Nydia M. Velazquez: “Again, I appreciate the great work of my colleagues on this bill, and I yield myself the balance of my time. I will…”

“Again, I appreciate the great work of my colleagues on this bill, and I yield myself the balance of my time. I will close by noting that 3 weeks ago, the committee held a hearing on small business size standards and contracting policies and the barriers they can pose to growth. As we discussed, the Federal Government needs to both recruit and retain small business government contractors. We are seeing that retaining small firms, like those in the 8(a) program, is a necessity for the health of the industrial base. This bill will contribute to the retention of growing small businesses. It is a productive step designed to ensure that minority businessowners can succeed, thrive, and grow in the Federal marketplace and beyond. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.”