to come. The estimates of potential fraud in SBA programs vary significantly, ranging from 26 billion to 200 billion. And while we may never know the exact number, there is no doubt that the vast majority of the fraud occurred in the first 9 months of the pandemic under the leadership of former President Trump. We also know with certainty that the Biden administration, led by Administrator Guzman at SBA, took a number of steps to curtail the fraud, including reinstituting longstanding controls, establishing a fraud risk management board, and creating a special council for enterprise risk. The IG has attested to that in our Committee, and he reported that the oversight work has provided an exponential return on investment, 1,300 percent on the dollar. Given the stellar return on the investment, the single most important action we can take to recover fraud is to fully fund the IG and our law enforcement community. I should note that the IG has more than 90,000 actionable leads that have been submitted to their hotline. The underlying issue is not necessarily a failure to identify fraud, because the IG and DOJ have enough leads to stay active for decades. The issue is adequately funding the law enforcement community to investigate and prosecute potential fraud. With that said, I appreciate the efforts of the Chairman to come up with a creative solution to help recover fraudulent funds, and I plan to support this bill. New spending will be needed to establish the office and hire staff because this type of investigations and prosecutions can take time and the recoveries, unfortunately, will not flow immediately into account. I am committed to making sure that SBA and the IG have the resources they need to recover fraudulent funds. And I thank the Chairman for working with me to bridge the differences on this bill. Thank you and I yield back Chairman WILLIAMS. Yields back. If there is no further discussion, the Committee now moves to consideration of H.R. 7129. The clerk will report. The CLERK. H.R. 7129, to amend the Small Business Act---- Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with. And without objection, the bill is considered as read and open for amendment. Do any Members seek recognition for the purpose of offering an amendment? Seeing none, the question is now on the adoption of H.R. 7129 and favorably reporting to the house. All those in favor, say aye. Those opposed, say no. In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it, and H.R. 7129 is agreed to and ordered favorably to the House. Mr. ELLZEY. Mr. Chairman, I request a recorded vote. Chairman WILLIAMS. A recorded vote has been requested. A roll call vote is ordered. Pursuant to Committee rule 13 and House rule XI, further proceedings on the bill are postponed. The Committee now stands in recess subject to the call of the Chair. We will resume at a later today at 11:45. [Recess.] Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay, if I can have everybody's attention. The Committee will now come to order. Without objection, the request for a recorded vote on the agreeing to the amendment in the nature of a substitute for H.R. 6156 is withdrawn and the amendment in the nature of a substitute offered by Mr. Landsman is agreed to. The Committee will now resume consideration of the bills on which roll call votes are requested and postponed. We will start with H.R. 6591. The question now is on adopting H.R. 6591, as amended, and ordering it favorably reported to the House. The clerk will call the roll. The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer? Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Yes. The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer votes aye. Mr. Stauber? Mr. STAUBER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye. Mr. Meuser? Mr. MEUSER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye. Ms. Van Duyne? Ms. VAN DUYNE. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye. Ms. Salazar? Ms. SALAZAR. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye. Mr. Mann? Mr. MANN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Mann votes aye. Mr. Ellzey? Mr. ELLZEY. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye. Mr. Molinaro? [No response.] The CLERK. Mr. Alford? Mr. ALFORD. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye. Mr. Crane? Mr. CRANE. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye. Mr. Bean? Mr. BEAN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Bean votes aye. Mr. Hunt? Mr. HUNT. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Hunt votes aye. Mr. LaLota? Mr. LALOTA. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye. Ms. Maloy? [No response.] Mr. Golden? Mr. GOLDEN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye. Mr. Mfume? Mr. MFUME. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Mfume votes aye. Mr. Phillips? [No response.] Mr. Landsman? Mr. LANDSMAN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye. Mr. McGarvey? [No response.] Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez? Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez votes aye. Ms. Scholten? [No response.] Mr. Thanedar? Mr. THANEDAR. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye. Ms. Chu? Ms. CHU. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye. Ms. Davids? Ms. DAVIDS. Ms. Davids votes aye. Mr. Pappas? [No response.] The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez? Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Aye. The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez votes aye. Chairman Williams? Chairman WILLIAMS. Aye. The CLERK. Chairman Williams votes aye. Mr. MOLINARO. Mr. Chairman? Chairman WILLIAMS. Yes. Mr. MOLINARO. Mr. Chairman, how am I recorded? Chairman WILLIAMS. Who said that? Mr. MOLINARO. Mr. Molinaro. Okay. The other Italian from New York. The CLERK. Mr. Molinaro is recorded as not voted. Mr. MOLINARO. I vote yes. The CLERK. Mr. Molinaro votes aye. Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay. Are there any other Members who have not voted or wish to change their vote? Seeing none, the clerk will report it. The CLERK. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, 22 ayes, 0 nays, and 0 present. Chairman WILLIAMS. The motion is agreed to, and H.R. 6591, as amended, is adopted and will be reported favorably to the House. The question now is on adopting H.R. 7102 and ordering it favorably reported to the Jouse. The clerk will call the roll. The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer? Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer votes aye. Mr. Stauber? Mr. STAUBER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye. Mr. Meuser? Mr. MEUSER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye. Ms. Van Duyne? Ms. VAN DUYNE. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye. Ms. Salazar? Ms. SALAZAR. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye. Mr. Mann? Mr. MANN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Mann votes aye. Mr. Ellzey? Mr. ELLZEY. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye. Mr. Molinaro? Mr. MOLINARO. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Alford? Mr. ALFORD. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye. Mr. Crane? Mr. CRANE. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye. Mr. Bean? Mr. BEAN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Bean votes aye. Mr. Hunt? Mr. HUNT. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Hunt votes aye. Mr. LaLota? Mr. LALOTA. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye. Ms. Maloy? [No response.] Mr. Golden? Mr. GOLDEN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye. Mr. Mfume? Mr. MFUME. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Mfume votes aye. Mr. Phillips? [No response.] Mr. Landsman? Mr. LANDSMAN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye. Mr. McGarvey? [No response.] Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez? Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez votes aye. Ms. Scholten? [No response.] Mr. Thanedar? Mr. THANEDAR. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye. Ms. Chu? Ms. CHU. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye. Ms. Davids? Ms. DAVIDS. Ms. Davids votes aye. Mr. Pappas? [No response.] The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez? Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Aye. The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez votes aye. Chairman Williams? Chairman WILLIAMS. Aye. The CLERK. Chairman Williams votes aye. Chairman WILLIAMS. Are there any Members who have not voted? Mr. MCGARVEY. I wish to be recorded as an I vote, Mr. Chairman. The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye. Ms. SCHOLTEN. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Scholten votes aye. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, 24 ayes, 0 nays, and 0 present. Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay. The motion is agreed to and H.R. 7102 is adopted and will be reported favorably to the House. The question now is adopting H.R. 7103 and ordering it favorably to the House. The clerk will call the roll. The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer? Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer votes aye. Mr. Stauber? Mr. STAUBER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye. Mr. Meuser? Mr. MEUSER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye. Ms. Van Duyne? Ms. VAN DUYNE. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye. Ms. Salazar? Ms. SALAZAR. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye. Mr. Mann? Mr. MANN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Mann votes aye. Mr. Ellzey? Mr. ELLZEY. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye. Mr. Molinaro? [No response.] Mr. Alford? Mr. ALFORD. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye. Mr. Crane? Mr. CRANE. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye. Mr. Bean? Mr. BEAN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Bean votes aye. Mr. Hunt? Mr. HUNT. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Hunt votes aye. Mr. LaLota? Mr. LALOTA. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye. Ms. Maloy? [No response.] Mr. Golden? Mr. GOLDEN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye. Mr. Mfume? Mr. MFUME. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Mfume votes aye. Mr. Phillips? [No response.] Mr. Landsman? Mr. LANDSMAN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye. Mr. McGarvey? Mr. MCGARVEY. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez? Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez votes aye. Ms. Scholten? Ms. SCHOLTEN. Yes. The CLERK. Ms. Scholten votes aye. Mr. Thanedar? Mr. THANEDAR. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye. Ms. Chu? Ms. CHU. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye. Ms. Davids? Ms. DAVIDS. Ms. Davids votes aye. Mr. Pappas? [No response.] The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez? Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Aye. The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez votes aye. Chairman Williams? Chairman WILLIAMS. Aye. The CLERK. Chairman Williams votes aye. Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay. Are there any of the Members who have not voted or wished to change their vote? Seeing none, the clerk will report. The CLERK. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, 23 ayes, 0 nays, and 0 present. Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay. The motion is agreed to and H.R. 7103 is adopted and will be reported favorably to the House. The question now is on adopting H.R. 6156, as amended, and ordering it favorably reported to the House. The clerk will call the roll. The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer? Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer votes aye. Mr. Stauber? Mr. STAUBER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye. Mr. Meuser? Mr. MEUSER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye. Ms. Van Duyne? Ms. VAN DUYNE. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye. Ms. Salazar? Ms. SALAZAR. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye. Mr. Mann? Mr. MANN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Mann votes aye. Mr. Ellzey? Mr. ELLZEY. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye. Mr. Molinaro? [No response.] Mr. Alford? Mr. ALFORD. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye. Mr. Crane? Mr. CRANE. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye. Mr. Bean? Mr. BEAN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Bean votes aye. Mr. Hunt? Mr. HUNT. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Hunt votes aye. Mr. LaLota? Mr. LALOTA. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye. Ms. Maloy? [No response.] Mr. Golden? Mr. GOLDEN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye. Mr. Mfume? Mr. MFUME. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Mfume votes aye. Mr. Phillips? [No response.] Mr. Landsman? Mr. LANDSMAN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye. Mr. McGarvey? Mr. MCGARVEY. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez? Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez votes aye. Ms. Scholten? Ms. SCHOLTEN. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Scholten votes aye. Mr. Thanedar? Mr. THANEDAR. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye. Ms. Chu? Ms. CHU. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye. Ms. Davids? Ms. DAVIDS. Ms. Davids votes aye. Mr. Pappas? [No response.] The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez? Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Aye. The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez votes aye. Chairman Williams? Chairman WILLIAMS. Aye. The CLERK. Chairman Williams votes aye. Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay. Are there any of the Members who have not voted or wish to change their vote? Seeing none, the clerk will report. The CLERK. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, 23 ayes, 0 nays, and 0 present. Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay. The motion is agreed to and H.R. 6156, as amended, is adopted and will be reported favorably to the House. The question now is on adopting H.R. 7104, and ordered favorably reported to the House. The clerk will call the roll. The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer? Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer votes aye. Mr. Stauber? Mr. STAUBER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye. Mr. Meuser? Mr. MEUSER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye. Ms. Van Duyne? Ms. VAN DUYNE. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye. Ms. Salazar? Ms. SALAZAR. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye. Mr. Mann? Mr. MANN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Mann votes aye. Mr. Ellzey? Mr. ELLZEY. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye. Mr. Molinaro? [No response.] Mr. Alford? Mr. ALFORD. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye. Mr. Crane? Mr. CRANE. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye. Mr. Bean? Mr. BEAN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Bean votes aye. Mr. Hunt? Mr. HUNT. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Hunt votes aye. Mr. LaLota? Mr. LALOTA. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye. Ms. Maloy? [No response.] Mr. Golden? Mr. GOLDEN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye. Mr. Mfume? Mr. MFUME. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Mfume votes aye. Mr. Phillips? [No response.] Mr. Landsman? Mr. LANDSMAN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye. Mr. McGarvey? Mr. MCGARVEY. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez? Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez votes aye. Ms. Scholten? Ms. SCHOLTEN. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Scholten votes aye. Mr. Thanedar? Mr. THANEDAR. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye. Ms. Chu? Ms. CHU. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye. Ms. Davids? Ms. DAVIDS. Ms. Davids votes aye. Mr. Pappas? [No response.] The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez? Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Aye. The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez votes aye. Chairman Williams? Chairman WILLIAMS. Aye. The CLERK. Chairman Williams votes aye. Chairman WILLIAMS. Are there any other Members who have not voted or wish to change their vote? The clerk will report. The CLERK. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, 23 ayes, 0 nays, and 0 present. Chairman WILLIAMS. The motion is agreed to and H.R. 7104 is adopted and will be reported favorably to the House. The question now is on adopting H.R. 7105 and ordering it favorably reported to the House. The clerk will call the roll. The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer? Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer votes aye. Mr. Stauber? Mr. STAUBER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye. Mr. Meuser? Mr. MEUSER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye. Ms. Van Duyne? Ms. VAN DUYNE. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye. Ms. Salazar? Ms. SALAZAR. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye. Mr. Mann? Mr. MANN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Mann votes aye. Mr. Ellzey? Mr. ELLZEY. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye. Mr. Molinaro? [No response.] Mr. Alford? Mr. ALFORD. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye. Mr. Crane? Mr. CRANE. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye. Mr. Bean? Mr. BEAN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Bean votes aye. Mr. Hunt? Mr. HUNT. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Hunt votes aye. Mr. LaLota? Mr. LALOTA. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye. Ms. Maloy? [No response.] Mr. Golden? Mr. GOLDEN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye. Mr. Mfume? Mr. MFUME. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Mfume votes aye. Mr. Phillips? [No response.] Mr. Landsman? Mr. LANDSMAN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye. Mr. McGarvey? Mr. MCGARVEY. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez? Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez votes aye. Ms. Scholten? Ms. SCHOLTEN. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Scholten votes aye. Mr. Thanedar? Mr. THANEDAR. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye. Ms. Chu? Ms. CHU. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye. Ms. Davids? Ms. DAVIDS. Ms. Davids votes aye. Mr. Pappas? [No response.] The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez? Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Aye. The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez votes aye. Chairman Williams? Chairman WILLIAMS. Aye. The CLERK. Chairman Williams votes aye. Chairman WILLIAMS. Are there any other Members who have not voted or wish to change their vote? Mr. MOLINARO. Mr. Chairman? Mr. Molinaro votes aye. The CLERK. Mr. Molinaro votes aye. Chairman WILLIAMS. The clerk will report. The CLERK. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, 24 ayes, 0 nays, and 0 present. Chairman WILLIAMS. The motion is agreed to and H.R. 7105 is adopted and will be reported favorably to the House. The question now is on adopting H.R. 7128 and ordering it favorably reported to the House. The clerk will call the roll. The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer? Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer votes aye. Mr. Stauber? Mr. STAUBER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye. Mr. Meuser? Mr. MEUSER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye. Ms. Van Duyne? Ms. VAN DUYNE. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye. Ms. Salazar? Ms. SALAZAR. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye. Mr. Mann? Mr. MANN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Mann votes aye. Mr. Ellzey? Mr. ELLZEY. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye. Mr. Molinaro? Mr. MOLINARO. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Molinaro votes aye. Mr. Alford? Mr. ALFORD. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye. Mr. Crane? Mr. CRANE. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye. Mr. Bean? Mr. BEAN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Bean votes aye. Mr. Hunt? Mr. HUNT. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Hunt votes aye. Mr. LaLota? Mr. LALOTA. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye. Ms. Maloy? [No response.] Mr. Golden? Mr. GOLDEN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye. Mr. Mfume? Mr. MFUME. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Mfume votes aye. Mr. Phillips? [No response.] Mr. Landsman? Mr. LANDSMAN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye. Mr. McGarvey? Mr. MCGARVEY. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez? Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez votes aye. Ms. Scholten? Ms. SCHOLTEN. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Scholten votes aye. Mr. Thanedar? Mr. THANEDAR. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye. Ms. Chu? Ms. CHU. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye. Ms. Davids? Ms. DAVIDS. Ms. Davids votes aye. Mr. Pappas? [No response.] The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez? Can you repeat that? Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Aye. The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez votes aye. Chairman Williams? Chairman WILLIAMS. Aye. The CLERK. Chairman Williams votes aye. Chairman WILLIAMS. Are there any of the Members who have not voted wish to change their votes? The clerk will report. The CLERK. Mr. Chairman on that vote 24 ayes, 0 nays, and 0 present. Chairman WILLIAMS. The motion is agreed to and H.R. 7128 is adopted and will be reported favorably to the House. I think this is about as perfect as going to get right here for the people of this great country that we are doing things to help Main Street America. So with that being said, the question now is on adopting H.R. 7129 and ordering it favorably to the House. The clerk will call the roll. The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer? Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer votes aye. Mr. Stauber? Mr. STAUBER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye. Mr. Meuser? Mr. MEUSER. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye. Ms. Van Duyne? Ms. VAN DUYNE. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye. Ms. Salazar? Ms. SALAZAR. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye. Mr. Mann? Mr. MANN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Mann votes aye. Mr. Ellzey? Mr. ELLZEY. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye. Mr. Molinaro? Mr. MOLINARO. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Molinaro votes aye. Mr. Alford? Mr. ALFORD. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye. Mr. Crane? Mr. CRANE. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye. Mr. Bean? Mr. BEAN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Bean votes aye. Mr. Hunt? Mr. HUNT. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Hunt votes aye. Mr. LaLota? Mr. LALOTA. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye. Ms. Maloy? [No response.] Mr. Golden? Mr. GOLDEN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye. Mr. Mfume? Mr. MFUME. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Mfume votes aye. Mr. Phillips? [No response.] Mr. Landsman? Mr. LANDSMAN. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye. Mr. McGarvey? Mr. MCGARVEY. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez? Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez votes aye. Ms. Scholten? Ms. SCHOLTEN. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Scholten votes aye. Mr. Thanedar? Mr. THANEDAR. Aye. The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye. Ms. Chu? Ms. CHU. Aye. The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye. Ms. Davids? Ms. DAVIDS. Ms. Davids votes aye. Mr. Pappas? [No response.] The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez? Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Aye. The CLERK. Ranking Member Velazquez votes aye. Chairman Williams? Chairman WILLIAMS. Aye. The CLERK. Chairman Williams votes aye. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, 24 ayes, 0 nays, and 0 present. Chairman WILLIAMS. The motion is agreed to and H.R. 7129 is adopted and will be reported favorably to the House. Let me also say, without objection, Committee staff is authorized to make technically conforming changes, and Members have 2 business days to file additional supplemental descending and minority views. Thanks for being here today. We did a good job. I am proud of all of you. Thank you. [Whereupon, at 12:14 p.m., the committee was adjourned.] A P P E N D I X [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] [all]