Wosb Certification and Opportunity Expansion Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, empowering female entrepreneurs has long been a top priority of mine and enhancing the programs that impact the success of women-owned small businesses continues to guide my work on our committee.

That is why I am pleased we are considering my legislation, the WOSB Certification and Opportunity Expansion Act, which, as amended, will improve and enhance the SBA's women-owned small business contracting program.

The WOSB program is a valuable tool for Federal agencies to contract with small businesses that are owned by women. However, a number of factors hinder the program's effectiveness. These limitations then translate into reduced contracting opportunities.

As a result, the data continues to show that women-owned small businesses are not seeing the contracting opportunities that should accompany the level of participation in the Federal marketplace.

My bill will move away from self-certification and require Federal agencies to only count contracts awarded to certified WOSBs toward their procurement goals.

This bill will help address a major concern that I regularly hear from WOSBs: that the program is more difficult to use than the other SBA programs, and that it is in part because WOSBs are not SBA certified.

Stakeholders highlight that when combined with other confusing and cumbersome WOSB-specific requirements, the lack of SBA certification creates a risk that disincentivizes use of the authorities by contracting officers.

It is my hope that by moving more WOSBs through the SBA certification process, we will see Federal agencies more confidently and frequently set aside sole source contracts to women-owned small businesses.

That has always been the goal of the WOSB program: to level the playing field for women in industries where they are underrepresented. My bill helps to do just that, and I urge all Members to support it.

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Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, I have drafted this bill in a way that I believe ensures women-owned small businesses will not be harmed during the transition away from self-certification and that Congress has the tools necessary to conduct oversight of that transition.

There are sufficient protections built into the legislation so that women-owned firms are not penalized and specifically will not lose contracts if issues arise during implementation. Utilizing WOSBs in our Federal marketplace is critical for their success and the success of our national economy.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this important bill to enhance the WOSB program, bolster its use, and provide female entrepreneurs with additional opportunities for success. I yield back the balance of my time.

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