Chairman Graves Statement On The Senate Small Business Bill Cloture Vote

Statement

House Small Business Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) today released the following statement in response to the Senate failing to invoke cloture on the Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) reauthorization bill:

"I'm disappointed that the Senate failed to move closer to passing such an important program for America's small businesses. We are progressing with our legislation in the House and expect it to pass with broad bipartisan support. We will continue our dialogue with the Senate and maintain our commitment to reauthorizing the SBIR and STTR programs. These programs allow small businesses to create jobs through research and development and strengthen the economy, all without any additional federal funding. There is no reason to let today's vote and unrelated issues jeopardize the future of these programs and the innovation and jobs they support."

On April 8th, House Small Business Subcommittee on Healthcare and Technology Chairwoman Renee Ellmers (R-NC) introduced legislation in the House to reauthorize the SBIR program. The bipartisan bill is called the "Creating Jobs Through Small Business Innovation Act of 2011" (H.R. 1425). The SBIR program is set to expire on May 31, 2011, if not reauthorized before that date.

The original co-sponsors of H.R. 1425 are Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO), Chairman of the Small Business Committee; Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA), Ranking Member of the Small Business Subcommittee on Healthcare and Technology; Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX), Chairman of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology; Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Ranking Member of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology; Rep. Ben Quayle (R-AZ), Chairman of the Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Technology & Innovation; and Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA), Ranking Member of the Small Business Subcommittee on Investigations, Oversight and Regulations.

Source