House Panel to Vote on 10 Small Business Bills Sept. 16

The House Small Business Committee will vote on 10 pieces of legislation on September 16. The package addresses cybersecurity, manufacturing, federal contracting, disaster loans, access to capital, and threats from foreign adversaries.

Committee Chair Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX) will lead the markup session. The proposals aim to provide new resources and protections for small businesses across several key areas.

Key Bills in the Package

A central bill is the bipartisan Combating Foreign Threats to Main Street Act, or H.R. 10329. Introduced by Williams and Rep. Derek Tran (D-CA), it would require the Small Business Administration to inform small businesses about threats from foreign adversaries. These threats include intellectual property theft, cyber intrusions, counterfeit goods, illicit trade, and predatory investment practices.

Another significant measure is H.R. 10238, the Cybersecurity for Small Businesses Act. This bill would mandate the SBA to disseminate cybersecurity information and resources to small businesses. H.R. 9718, the Reshoring American Manufacturing Act, would direct the SBA's Office of Manufacturing and Trade to maintain a website with resources for businesses considering moving manufacturing capacity to the United States.

Support for Contractors and Officers

The committee will also consider H.R. 10328, the Badge-to-Business Act. This legislation would provide no-collateral SBA Express loans for qualified career law enforcement officers. Another bill focuses on federal contractors.

H.R. 4615, the Small Business Payment for Performance Act, would provide interim partial payments to qualifying small business contractors. These payments would be for contractors seeking equitable adjustments after changes to federal construction contracts.

Broader Legislative Agenda

Other measures on the agenda address several SBA programs. They cover disaster loan outreach, implementation of Government Accountability Office recommendations, and Small Business Investment Company reporting. The package also includes bills related to the SBA's 504 loan program and support for small manufacturers.

The source report notes recent lobbying expenditures by several large organizations. Fox Corp. Reported $1.34 million in lobbying for the second quarter. The American Gaming Association spent $730,000 in the first quarter. Koch Government Affairs LLC reported $40,000 in second-quarter lobbying on various tax policy proposals.

Measures approved by the committee could advance toward consideration by the full House of Representatives. The markup represents a broad effort to address multiple challenges facing small business owners.