STEVE KNIGHT: “I thank my chairman for his support on this and many other issues that we see in our Small Business Committee. Mr.…”

“I thank my chairman for his support on this and many other issues that we see in our Small Business Committee. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6330, the Small Business Runway Extension Act of 2018. This bill is simple. It is commonsense. It is a measure designed to promote the sustainability, growth, and development of small Federal contractors into the open marketplace. Under existing law, the Small Business Administration calculates the size of a company by taking the average of the past 3 years of gross receipts. A company's average must be within established industry parameters set by the SBA in order to be considered a small business and be eligible to receive access to SBA's small business programs, resources, and assistance. My bill is very simple. It extends that time period out to 5 years. This additional time allows all small businesses an opportunity to mature before graduating out of the SBA's small business programs. Over the course of this Congress, we have conducted hearings, held roundtables, and heard stories of the overwhelming mid-market challenges forcing many successful small contractors to close their doors or stall their growth. Prospects for a newly graduated firm successfully integrating into the open marketplace are rapidly declining due to the widening gap between small and large contractors.…”