I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2485 

To require certain recipients of funds for disadvantaged business enterprises 

to provide an analysis of efforts to expand opportunities available to 

disadvantaged business enterprises to participate in the DBE program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 6, 2023 

Mr. CASTRO of Texas (for himself, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, 

Mr. EVANS, Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, and Ms. 

NORTON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To require certain recipients of funds for disadvantaged business enterprises to provide an analysis of efforts to expand opportunities available to disadvantaged business 

enterprises to participate in the DBE program. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Expanding Opportuni5 ties for Diverse Entrepreneurs Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE OUT2 REACH EFFORTS. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Each recipient of financial 

4 assistance provided by the Department of Transportation 

5 that is required to implement a DBE program that con6 forms to the requirements of part 23 and 26 of title 49, 

7 Code of Federal Regulations, shall direct the disadvan8 taged business enterprise liaison officer, or the individual 

9 responsible for implementing the requirements of the 

10 DBE program, to carry out the duties described in sub11 section (b). 

12 (b) DUTIES.—The duties of a disadvantaged business 

13 enterprise liaison officer, or the individual responsible for 

14 implementing the requirements of the DBE program, shall 

15 include tracking and providing an analysis of all efforts 

16 to expand knowledge of services and opportunities avail17 able to non-certified disadvantaged business enterprises 

18 and disadvantaged business enterprises certified in the 

19 DBE program to facilitate the capacity of the enterprise 

20 to compete for, and perform on, federally assisted trans21 portation contracts and procurement activities, includ22 ing— 

23 (1) minimum outreach, training, workshops, 

24 and education efforts, including business develop25 ment programs, courses, conferences, networking 

26 events, marketing to publicize a DBE program; and 


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1 online development support, informative workshops; 

2 and 

3 (2) such other information as the Secretary 

4 considers appropriate. 

5 SEC. 3. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION; REPORT. 

6 (a) COLLECTION OF INFORMATION.—The Secretary 

7 of Transportation shall require disadvantaged business en8 terprise liaison officers, or the individual responsible for 

9 implementing the requirements of a DBE program, to— 

10 (1) collect the information required under sec11 tion 2(b)(2) and submit such information to the ap12 propriate operating administration; and 

13 (2) submit to the Committee on Transportation 

14 and Infrastructure and the Committee on Small 

15 Business of the House of Representatives a report 

16 on the efforts to carry out the duties described in 

17 section 2(b). 

18 (b) REPORT ON PROGRESS OF DBE PROGRAM.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

20 the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 

21 thereafter, the Secretary of Transportation shall 

22 submit to Congress a report on the disadvantaged 

23 business enterprises program carried out by the De24 partment of Transportation pursuant to section 


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1 11101(e) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs 

2 Act (23 U.S.C. 101 note). 

3 (2) CONTENTS.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—The report required 

5 under subsection (a) shall include, at a min6 imum, the percentage and dollar amount of 

7 Federal funds paid to small business concerns 

8 owned and controlled by socially and economi9 cally disadvantaged individuals in the prior fis10 cal year for each State and territory of the 

11 United States, disaggregated by race, sex, and 

12 any other federally recognized category. 

13 (B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary 

14 of Transportation shall publicly disclose on the 

15 website of each operating administration, in a 

16 searchable, exportable, and easy to find manner 

17 in the uniform report of DBE awards—commit18 ments and payments specified in part 26 of title 

19 49, Code of Federal Regulations, for each 

20 State. 

21 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

22 In this Act: 

23 (1) DBE PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘DBE pro24 gram’’ means the disadvantaged business enterprise 

25 program that is carried out by— 


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1 (A) with respect to the Federal Highway 

2 Administration, any recipient or subrecipient of 

3 DOT funds that awards prime contracts exceed4 ing a total of $250,000 in a fiscal year; 

5 (B) with respect to the Federal Transit 

6 Administration, any recipient of DOT funds 

7 that awards prime contracts exceeding a total 

8 of $250,000 in a fiscal year; and 

9 (C) with respect to the Federal Aviation 

10 Administration, any recipient of DOT funds 

11 subject to part 23 and 26 of title 49, Code of 

12 Federal Regulations, that awards prime con13 tracts exceeding a total of $250,000 in a fiscal 

14 year. 

15 (2) SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN; SOCIALLY AND

16 ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED INDIVIDUALS.— 

17 The terms ‘‘small business concern’’ and ‘‘socially 

18 and economically disadvantaged individuals’’ have 

19 the meanings given such terms in section 11101(e) 

20 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (23 

21 U.S.C. 101 note). 

Æ 


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