Vitter's Bipartisan Pro-Small Business Legislation Could Be Included In Defense Bill

Press Release

U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), Chairman of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee (SBC), announced positive progress in the ongoing negotiations for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2017 to include his legislation to reauthorize the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The two programs ensure that small businesses are able to compete for research contracts from various federal agencies, including the Department of Defense.

"We are getting quite close to including my bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the SBIR and STTR programs in the NDAA," said Vitter. "Reauthorizing these two impactful SBA programs will help small businesses avoid unnecessary unpredictability for dynamic competitions for federal research and development contracts. I'm grateful to my colleagues, including Senator McCain, for agreeing to work to ensure the NDAA includes language to provide much-needed long-term certainty for our nation's small business job creators."

Vitter and SBC Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) introduced the SBIR and STTR Reauthorization and Improvement Act in April 2016, and passed the bill out of Committee on May 11, 2016. Vitter's bipartisan legislation would permanently reauthorize and strengthen the SBIR and STTR programs, which have helped to create thousands of new jobs by fostering innovation and stimulating the economy through public-private partnerships. Vitter chaired a full committee hearing in January 2016 on the importance of reauthorizing the SBIR and STTR programs.

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