The bill holds prime contractors accountable for past treatment of small business subcontractors.
Washington, DC – This week, the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 7694, the Strengthening Subcontracting for Small Businesses Act of 2022, which is a bipartisan bill co-led by Congressmen Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) and Pete Stauber (R-MN). This measure originated in the U.S. House Committee on Small Business, where Congressman Mfume serves as Vice-Chair.
The legislation amends the Small Business Act by requiring federal agencies to consider past treatment of small business subcontractors by large prime contractors when determining whether to award future contracts to those prime contractors. Analyzing prime contractors’ history of honest collaboration with small businesses will incentivize prime contractors to treat entrepreneurs fairly for their services. Far too often, the agreed-upon terms between large contractors and small businesses are ignored, neglected, or exploited by large federal contractors.
“This bill is a vital piece of legislation and will ensure our nation’s valued small businesses are protected when they work with large federal contractors. At a time when small businesses are at risk of being pushed out of the federal procurement space, it is imperative we unite across the aisle to stand up for small business concerns,” said Congressman Mfume.
“I want to thank Congressman Stauber for his efforts co-leading this bipartisan effort, and I appreciate the bipartisan support for our nation’s small businesses,” concluded Congressman Mfume.
[Video] Congressman Mfume and Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez, Chairwoman of the U.S. House Committee on Small Business, made the following remarks on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in support of this bill – please click here to view their comments.
The text of the bill Congressman Mfume co-led is available by clicking the link here.
The Strengthening Subcontracting for Small Businesses Act of 2022 will now advance to the U.S. Senate for further consideration.
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