119-hr1586

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1586 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 1586

 To establish requirements relating to certification of small business 
 concerns owned and controlled by women for certain purposes, and for 
 other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 February 25, 2025

 Ms. Velazquez (for herself and Mr. LaLota) introduced the following 
 bill; which was referred to the Committee on Small Business

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To establish requirements relating to certification of small business 
 concerns owned and controlled by women for certain purposes, and for 
 other purposes.

 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 ``WOSB Certification Expansion and 
Opportunity Act''.

SEC. 2. EXCLUSION OF SELF-CERTIFIED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS OWNED AND 
 CONTROLLED BY WOMEN FROM GOALS.

    (a) Exclusion of Self-Certified WOSBs From Governmentwide and 
Agency Goals.--

    (1) In general.--

Section 15

    (g) of the Small Business Act 
 (15 U.S.C. 644

    (g) ) is amended by adding at the end the 
 following new paragraph:
 ``

    (4) Exclusion of self-certified wosbs from goals.--Only 
 small business concerns owned and controlled by women that have 
 been certified under 

section 8
            (m) (2)
        (E) shall be included in 
 calculating the goals established--
 ``
        (A) under paragraph

    (1)
        (A)
            (v) ; and
 ``
        (B) by the head of a Federal agency for small 
 business concerns owned and controlled by women under 
 paragraph

    (2) .''.

    (2) Effective date.--The amendments made by paragraph

    (1) shall take effect on the first day after the end of the second 
 fiscal year beginning after the Administrator issues the 
 regulations required under subsection

    (b)

    (2) .

    (b) Requirements Relating to Self-Certified WOSBs.--

    (1) Inclusion of certain self-certified wosbs in goals.--
        (A) In general.--Notwithstanding any other 
 provision of law, a small business concern described in 
 subparagraph
        (B) shall be deemed to have been certified 
 by the Administrator or a national certifying entity 
 approved by the Administrator under 

section 8
            (m) of the 
 Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637
            (m) ) as a small 
 business concern owned and controlled by women under 
 paragraph

    (2)
        (E) of such section (15 U.S.C. 
 637
            (m) (2)
        (E) ) for the purposes of calculating the goals 
 described in paragraph

    (4) of 

section 15

    (g) of the such 
 Act (as added by subsection

    (a) of this Act) until the 
 Administrator or such a national certifying entity make 
 a determination with respect to the certification of 
 such concern.
        (B) Small business concerns described.--A small 
 business concern described in this subparagraph is a 
 small business concern--
            (i) that is self-certified as a small 
 business concern owned and controlled by women 
 as of the date on which the amendments made by 
 subsection

    (a) take effect;
            (ii) that files a certification application 
 with the Administrator or a national certifying 
 entity approved by the Administrator under 
 

section 8
            (m) of the Small Business Act (15 
 U.S.C. 637
            (m) ) prior to such date; and
            (iii) for which the Administrator or such a 
 national certifying entity does not make a 
 determination prior to such date regarding 
 certification pursuant to such certification 
 application.

    (2) Rulemaking.--Not later than one year after the date of 
 the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall issue 
 regulations carrying out this section.
            (c) Quarterly Briefings Required.--Not later than 60 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act and on a quarterly basis thereafter 
until the date specified in subsection

    (b) , the Administrator shall 
provide to the Committee on Small Business of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee Small Business and Entrepreneurship 
of the Senate a briefing on the implementation of the requirements of 
this section. Such briefings shall include--

    (1) the total number of small business concerns expected to 
 seek certification as a small business concern owned and 
 controlled by women;

    (2) the number of applications for certification pending 
 with the Administrator or a national certifying entity approved 
 by the Administrator under 

section 8
            (m) of the Small Business 
 Act during the period covered by the briefing;

    (3) the total number of applications approved by the 
 Administrator or such a national certifying entity since the 
 date of the enactment of this Act;

    (4) the timelines associated with processing such 
 applications by the Administrator or such a national certifying 
 entity between submission and approval;

    (5) the administrative costs to the Administration to make 
 determinations on such applications and the estimated cost to 
 such applicant to seek certification from a national certifying 
 entity;

    (6) a discussion of the Administrator's current and future 
 outreach efforts to small business concerns owned and 
 controlled by women and to Federal agencies on the requirements 
 of this Act; and

    (7) recommendations for additional legislative authority or 
 resources required to fully implement the requirements of this 
 Act.
            (d) === Definitions. ===
-In this section:

    (1) Administration.--The term ``Administration'' means the 
 Small Business Administration.

    (2) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
 Administrator of the Small Business Administration.

    (3) Small business concern.--The term ``small business 
 concern'' has the meaning given under 

section 3 of the Small 
 Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632).

    (4) Small business concern owned and controlled by women.--
 The term ``small business concern owned and controlled by 
 women'' has the meaning given the term in 

section 8
            (m) of the 
 Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637
            (m) ).

    (e) Compliance With CUTGO.--No additional amounts are authorized to 
be appropriated to carry out this Act or the amendments made by this 
Act.
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