Three bills to help small business were approved by the U.S. House of Representatives this week. Members of the House unanimosly approved the Service-Disabled Veteran Opportunities in Small Business Act, Department of Energy (DOE) and Small Business Administration Research Act, and the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Certification and Opportunity Expansion Act. The chair of the Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure, Rep. Nick LaLota, R-Amityville, championed the bills, introducing them with bipartisan support. “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and I am proud to see my first three bills pass the House today,” LaLota said on the House floor on Wednesday. “Each one of these bills will support small businesses across the country in their work to support our entire economy.” LaLota introduced the Service-Disabled Veteran Opportunities in Small Business Act in May 2023 with Rep. Morgan McGarvey (D-KY). The bill would amend the Small Business Act to require training for agencies on increasing the number of contracts awarded to Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses. He introduced the DOE and SBA Research Act in July 2023 with Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.). The bill would support increased joint research and development activities between the DOE, National Laboratories, including Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the Small Business Administration. He introduced the WOSB Certification and Opportunity Expansion Act in January 2024 with Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), the ranking member of the Small Business Committee. The bill would remove self-certified women-owned small business firms from inclusion in the SBA small business contracting scorecard. The bill is designed to protect the integrity of the Women-Owned Small Business program by ensuring that all WOSB firms are truly women-owned. “My Service-Disabled Veteran Opportunities in Small Business Act will increase opportunities and capital access for our nation’s heroes,” LaLota said. “My DOE and SBA Research Act allows facilities like Brookhaven National Laboratory to improve their already successful projects by participating in joint research and development activities,” he said. “Finally, my WOSB Certification and Opportunity Expansion Act will help women-owned small businesses stay free from fraud.”
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