We’ve been taking a look at the biggest changes affecting small businesses in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2018. In a previous post we looked at H.R. 1773, meant to clarify terminology and improve uniformity, and today we’ll move on to H.R. 1774.
H.R. 1774, Developing the Next Generation of Small Businesses Act of 2017
This act aims to expand the entrepreneurial development programs to further the important work being done by the House Armed Services Committee on procurement reform, by ensuring that SBA is effectively introducing the next generation of entrepreneurs to the opportunities afforded by federal procurement contracts.
Within H.R. 1774, the following bills are found:
- H.R.1702 – Small Business Development Centers Improvement Act of 2017 – This bill amends the Small Business Act with respect to the authority of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to use certain SBA programs, including the small business development center (SBDC) program, to provide grants, financial assistance, loans, export assistance, and subcontracting opportunities on federal contracts to specified small businesses, organizations, state governments, universities, companies, and other entities that assist smaller enterprises.
- H.R.1680 – Women’s Business Centers Improvements Act of 2017 – The bill revises the duties of the Office of Women’s Business Ownership and declares it is the Office’s mission to assist women entrepreneurs to start, grow, and compete in global markets by providing quality support with access to capital, access to markets, job creation, growth, and counseling.
- H.R.1700 – SCORE for Small Business Act of 2017 – This bill amends the Small Business Act to reauthorize the SCORE program (Service Corps of Retired Executives) for FY2018-FY2019. The program is renamed as simply the SCORE program.
So this NDAA is a little less “bold” – more has been packed into other versions of NDAAs over the years that had a material impact. The items here in H.R. 1774 focus on SBA programs, which are impacting the overall health of small businesses, but do not address the really punishing occasional prejudice that can occur during and after contract procurement.
Remember, too, that the hurricanes will have some material impact on how SBA sees their mission, as they struggle to help small businesses in SE Texas/Louisiana, then Florida and the Gulf Coast, and finally the Caribbean.
Stay tuned, more will be coming in the budget, in the NDAA for FY19, and as tax reform/tax cuts hit the legislative calendars.
