Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in favor of my bill, the Small Business Procurement and Utilization Reform Act of 2024, also known as the SPUR Act. Madam Speaker, I also thank my friend and colleague from Washington (Ms. Perez) for her support on this important legislation. Small businesses across the United States have a problem. Despite government agencies setting aside contract opportunities for small businesses, participation in Federal contracting has plummeted by 50 percent over just the past decade. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They are the innovators, the job creators, and the driving force behind economic growth. In Minnesota, small businesses account for over 99 percent of all businesses and employ over half of the workforce. It is no exaggeration to say that the success of our economy is tied to the success of our small businesses. The Federal Government is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world, and there is no better way for the government to support small businesses than to ensure they have every opportunity to contract with it. The scorecard system, which is used to determine if the government is doing a good job contracting with small businesses, needs improvement. Agencies are graded on the total number and value of small business contracts, yet they do not factor in small businesses who won a Federal contract for the first time.…”