I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4341 
To amend the Small Business Act to improve transparency and clarity for 
small businesses, to clarify the role of small business advocates, to 
increase opportunities for competition in subcontracting, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 7, 2016 
Mr. CHABOT (for himself and Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Small Business, and in addition 
to the Committees on Armed Services, Oversight and Government Re-
form, and Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined 
by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Small Business Act to improve transparency 
and clarity for small businesses, to clarify the role of 
small business advocates, to increase opportunities for 
competition in subcontracting, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Defending America’s Small Contractors Act of 2016’’. 
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(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title. 
TITLE I—IMPROVING TRANSPARENCY AND CLARITY FOR SMALL 
BUSINESSES 
Sec. 101. Plain language rewrite of requirements for small business procure-
ments. 
Sec. 102. Improving reporting on small business goals. 
Sec. 103. Transparency in small business goals. 
Sec. 104. Uniformity in procurement terminology. 
TITLE II—CLARIFYING THE ROLES OF SMALL BUSINESS 
ADVOCATES 
Sec. 201. Duties of procurement center representatives with respect to review-
ing solicitations. 
Sec. 202. Responsibilities of Commercial Market Representatives. 
Sec. 203. Duties of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utiliza-
tion. 
Sec. 204. Improving contractor compliance. 
TITLE III—STRENGTHENING OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMPETITION 
IN SUBCONTRACTING 
Sec. 301. Good faith in subcontracting. 
Sec. 302. Pilot program to provide opportunities for qualified subcontractors to 
obtain past performance ratings. 
TITLE IV—MENTOR-PROTEGE PROGRAMS 
Sec. 401. Amendments to the Mentor-Protege Program of the Department of 
Defense. 
Sec. 402. Improving cooperation between the mentor-protege programs of the 
Small Business Administration and the Department of De-
fense. 
TITLE V—MISCELLANEOUS 
Sec. 501. Improving education on small business regulations. 
Sec. 502. Protecting task order competition. 
Sec. 503. Improvements to size standards for small agricultural producers. 
Sec. 504. Uniformity in service-disabled veteran definitions. 
Sec. 505. GAO review of the Office of Government Contracting and Business 
Development of the Small Business Administration. 
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TITLE 
I—IMPROVING 
TRANS-
PARENCY AND CLARITY FOR 
SMALL BUSINESSES 
SEC. 101. PLAIN LANGUAGE REWRITE OF REQUIREMENTS 
FOR SMALL BUSINESS PROCUREMENTS. 
Section 15(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
644(a)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(a) SMALL BUSINESS PROCUREMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of this Act, 
small business concerns shall receive any award or 
contract if such award or contract is, in the deter-
mination of the Administrator and the contracting 
agency, in the interest of— 
‘‘(A) maintaining or mobilizing the full 
productive capacity of the United States; 
‘‘(B) war or national defense programs; or 
‘‘(C) assuring that a fair proportion of the 
total purchase and contracts for goods and 
services of the Government in each industry 
category (as described under paragraph (2)) are 
awarded to small business concerns. 
‘‘(2) INDUSTRY CATEGORY DEFINED.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In this subsection, the 
term ‘industry category’ means a discrete group 
of similar goods and services, as determined by 
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the Administrator in accordance with the North 
American Industry Classification System codes 
used to establish small business size standards 
under section 3(a), except that the Adminis-
trator shall limit an industry category to a 
greater extent than provided under the North 
American Industry Classification codes if the 
Administrator receives evidence indicating that 
further segmentation of the industry category is 
warranted— 
‘‘(i) due to special capital equipment 
needs; 
‘‘(ii) due to special labor require-
ments; 
‘‘(iii) due to special geographic re-
quirements, except as provided in subpara-
graph (B); or 
‘‘(iv) to recognize a new industry. 
‘‘(B) EXCEPTION
FOR
GEOGRAPHIC
RE-
QUIREMENTS.—The Administrator may not fur-
ther segment an industry category based on ge-
ographic requirements unless— 
‘‘(i) the Government typically des-
ignates the geographic area where work for 
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contracts for goods or services is to be per-
formed; 
‘‘(ii) Government purchases comprise 
the major portion of the entire domestic 
market for such goods or services; and 
‘‘(iii) it is unreasonable to expect com-
petition from business concerns located 
outside of the general geographic area due 
to the fixed location of facilities, high mo-
bilization costs, or similar economic fac-
tors. 
‘‘(3) DETERMINATIONS
WITH
RESPECT
TO 
AWARDS
OR
CONTRACTS.—Determinations made 
pursuant to paragraph (1) may be made for indi-
vidual awards or contracts, any part of an award or 
contract, or for classes of awards or contracts. 
‘‘(4) INCREASING PRIME CONTRACTING OPPOR-
TUNITIES FOR SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS.— 
‘‘(A) DESCRIPTION
OF
COVERED
PRO-
POSED PROCUREMENTS.—The requirements of 
the paragraph shall apply to a proposed pro-
curement that includes in its statement of work 
goods or services currently being supplied or 
performed by a small business concern and, as 
determined by the Administrator— 
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‘‘(i) is in a quantity or of an esti-
mated dollar value which makes the par-
ticipation of a small business concern as a 
prime contractor unlikely; 
‘‘(ii) in the case of a proposed pro-
curement for construction, if such pro-
posed procurement seeks to bundle or con-
solidate discrete construction projects; or 
‘‘(iii) is a solicitation that involves an 
unnecessary or unjustified bundling of con-
tract requirements. 
‘‘(B) NOTICE TO PROCUREMENT CENTER 
REPRESENTATIVES.—With respect to proposed 
procurements described in subparagraph (A), at 
least 30 days before issuing a solicitation and 
concurrent with other processing steps required 
before issuing the solicitation, the contracting 
agency shall provide a copy of the proposed pro-
curement to the procurement center representa-
tive of the contracting agency (as described in 
subsection (l)) along with a statement explain-
ing— 
‘‘(i) why the proposed procurement 
cannot be divided into reasonably small 
lots (not less than economic production 
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runs) to permit offers on quantities less 
than the total requirement; 
‘‘(ii) why delivery schedules cannot be 
established on a realistic basis that will en-
courage the participation of small business 
concerns in a manner consistent with the 
actual requirements of the Government; 
‘‘(iii) why the proposed procurement 
cannot be offered to increase the likelihood 
of the participation of small business con-
cerns; 
‘‘(iv) in the case of a proposed pro-
curement for construction, why the pro-
posed procurement cannot be offered as 
separate discrete projects; or 
‘‘(v) why the agency has determined 
that the bundling of contract requirements 
is necessary and justified. 
‘‘(C) ALTERNATIVES TO INCREASE PRIME 
CONTRACTING
OPPORTUNITIES
FOR
SMALL 
BUSINESS CONCERNS.—If the procurement cen-
ter representative believes that the proposed 
procurement will make the participation of 
small business concerns as prime contractors 
unlikely, the procurement center representative, 
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within 15 days after receiving the statement de-
scribed in subparagraph (B), shall recommend 
to the contracting agency alternative procure-
ment methods for increasing prime contracting 
opportunities for small business concerns. 
‘‘(D) FAILURE TO AGREE ON AN ALTER-
NATIVE PROCUREMENT METHOD.—If the pro-
curement center representative and the con-
tracting agency fail to agree on an alternative 
procurement method, the Administrator shall 
submit the matter to the head of the appro-
priate department or agency for a determina-
tion. 
‘‘(5) CONTRACTS FOR SALE OF GOVERNMENT 
PROPERTY.—With respect to a contract for the sale 
of Government property, small business concerns 
shall receive any such contract if, in the determina-
tion of the Administrator and the disposal agency, 
the award of such contract is in the interest of as-
suring that a fair proportion of the total sales of 
Government property be made to small business con-
cerns. 
‘‘(6) OTHER REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) SALE
OF
ELECTRICAL
POWER
OR 
OTHER PROPERTY.—Nothing in this subsection 
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shall be construed to change any preferences or 
priorities established by law with respect to the 
sale of electrical power or other property by the 
Federal Government. 
‘‘(B) COSTS
EXCEEDING
FAIR
MARKET 
PRICE.—A contract may not be awarded under 
this subsection if the cost of the contract to the 
awarding agency exceeds a fair market price.’’. 
SEC. 102. IMPROVING REPORTING ON SMALL BUSINESS 
GOALS. 
Section 15(h)(2)(E) of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 644(h)(2)(E)) is amended— 
(1) in clause (i)— 
(A) in subclause (III), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
subclauses: 
‘‘(V) that were purchased by an-
other entity after the initial contract 
was awarded and as a result of the 
purchase, would no longer be deemed 
to be small business concerns for pur-
poses of the initial contract; and 
‘‘(VI) that were awarded using a 
procurement method that restricted 
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competition to small business concerns 
owned and controlled by service-dis-
abled veterans, qualified HUBZone 
small business concerns, small busi-
ness concerns owned and controlled by 
socially and economically disadvan-
taged individuals, small business con-
cerns owned and controlled by women, 
or a subset of any such concerns;’’; 
(2) in clause (ii)— 
(A) in subclause (IV), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
subclauses: 
‘‘(VI) that were purchased by an-
other entity after the initial contract 
was awarded and as a result of the 
purchase, would no longer be deemed 
to be small business concerns owned 
and controlled by service-disabled vet-
erans for purposes of the initial con-
tract; and 
‘‘(VII) that were awarded using a 
procurement method that restricted 
competition to qualified HUBZone 
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viduals, 
small 
business 
concerns 
owned and controlled by women, or a 
subset of any such concerns;’’; 
(4) in clause (iv)— 
(A) in subclause (V), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
subclauses: 
‘‘(VII) that were purchased by 
another entity after the initial con-
tract was awarded and as a result of 
the purchase, would no longer be 
deemed to be small business concerns 
owned and controlled by socially and 
economically disadvantaged individ-
uals for purposes of the initial con-
tract; and 
‘‘(VIII) that were awarded using 
a procurement method that restricted 
competition to small business concerns 
owned and controlled by service-dis-
abled veterans, qualified HUBZone 
small business concerns, small busi-
ness concerns owned and controlled by 
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women, or a subset of any such con-
cerns;’’; 
(5) in clause (v)— 
(A) in subclause (IV), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(B) in subclause (V), by inserting ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
subclause: 
‘‘(VI) that were purchased by an-
other entity after the initial contract 
was awarded and as a result of the 
purchase, would no longer be deemed 
to be small business concerns owned 
by an Indian tribe other than an Alas-
ka Native Corporation for purposes of 
the initial contract;’’; 
(6) in clause (vi)— 
(A) in subclause (IV), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(B) in subclause (V), by inserting ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
subclause: 
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‘‘(VI) that were purchased by an-
other entity after the initial contract 
was awarded and as a result of the 
purchase, would no longer be deemed 
to be small business concerns owned 
by a Native Hawaiian Organization 
for purposes of the initial contract;’’; 
(7) in clause (vii)— 
(A) in subclause (IV), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(B) in subclause (V), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
subclause: 
‘‘(VI) that were purchased by an-
other entity after the initial contract 
was awarded and as a result of the 
purchase, would no longer be deemed 
to be small business concerns owned 
by an Alaska Native Corporation for 
purposes of the initial contract; and’’; 
and 
(8) in clause (viii)— 
(A) in subclause (VII), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
at the end; 
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(B) in subclause (VIII), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
at the end; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
subclauses: 
‘‘(IX) that were purchased by an-
other entity after the initial contract 
was awarded and as a result of the 
purchase, would no longer be deemed 
to be small business concerns owned 
and controlled by women for purposes 
of the initial contract; and 
‘‘(X) that were awarded using a 
procurement method that restricted 
competition to small business concerns 
owned and controlled by service-dis-
abled veterans, qualified HUBZone 
small business concerns, small busi-
ness concerns owned and controlled by 
socially and economically disadvan-
taged individuals, or a subset of any 
such concerns; and’’. 
SEC. 103. TRANSPARENCY IN SMALL BUSINESS GOALS. 
Section 15(g) of the Small Business Act is amended 
by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 
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‘‘(4) DETERMINATIONS OF THE TOTAL VALUE 
OF CONTRACT AWARDS.—For purposes of the goals 
established under paragraphs (1) and (2), the total 
value of contract awards for a fiscal year may not 
be determined in a manner that excludes the value 
of a contract based on— 
‘‘(A) where the contract is awarded; 
‘‘(B) where the contract is performed; 
‘‘(C) whether the contract is mandated by 
Federal law to be performed by an entity other 
than a small business concern; 
‘‘(D) whether funding for the contract is 
made available in an appropriations Act, if the 
contract is subject to the requirements of chap-
ter 33 of title 41, United States Code, or chap-
ter 137 of title 10, United States Code, and the 
Federal Acquisition Regulation; or 
‘‘(E) whether the contract is otherwise 
subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulation.’’. 
SEC. 104. UNIFORMITY IN PROCUREMENT TERMINOLOGY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 15(j)(1) of the Small 
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 644(j)(1)) is amended by striking 
‘‘greater than $2,500 but not greater than $100,000’’ and 
inserting ‘‘greater than the micro-purchase threshold de-
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fined in section 1902(a) of title 41, United States Code, 
but not greater than the simplified acquisition threshold’’. 
(b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Section 3(m) of the 
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632(m)) is amended to 
read as follows: 
‘‘(m) 
DEFINITIONS
PERTAINING
TO
CON-
TRACTING.—In this Act: 
‘‘(1) PRIME CONTRACT.—The term ‘prime con-
tract’ has the meaning given such term in section 
8701(4) of title 41, United States Code. 
‘‘(2) PRIME
CONTRACTOR.—The term ‘prime 
contractor’ has the meaning given such term in sec-
tion 8701(5) of title 41, United States Code. 
‘‘(3) SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION THRESHOLD.— 
The term ‘simplified acquisition threshold’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 134 of title 41, 
United States Code. 
‘‘(4) TOTAL PURCHASE AND CONTRACTS FOR 
PROPERTY
AND
SERVICES.—The term ‘total pur-
chases and contracts for property and services’ shall 
mean total number and total dollar amount of con-
tracts and orders for property and services.’’. 
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TITLE 
II—CLARIFYING 
THE 
ROLES OF SMALL BUSINESS 
ADVOCATES 
SEC. 201. DUTIES OF PROCUREMENT CENTER REPRESENT-
ATIVES WITH RESPECT TO REVIEWING SO-
LICITATIONS. 
Section 15(l)(2) of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 644(l)(2)(D)) is amended— 
(1) 
by 
redesignating 
subparagraphs 
(E) 
through (I) as subparagraphs (F) through (J), re-
spectively; and 
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the fol-
lowing new subparagraph: 
‘‘(E) review any solicitation for a contract 
or task order without regard to whether the 
contract or task order or part of the contract 
or task order is set aside for small business 
concerns, whether 1 or more contract or task 
order awards are reserved for small business 
concerns under a multiple award contract, or 
whether or not the solicitation would result in 
a bundled or consolidated contract (as defined 
in subsection (s)) or a bundled or consolidated 
task order;’’. 
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SEC. 202. RESPONSIBILITIES OF COMMERCIAL MARKET 
REPRESENTATIVES. 
Section 4(h) of the Small Business Act (as added by 
section 865 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114–92)) is amended— 
(1) in the subsection heading, by striking ‘‘CER-
TIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR’’; 
(2) in paragraph (2), by redesignating subpara-
graphs (A) and (B) as clauses (i) and (ii), respec-
tively (and conforming the margins accordingly); 
(3) by amending clause (ii) (as so redesignated) 
to read as follows: 
‘‘(B) APPLICATION.—The requirements of 
clause (i) shall be included in any initial job 
posting for the position of a commercial market 
representative and shall apply to any person ap-
pointed as a commercial market representative 
after November 25, 2015.’’; 
(4) in clause (i) (as so redesignated), by strik-
ing ‘‘paragraph (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraph 
(A)’’; 
(5) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 
subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively (and con-
forming the margins accordingly); 
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(6) in subparagraph (A) (as so redesignated), 
by striking ‘‘paragraph (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘subpara-
graph (B)’’; and 
(7) by inserting before subparagraph (A) (as so 
redesignated) the following: 
‘‘(1) DUTIES.—The principal duties of a Com-
mercial Market Representative employed by the Ad-
ministrator and reporting to the senior official ap-
pointed by the Administrator with responsibilities 
under sections 8, 15, 31, and 36 (or the designee of 
such official) shall be to advance the policies estab-
lished in section 8(d)(1) relating to subcontracting. 
Such duties shall include— 
‘‘(A) helping prime contractors to find 
small business concerns that are capable of per-
forming subcontracts; 
‘‘(B) for contractors awarded contracts 
containing the clause described in section 
8(d)(3), providing— 
‘‘(i) counseling on the contractor’s re-
sponsibility to maximize subcontracting op-
portunities for small business concerns; 
‘‘(ii) instruction on methods and tools 
to identify potential subcontractors that 
are small business concerns; and 
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‘‘(iii) assistance to increase awards to 
subcontractors that are small business con-
cerns through visits, training, and reviews 
of past performance; 
‘‘(C) providing counseling on how a small 
business concern may promote its capacity to 
contractors awarded contracts containing the 
clause described in section 8(d)(3); and 
‘‘(D) conducting periodic reviews of con-
tractors awarded contracts containing the 
clause described in section 8(d)(3) to assess 
compliance with subcontracting plans required 
under section 8(d)(6). 
‘‘(2) CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.—’’. 
SEC. 203. DUTIES OF THE OFFICE OF SMALL AND DIS-
ADVANTAGED BUSINESS UTILIZATION. 
Section 15(k) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
644(k)), as amended by section 870 of the National De-
fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 
114–92), is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘section 8, 15 or 44’’ and in-
serting ‘‘section 8, 15, 31, 36, or 44’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘sections 8 and 15’’ each place 
such term appears and inserting ‘‘sections 8, 15, 31, 
36, and 44’’; 
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(3) in paragraph (10), by striking ‘‘section 
8(a)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 8, 15, 31, or 36’’; 
(4) by redesignating paragraphs (15), (16), and 
(17) as paragraphs (16), (17), and (18), respec-
tively; 
(5) by inserting after paragraph (14) the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(15) shall review purchases made by the agen-
cy greater than the micro-purchase threshold defined 
in section 1902(a) of title 41, United States Code, 
and less than the simplified acquisition threshold to 
ensure that the purchases have been made in compli-
ance with the provisions of this Act and have been 
properly recorded in the Federal Procurement Data 
System, if the method of payment is a purchase card 
issued by the Department of Defense pursuant to 
section 2784 of title 10, United States Code, or by 
the head of an executive agency pursuant to section 
1909 of title 41, United States Code;’’; and 
(6) in paragraph (17) (as so redesignated)— 
(A) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 
period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
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(C) by adding at the end the following new 
subparagraph: 
‘‘(D) any failure of the agency to comply 
with section 8, 15, 31, or 36.’’. 
SEC. 204. IMPROVING CONTRACTOR COMPLIANCE. 
(a) REQUIREMENTS FOR THE OFFICE OF SMALL AND 
DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS UTILIZATION.—Section 15(k) 
of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 644(k)(8)), as 
amended by section 204, is further amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (16), (17), and 
(18) as paragraphs (17), (18), and (19), respec-
tively; and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (15) the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(16) shall provide assistance to a small busi-
ness concern awarded a contract or subcontract 
under this Act or under title 10 or title 41, United 
States Code, with finding resources for education 
and training on compliance with contracting regula-
tions (including the Federal Acquisition Regulation) 
after award of such a contract or subcontract.’’. 
(b) REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE MENTOR-PROTEGE 
PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.—Section 
831(e)(1) of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
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Fiscal Year 1991 (Public Law 101–510; 104 Stat. 1607; 
10 U.S.C. 2302 note) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(2) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period 
at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by inserting at the end the following new 
subparagraph: 
‘‘(D) the assistance the mentor firm will 
provide to the protege firm in understanding 
contract regulations of the Federal Government 
and the Department of Defense (including the 
Federal Acquisition Regulation and the Defense 
Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement) 
after award of a subcontract under this section, 
if applicable.’’. 
(c) RESOURCES FOR SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS.— 
Section 15 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 644) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(t) POST-AWARD COMPLIANCE RESOURCES.—The 
Administrator shall provide to small business development 
centers (as defined in section 21) and entities partici-
pating in the Procurement Technical Assistance Coopera-
tive Agreement Program under chapter 142 of title 10, 
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United States Code, and shall make available on the 
website of the Administration, a list of resources for small 
business concerns seeking education and assistance on 
compliance with contracting regulations (including the 
Federal Acquisition Regulation) after award of a contract 
or subcontract.’’. 
(d) REQUIREMENTS
FOR PROCUREMENT CENTER 
REPRESENTATIVES.—Section 15(l)(2) of the Small Busi-
ness Act (15 U.S.C. 644(l)(2)) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subparagraph (J) as sub-
paragraph (K); 
(2) in subparagraph (I), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; and 
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (I) the fol-
lowing new subparagraph: 
‘‘(J) assist small business concerns with 
finding resources for education and training on 
compliance with contracting regulations (includ-
ing the Federal Acquisition Regulation) after 
award of a contract or subcontract; and’’. 
(e) REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE MENTOR-PROTEGE 
PROGRAM OF THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION.— 
Section 45(b)(3) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
657r(b)(3)) is amended by adding at the end the following 
new subparagraph: 
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‘‘(K) The extent to which assistance with 
compliance with the requirements of contracting 
with the Federal Government after award of a 
contract or subcontract under this section.’’. 
TITLE III—STRENGTHENING OP-
PORTUNITIES FOR COMPETI-
TION IN SUBCONTRACTING 
SEC. 301. GOOD FAITH IN SUBCONTRACTING. 
(a) TRANSPARENCY IN SUBCONTRACTING GOALS.— 
Section 8(d)(9) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
637(d)(9)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘(9) The failure’’ and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(9) MATERIAL BREACH.—The failure’’; 
(2) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 
the end; 
(3) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘or’’ at 
the end; and 
(4) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(C) assurances provided under paragraph 
(6)(E),’’. 
(b) AUTHORITY OF THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE 
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION.—Section 8(d)(11) of 
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the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(11)) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by striking ‘‘(11) In the case of’’ and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(11) AUTHORITY OF ADMINISTRATOR.—In the 
case of’’; and 
(2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘, which 
shall be advisory in nature,’’. 
(c) REVIEW AND ACCEPTANCE OF SUBCONTRACTING 
PLANS.—Section 8(d) of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 637(d)) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(17) REVIEW AND ACCEPTANCE OF SUBCON-
TRACTING PLANS.— 
‘‘(A) DEFINITION.—In this paragraph, the 
term ‘covered small business concerns’ means— 
‘‘(i) small business concerns; 
‘‘(ii) qualified HUBZone small busi-
ness concerns; 
‘‘(iii) small business concerns owned 
and controlled by veterans; 
‘‘(iv) small business concerns owned 
and controlled by service-disabled veterans; 
‘‘(v) small business concerns owned 
and controlled by socially and economically 
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disadvantaged individuals, as defined in 
paragraph (3)(C); and 
‘‘(vi) small business concerns owned 
and controlled by women. 
‘‘(B) DELAYED ACCEPTANCE OF PLAN.— 
Except as provided in subparagraph (E), if a 
procurement center representative or commer-
cial market representative determines that a 
subcontracting plan required under paragraph 
(4) or (5) fails to provide the maximum prac-
ticable opportunity for covered small business 
concerns to participate in the performance of 
the contract to which the plan applies, the rep-
resentative may delay acceptance of the plan in 
accordance with subparagraph (C). 
‘‘(C) PROCESS
FOR
DELAYED
ACCEPT-
ANCE.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Except as pro-
vided in clause (ii), a procurement center 
representative or commercial market rep-
resentative who makes a determination 
under subparagraph (B) with respect to a 
subcontracting plan may delay acceptance 
of the plan for a 30-day period by pro-
viding written notice of the determination 
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not include the authority to delay the 
award or performance of the contract 
concerned. 
‘‘(D) DISAGREEMENTS.—If a procurement 
center representative or commercial market rep-
resentative delays the acceptance of a subcon-
tracting plan under subparagraph (C) and does 
not reach agreement with the head of the pro-
curing activity of the contracting agency to 
alter the plan to provide the maximum prac-
ticable opportunity described in subparagraph 
(B) not later than 30 days after the date on 
which written notice was provided, the disagree-
ment shall be submitted to the head of the con-
tracting agency by the Administrator for a final 
determination. 
‘‘(E) EXCEPTION.—A procurement center 
representative or commercial market represent-
ative may not delay the acceptance of a subcon-
tracting plan if the head of the contracting 
agency certifies that the need of the agency for 
the supplies or services is of such an unusual 
and compelling urgency that the United States 
would be seriously injured unless the agency is 
permitted to accept the subcontracting plan.’’. 
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(d) GOOD FAITH COMPLIANCE.—Not later than 270 
days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis-
trator of the Small Business Administration shall issue 
regulations providing examples of activities that would be 
considered a failure to make a good faith effort to comply 
with the requirements imposed on an entity (other than 
a small business concern as defined under section 3 of the 
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)) that is awarded a 
prime contract containing the clauses required under 
paragraph (4) or (5) of section 8(d) of the Small Business 
Act (15 U.S.C. 637(d)). 
SEC. 302. PILOT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES 
FOR QUALIFIED SUBCONTRACTORS TO OB-
TAIN PAST PERFORMANCE RATINGS. 
Section 8(d) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
637(d)), as amended by section 301, is further amended 
by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(18) PILOT PROGRAM PROVIDING PAST PER-
FORMANCE RATINGS FOR OTHER SMALL BUSINESS 
SUBCONTRACTORS.— 
‘‘(A) 
ESTABLISHMENT.—The 
Adminis-
trator shall establish a pilot program for a 
small business concern performing as a first 
tier subcontractor for a covered contract (as de-
fined in paragraph 13(A)) to request a past 
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performance rating in the system used by the 
Federal Government to monitor or record con-
tractor past performance. 
‘‘(B) APPLICATION.—A small business con-
cern described in subparagraph (A) shall sub-
mit an application to the appropriate official for 
a past performance rating. Such application 
shall include written evidence of the past per-
formance factors for which the small business 
concern seeks a rating and a suggested rating. 
‘‘(C) DETERMINATION.—The appropriate 
official shall submit the application from the 
small business concern to the contracting officer 
(or a designee of such officer) for the covered 
contract and to the prime contractor for review. 
The contracting officer (or designee) and the 
prime contractor shall, not later than 30 days 
after receipt of the application, submit to the 
appropriate official a response regarding the 
application. 
‘‘(i) AGREEMENT ON RATING.—If the 
contracting officer (or designee) and the 
prime contractor agree on a past perform-
ance rating, or if either the contracting of-
ficer (or designee) or the prime contractor 
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fail to respond and the responding indi-
vidual agrees with the rating of the appli-
cant small business concern, the appro-
priate official shall enter the agreed-upon 
past performance rating in the system de-
scribed in subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(ii) DISAGREEMENT ON RATING.—If 
the contracting officer (or designee) and 
the prime contractor fail to respond within 
30 days or if they disagree about the rat-
ing, or if either the contracting officer (or 
designee) or the prime contractor fail to 
respond and the responding individual dis-
agrees with the rating of the applicant 
small business concern, the contracting of-
ficer (or designee) or the prime contractor 
shall submit a notice contesting the appli-
cation to appropriate official. The appro-
priate official shall follow the requirements 
of subparagraph (D). 
‘‘(D) PROCEDURE FOR RATING.—Not later 
than 14 calendar days after receipt of a notice 
under subparagraph (C)(ii), the appropriate of-
ficial shall submit such notice to the applicant 
small business concern. Such concern may sub-
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mit comments, rebuttals, or additional informa-
tion relating to the past performance of such 
concern not later 14 calendar days after receipt 
of such notice. The appropriate official shall 
enter the into the system described in subpara-
graph (A) a rating that is neither favorable nor 
unfavorable along with the initial application 
from the small business concern, the responses 
of the contracting officer (or designee) and the 
prime contractor, and any additional informa-
tion provided by the small business concern. 
‘‘(E) USE
OF
INFORMATION.—A small 
business subcontractor may use a past perform-
ance rating given under this paragraph to es-
tablish its past performance for a prime con-
tract. 
‘‘(F) DURATION.—The pilot program es-
tablished under this paragraph shall terminate 
3 years after the date on which the first small 
business concern receives a past performance 
rating for performance as a first tier subcon-
tractor. 
‘‘(G) REPORT.—The Comptroller General 
of the United States shall begin an assessment 
of the pilot program 1 year after the establish-
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ment of such program. Not later than 6 months 
after beginning such assessment, the Comp-
troller General shall submit a report to the 
Committee on Small Business and Entrepre-
neurship of the Senate and the Committee on 
Small Business of the House of Representa-
tives, which shall include— 
‘‘(i) the number of small business con-
cerns that have received past performance 
ratings under the pilot program; 
‘‘(ii) the number of applications in 
which the contracting officer (or designee) 
or the prime contractor contested the ap-
plication of the small business concern; 
‘‘(iii) any suggestions or recommenda-
tions the Comptroller General or the small 
business concerns participating in the pro-
gram have to address disputes between the 
small business concern, the contracting of-
ficer (or designee), and the prime con-
tractor on past performance ratings; and 
‘‘(iv) any suggestions or recommenda-
tion the Comptroller General has to im-
prove the operation of the pilot program. 
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‘‘(H) APPROPRIATE OFFICIAL DEFINED.— 
In this paragraph, the term ‘appropriate offi-
cial’ means a Commercial Market Representa-
tive or other individual designated by the senior 
official appointed by the Administrator with re-
sponsibilities under sections 8, 15, 31, and 
36.’’. 
TITLE IV—MENTOR-PROTEGE 
PROGRAMS 
SEC. 401. AMENDMENTS TO THE MENTOR-PROTEGE PRO-
GRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. 
Section 831 of the National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 1991 (Public Law 101–510; 104 Stat. 
1607; 10 U.S.C. 2302 note) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (d)— 
(A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(1) prior to the approval of that agreement, 
the Administrator of the Small Business Administra-
tion had made no finding of affiliation between the 
mentor firm and the protege firm;’’; 
(B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 
paragraph (3); and 
(C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 
following new paragraph: 
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‘‘(2)(A) the Administrator of the Small Busi-
ness Administration does not have a current finding 
of affiliation between the mentor firm and protege 
firm; or 
‘‘(B) the Secretary, after considering the regu-
lations promulgated by the Administrator of the 
Small Business Administration regarding affili-
ation— 
‘‘(i) does not have reason to believe that 
the mentor firm affiliated with the protege firm; 
or 
‘‘(ii) has received a formal determination 
of no affiliation between the mentor firm and 
protege firm from the Administrator after hav-
ing submitted a question of affiliation to the 
Administrator; and’’; and 
(2) in subsection (n), by amending paragraph 
(9) to read as follows: 
‘‘(9) The term ‘affiliation’, with respect to a re-
lationship between a mentor firm and a protege 
firm, means a relationship described under section 
121.103 of title 13, Code of Federal Regulations (or 
any successor regulation).’’. 
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SEC. 402. IMPROVING COOPERATION BETWEEN THE MEN-
TOR-PROTEGE PROGRAMS OF THE SMALL 
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND THE DE-
PARTMENT OF DEFENSE. 
Section 45(b)(4) of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 657r(b)(4)) is amended by striking subparagraph 
(A) and redesignating subparagraphs (B) and (C) as sub-
paragraphs (A) and (B), respectively. 
TITLE V—MISCELLANEOUS 
SEC. 501. IMPROVING EDUCATION ON SMALL BUSINESS 
REGULATIONS. 
Section 15 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
644), as amended by section 204(c), is further amended 
by adding at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(u) REGULATORY CHANGES AND TRAINING MATE-
RIALS.—Not less than annually, the Administrator shall 
provide to the Defense Acquisition University (established 
under section 1746 of title 10, United States Code), the 
Federal Acquisition Institute (established under section 
1201 of title 41, United States Code), the individual re-
sponsible for mandatory training and education of the ac-
quisition workforce of each agency (described under sec-
tion 1703(f)(1)(C) of title 41, United States Code), small 
business development centers (as defined in section 21), 
and entities participating in the Procurement Technical 
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Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program under chapter 
142 of title 10, United States Code— 
‘‘(1) a list of all changes made in the prior year 
to regulations promulgated— 
‘‘(A) by the Administrator that affect Fed-
eral acquisition; and 
‘‘(B) by the Federal Acquisition Council 
that implement changes to this Act; and 
‘‘(2) any materials the Administrator has devel-
oped to explain, train, or assist Federal agencies or 
departments or small business concerns to comply 
with the regulations specified in paragraph (1).’’. 
SEC. 502. PROTECTING TASK ORDER COMPETITION. 
Section 4106(f) of title 41, United States Code, is 
amended by striking paragraph (3). 
SEC. 503. IMPROVEMENTS TO SIZE STANDARDS FOR SMALL 
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS. 
(a) AMENDMENT TO DEFINITION OF AGRICULTURAL 
ENTERPRISES.—Paragraph (1) of section 18(b) of the 
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 647(b)(1)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘businesses’’ and inserting ‘‘small business con-
cerns’’. 
(b) EQUAL TREATMENT OF SMALL FARMS.—Para-
graph (1) of section 3(a) of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 632(a)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘operation: Pro-
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vided,’’ and all that follows through the period at the end 
and inserting ‘‘operation.’’. 
(c) UPDATED SIZE STANDARDS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months 
after the date of enactment of this section, the Ad-
ministrator of the Small Business Administration 
shall, by rule, establish size standards in accordance 
with section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
632) for agricultural enterprises (as such term is de-
fined in section 18(b)(1) of such Act). 
(2) REVIEW.—Size standards established under 
subsection (a) are subject to the rolling review pro-
cedures established under section 1344(a) of the 
Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 (15 U.S.C. 632 
note). 
SEC. 504. UNIFORMITY IN SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN 
DEFINITIONS. 
(a) SMALL BUSINESS DEFINITION OF SMALL BUSI-
NESS CONCERN CONSOLIDATED.—Section 3(q) of the 
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632(q)) is amended— 
(1) by amending paragraph (2) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(2) SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN OWNED AND 
CONTROLLED
BY
SERVICE-DISABLED
VETERANS.— 
The term ‘small business concern owned and con-
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trolled by service-disabled veterans’ means any of 
the following: 
‘‘(A) A small business concern— 
‘‘(i) not less than 51 percent of which 
is owned by one or more service-disabled 
veterans or, in the case of any publicly 
owned business, not less than 51 percent 
of the stock (not including any stock 
owned by an ESOP) of which is owned by 
one or more service-disabled veterans; and 
‘‘(ii) the management and daily busi-
ness operations of which are controlled by 
one or more service-disabled veterans or, in 
the case of a veteran with permanent and 
severe disability, the spouse or permanent 
caregiver of such veteran. 
‘‘(B) A small business concern— 
‘‘(i) not less than 51 percent of which 
is owned by one or more service-disabled 
veterans with a disability that is rated by 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs as a per-
manent and total disability who are unable 
to manage the daily business operations of 
such concern; or 
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‘‘(ii) in the case of a publicly owned 
business, not less than 51 percent of the 
stock (not including any stock owned by an 
ESOP) of which is owned by one or more 
such veterans. 
‘‘(C)(i) During the time period described in 
clause (ii), a small business concern that was a 
small business concern described in subpara-
graph (A) or (B) immediately prior to the death 
of a service-disabled veteran who was the owner 
of the concern, the death of whom causes the 
concern to be less than 51 percent owned by 
one or more service-disabled veterans, if— 
‘‘(I) the surviving spouse of the de-
ceased veteran acquires such veteran’s 
ownership interest in such concern; 
‘‘(II) such veteran had a service-con-
nected disability (as defined in section 
101(16) of title 38, United States Code) 
rated as 100 percent disabling under the 
laws administered by the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs or such veteran died as a re-
sult of a service-connected disability; and 
‘‘(III) immediately prior to the death 
of such veteran, and during the period de-
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scribed in clause (ii), the small business 
concern is included in the database de-
scribed in section 8127(f) of title 38, 
United States Code. 
‘‘(ii) The time period described in this 
clause is the time period beginning on the date 
of the veteran’s death and ending on the earlier 
of— 
‘‘(I) the date on which the surviving 
spouse remarries; 
‘‘(II) the date on which the surviving 
spouse relinquishes an ownership interest 
in the small business concern; or 
‘‘(III) the date that is 10 years after 
the date of the death of the veteran.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraphs: 
‘‘(6) ESOP.—The term ‘ESOP’ has the mean-
ing given the term ‘employee stock ownership plan’ 
in section 4975(e)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code 
of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 4975(e)(7)). 
‘‘(7) SURVIVING SPOUSE.—The term ‘surviving 
spouse’ has the meaning given such term in section 
101(3) of title 38, United States Code.’’. 
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(b) VETERANS AFFAIRS DEFINITION
OF SMALL 
BUSINESS CONCERN CONSOLIDATED.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Section 8127 of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(A) by striking subsection (h) and redesig-
nating subsections (i) through (l) as subsections 
(h) through (k), respectively; and 
(B) in subsection (k), as so redesignated— 
(i) by amending paragraph (2) to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(2) The term ‘small business concern owned 
and controlled by veterans’ has the meaning given 
that term under section 3(q)(3) of the Small Busi-
ness Act (15 U.S.C. 632(q)(3)).’’; and 
(ii) by adding at the end the following 
new paragraph: 
‘‘(3) The term ‘small business concern owned 
and controlled by veterans with service-connected 
disabilities’ has the meaning given the term ‘small 
business concern owned and controlled by service- 
disabled veterans’ under section 3(q)(2) of the Small 
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632(q)(2)).’’. 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Such section 
is further amended— 
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(A) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘or a 
small business concern owned and controlled by 
veterans with service-connected disabilities’’ 
after ‘‘a small business concern owned and con-
trolled by veterans’’; 
(B) in subsection (c), by inserting ‘‘or a 
small business concern owned and controlled by 
veterans with service-connected disabilities’’ 
after ‘‘a small business concern owned and con-
trolled by veterans’’; 
(C) in subsection (d) by inserting ‘‘or small 
business concerns owned and controlled by vet-
erans with service-connected disabilities’’ after 
‘‘small business concerns owned and controlled 
by veterans’’ both places it appears; and 
(D) in subsection (f)(1), by inserting ‘‘, 
small business concerns owned and controlled 
by veterans with service-connected disabilities,’’ 
after ‘‘small business concerns owned and con-
trolled by veterans’’. 
(c) TECHNICAL CORRECTION.—Section 8(d)(3) of the 
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(3)), is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(H) In this contract, the term ‘small business 
concern owned and controlled by service-disabled 
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veterans’ has the meaning given that term in section 
3(q).’’. 
(d) REGULATIONS RELATING TO DATABASE OF THE 
SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.— 
(1) REQUIREMENT
TO
USE
CERTAIN
SMALL 
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS.—Section 
8127(f)(4) of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by striking ‘‘verified’’ and inserting 
‘‘verified, using regulations issued by the Adminis-
trator of the Small Business Administration with re-
spect to the status of the concern as a small busi-
ness concern and the ownership and control of such 
concern,’’. 
(2) PROHIBITION ON SECRETARY OF VETERANS 
AFFAIRS ISSUING CERTAIN REGULATIONS.—Section 
8127(f) of title 38, United States Code, is amended 
by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(7) The Secretary may not issue regulations related 
to the status of a concern as a small business concern and 
the ownership and control of such small business con-
cern.’’. 
(e) DELAYED EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments 
made by subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d) shall take effect 
on the date on which the Administrator of the Small Busi-
ness Administration and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
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jointly issue regulations implementing such sections. Such 
date shall be not later than 18 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act. 
(f) APPEALS OF INCLUSION IN DATABASE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 8127(f) of title 38, 
United States Code, as amended by section 3, is fur-
ther amended by adding at the end the following 
new paragraph: 
‘‘(8)(A) If the Secretary does not verify a concern for 
inclusion in the database under this subsection based on 
the status of the concern as a small business concern or 
the ownership or control of the concern, the concern may 
appeal the denial of verification to the Office of Hearings 
and Appeals of the Small Business Administration (as es-
tablished under part 134 of title 13, Code of Federal Reg-
ulations, or any successor administrative appellate entity 
created with the Small Business Administration). The de-
cision of the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall be con-
sidered a final agency action. 
‘‘(B)(i) If an interested party challenges the inclusion 
in the database of a small business concern owned and 
controlled by veterans or a small business concern owned 
and controlled by veterans with service-connected disabil-
ities based on the status of the concern as a small business 
concern or the ownership or control of the concern, the 
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challenge shall be heard by the Office of Hearings and 
Appeals of the Small Business Administration as de-
scribed in subparagraph (A). The decision of the Office 
of Hearings and Appeals shall be considered final agency 
action. 
‘‘(ii) In this subparagraph, the term ‘interested party’ 
means— 
‘‘(I) the Secretary; and 
‘‘(II) in the case of a small business concern 
that is awarded a contract, the contracting officer of 
the Department or another small business concern 
that submitted an offer for the contract that was 
awarded to the small business concern that sub-
mitted an offer under clause (i). 
‘‘(C) For each fiscal year, the Secretary shall reim-
burse the Administrator of the Small Business Adminis-
tration in an amount necessary to cover any cost incurred 
by the Office of Hearings and Appeals of the Small Busi-
ness Administration for actions taken by the Office under 
this paragraph. The amount of any such reimbursement 
shall be determined jointly by the Secretary and the Ad-
ministrator and shall be provided from fees collected by 
the Secretary under multiple-award schedule contracts. 
Any disagreement about the amount shall be resolved by 
the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.’’. 
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(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Paragraph (8) of sub-
section (f) of title 38, United States Code, as added 
by paragraph (1), shall apply with respect to a 
verification decision made by the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs on or after the date of the enactment 
of this Act. 
SEC. 505. GAO REVIEW OF THE OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT 
CONTRACTING 
AND 
BUSINESS 
DEVELOP-
MENT OF THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRA-
TION. 
(a) STUDY.—Not later than 60 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of 
the United States shall initiate a review of the Office of 
Government Contracting and Business Development of the 
Small Business Administration. Such review shall exam-
ine— 
(1) the extent to which the personnel of the 
Small Business Administration who carry out pro-
curement and business development programs report 
to the Office of Government Contracting and Busi-
ness Development; 
(2) whether greater efficiency and consistency 
in the certification process of procurement and busi-
ness development programs could be achieved by cre-
ating a single organizational unit of employees to 
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process all certifications required by procurement 
and business development programs; 
(3) whether greater efficiency and efficacy in 
the performance of procurement and business devel-
opment programs could be achieved by improving 
the alignment of the field personnel assigned to such 
programs; 
(4) how the Office of Government Contracting 
and Business Development could improve its staffing 
of regulatory drafting functions and its coordination 
with the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council to 
ensure timely rulemaking by the Small Business Ad-
ministration; and 
(5) any other areas in which the Comptroller 
General determines that the Small Business Admin-
istration could improve its performance with respect 
to procurement and business development programs. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after initiating 
the review required by paragraph (1), the Comptroller 
General shall submit a report including the results of the 
review, along with any recommendations for improvements 
or other suggestions with respect to procurement and busi-
ness development programs, to the Committee on Small 
Business of the House of Representatives and the Com-
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mittee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the 
Senate. 
(c) PROCUREMENT AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 
PROGRAM DEFINED.—In this Act, the term ‘‘procurement 
and business development program’’ means a program re-
lated to procurement or business development established 
under section 7, 8, 15, 31, 36, 44, 45, or 46 of the Small 
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.). 
Æ 
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