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 Com-
mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To require certain recipients of funds for disadvantaged busi-
ness enterprises to provide an analysis of efforts to ex-
pand opportunities available to disadvantaged business 
enterprises to participate in the DBE program. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Expanding Opportuni-
ties for Diverse Entrepreneurs Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE OUT-
REACH EFFORTS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Each recipient of financial 
assistance provided by the Department of Transportation 
that is required to implement a DBE program that con-
forms to the requirements of part 23 and 26 of title 49, 
Code of Federal Regulations, shall direct the disadvan-
taged business enterprise liaison officer, or the individual 
responsible for implementing the requirements of the 
DBE program, to carry out the duties described in sub-
section (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 avail-
able 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 trans-
portation contracts and procurement activities, includ-
ing— 
(1) minimum outreach, training, workshops, 
and education efforts, including business develop-
ment programs, courses, conferences, networking 
events, marketing to publicize a DBE program; and 
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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 en-
terprise liaison officers, or the individual responsible for 
implementing the requirements of a DBE program, to— 
(1) collect the information required under sec-
tion 2(b)(2) and submit such information to the ap-
propriate 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 De-
partment of Transportation pursuant to section 
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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 min-
imum, the percentage and dollar amount of 
Federal funds paid to small business concerns 
owned and controlled by socially and economi-
cally disadvantaged individuals in the prior fis-
cal 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—commit-
ments 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 pro-
gram’’ means the disadvantaged business enterprise 
program that is carried out by— 
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(A) with respect to the Federal Highway 
Administration, any recipient or subrecipient of 
DOT funds that awards prime contracts exceed-
ing 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 con-
tracts 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). 
Æ 
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