I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4474 
To enhance the section 8(a) program of the Small Business Act. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 8, 2005 
Mr. BARROW (for himself, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. 
EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. DAVIS of Alabama, Mr. CLAY, 
Mr. SCOTT of Georgia, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. 
OWENS, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. WYNN, Ms. 
KILPATRICK of Michigan, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mr. CONYERS, Ms. 
MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Mr. CASE, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. CORRINE 
BROWN of Florida, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. FORD, Mr. 
CUMMINGS, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. 
BUTTERFIELD, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, Ms. LEE, Ms. BEAN, Mr. 
MICHAUD, Mr. LIPINSKI, Ms. MCKINNEY, and Ms. LINDA T. SA´NCHEZ 
of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Small Business 
A BILL 
To enhance the section 8(a) program of the Small Business 
Act. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Minority-Owned Venture Empowerment Act of 2005’’.
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings. 
TITLE I—PRE-8(A) PHASE 
Sec. 101. Purpose. 
Sec. 102. Technical assistance program. 
TITLE II—MODIFICATIONS TO 8(A) PROGRAM 
Sec. 201. Purpose. 
Sec. 202. Administration of section 8(a) program. 
TITLE III—POST-8(A) ASSISTANCE 
Sec. 1. Purpose. 
Sec. 2. Retention of status after completion of 8(a) program. 
Sec. 3. Restricted competition for small businesses owned and controlled by so-
cially and economically disadvantaged individuals. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Minority-owned businesses play a vital role 
in shaping the Nation’s economy, having an impact 
in communities across the country, generating 
$700,000,000 in revenue, and employing nearly 
5,000,000 people. 
(2) Businesses owned by minorities have a 
rapid growth rate, as much as 8.5 percent annually, 
which is three times higher than the average for 
United States firms, and minority owned firms rep-
resent 15 percent of all United States businesses. 
(3) Despite the phenomenal growth of minority 
entrepreneurship, it lags behind mainstream busi-
nesses, facing numerous barriers and obstacles.
(4) While the purchasing power of the Federal 
Government is an effective way to expand entrepre-
neurship, minority business owners continue to have 
limited opportunities to break into the Federal mar-
ketplace, largely due to several factors including a 
lack of credit, denial of contracts, and unequal treat-
ment by large contractors. 
(5) The section 8(a) program of the Small 
Business Administration acts as an important cata-
lyst for helping minority entrepreneurs overcome 
these barriers and aiding in their overall growth and 
development. 
(6) From its inception, the program has been 
responsible for the growth of more than 20,000 com-
panies in every State across the Nation, including 
the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin 
Islands, which have received over $100 billion in 
government contracts and are currently employing 
more than 200,000 people. 
(7) In the nearly 20 years since the last com-
prehensive modernization of the 8(a) program, the 
Federal marketplace has changed significantly. 
(8) The changes in the buying strategies of 
Federal agencies have cost minority entrepreneurs 
billions of dollars in lost contracting opportunities,
and last year alone the section 8(a) program suf-
fered a record loss of $2,400,000,000, a drop of one- 
fifth in the program level leaving a significant num-
ber of minority business owners locked out of the 
Federal marketplace. 
(9) The section 8(a) program, which bridges the 
entrepreneurial divide, is important to minority busi-
ness development, and to operate at its fullest poten-
tial, it must be supported by agency heads, modern-
ized by Congress on a regular basis, and adequately 
funded. 
TITLE I—PRE-8(a) PHASE 
SEC. 101. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this title is as follows: 
(1) To establish a developmental training initia-
tive to provide small business concerns with the 
technical assistance necessary to navigate the Fed-
eral marketplace. 
(2) To ensure that owners of small business 
concerns are adequately prepared to perform con-
tracts upon entrance into the Federal marketplace. 
SEC. 102. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator of the 
Small Business Administration shall establish a program 
to be know as the ‘‘Pre-8(a) Program’’ (in this section
referred to as the ‘‘Program’’) to provide technical assist-
ance to small business concerns with respect to the receipt 
and performance of Federal procurement contracts. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 
(1) OWNERSHIP AND NET WORTH.—To be eligi-
ble to participate in the Program under this section, 
a small business concern shall— 
(A) be owned and controlled by one or 
more socially and economically disadvantaged 
individual; and 
(B) have a net worth that does not exceed 
the maximum level specified pursuant to sub-
section (g). 
(2) APPLICATION.—To participate in the Pro-
gram under this section, a small business concern 
shall submit an application describing the ownership, 
control, and social and economic disadvantage of the 
small business concern. 
(3) NONAPPLICABILITY OF OTHER FACTORS.— 
In approving a small business concern for participa-
tion in the Program, the Administrator shall not 
consider the following factors: 
(A) The length of time for which the small 
business concern has been in business in its pri-
mary industry classification.