Dan Quayle: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in support of the rule and the conference report of the National Defense…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in support of the rule and the conference report of the National Defense Authorization Act. The NDAA includes a long-term reauthorization of the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. I was proud to serve as a conferee for this important bill. SBIR was originally signed into law by President Reagan and has been an effective tool supporting innovation among our small business community for nearly 30 years. Since its inception, this competitive grant program has enabled more than 100,000 research and development projects across the Nation and has helped spawn familiar companies such as Qualcomm, Sonicare, and Symantec. Although this reauthorization of these programs isn't perfect, it improves them in a number of ways. It opens up the program for more small companies to participate. It increases the emphasis on commercialization of new technologies. Finally, it significantly strengthens the data collection and oversight requirements of the programs. In my hometown of Phoenix, we have a thriving tech community. By passing today's bill and providing long-term reauthorization, we will provide our small businesses the certainty they need to continue to innovate and grow and create jobs. I would like to thank Chairman Hall and Chairman Graves for all of their work in ushering through this agreement.”