Expanding Opportunities for Diverse Entrepreneurs Act

Subjects: Transportation and Public Works


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2485 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






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. Barragan, 
  Mr. Evans, Mr. Garcia 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.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Expanding Opportunities for Diverse 
Entrepreneurs Act''.

SEC. 2. DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE OUTREACH EFFORTS.

    (a) Establishment.--Each recipient of financial assistance provided 
by the Department of Transportation that is required to implement a DBE 
program that conforms to the requirements of part 23 and 26 of title 
49, Code of Federal Regulations, shall direct the disadvantaged 
business enterprise liaison officer, or the individual responsible for 
implementing the requirements of the DBE program, to carry out the 
duties described in subsection (b).
    (b) Duties.--The duties of a disadvantaged business enterprise 
liaison officer, or the individual responsible for implementing the 
requirements of the DBE program, shall include tracking and providing 
an analysis of all efforts to expand knowledge of services and 
opportunities available to non-certified disadvantaged business 
enterprises and disadvantaged business enterprises certified in the DBE 
program to facilitate the capacity of the enterprise to compete for, 
and perform on, federally assisted transportation contracts and 
procurement activities, including--
            (1) minimum outreach, training, workshops, and education 
        efforts, including business development programs, courses, 
        conferences, networking events, marketing to publicize a DBE 
        program; and online development support, informative workshops; 
        and
            (2) such other information as the Secretary considers 
        appropriate.

SEC. 3. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION; REPORT.

    (a) Collection of Information.--The Secretary of Transportation 
shall require disadvantaged business enterprise liaison officers, or 
the individual responsible for implementing the requirements of a DBE 
program, to--
            (1) collect the information required under section 2(b)(2) 
        and submit such information to the appropriate operating 
        administration; and
            (2) submit to the Committee on Transportation and 
        Infrastructure and the Committee on Small Business of the House 
        of Representatives a report on the efforts to carry out the 
        duties described in section 2(b).
    (b) Report on Progress of DBE Program.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary 
        of Transportation shall submit to Congress a report on the 
        disadvantaged business enterprises program carried out by the 
        Department of Transportation pursuant to section 11101(e) of 
        the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (23 U.S.C. 101 
        note).
            (2) Contents.--
                    (A) In general.--The report required under 
                subsection (a) shall include, at a minimum, the 
                percentage and dollar amount of Federal funds paid to 
                small business concerns owned and controlled by 
                socially and economically disadvantaged individuals in 
                the prior fiscal year for each State and territory of 
                the United States, disaggregated by race, sex, and any 
                other federally recognized category.
                    (B) Public availability.--The Secretary of 
                Transportation shall publicly disclose on the website 
                of each operating administration, in a searchable, 
                exportable, and easy to find manner in the uniform 
                report of DBE awards--commitments and payments 
                specified in part 26 of title 49, Code of Federal 
                Regulations, for each State.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) DBE program.--The term ``DBE program'' means the 
        disadvantaged business enterprise program that is carried out 
        by--
                    (A) with respect to the Federal Highway 
                Administration, any recipient or subrecipient of DOT 
                funds that awards prime contracts exceeding a total of 
                $250,000 in a fiscal year;
                    (B) with respect to the Federal Transit 
                Administration, any recipient of DOT funds that awards 
                prime contracts exceeding a total of $250,000 in a 
                fiscal year; and
                    (C) with respect to the Federal Aviation 
                Administration, any recipient of DOT funds subject to 
                part 23 and 26 of title 49, Code of Federal 
                Regulations, that awards prime contracts exceeding a 
                total of $250,000 in a fiscal year.
            (2) Small business concern; socially and economically 
        disadvantaged individuals.--The terms ``small business 
        concern'' and ``socially and economically disadvantaged 
        individuals'' have the meanings given such terms in section 
        11101(e) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (23 
        U.S.C. 101 note).
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