Kay Bailey Hutchison: “today, I rise to speak to an amendment I believe addresses three underlying issues in S. 493, the Small Business…”

“today, I rise to speak to an amendment I believe addresses three underlying issues in S. 493, the Small Business Innovation Research Program, SBIR, and the Small Business Technology Transfer Program, STTR, Reauthorization Act. First, this amendment reduces the reauthorization of these programs from 8 years down to 3 years. This reauthorization bill, S. 493, makes substantial changes to the SBIR and STTR programs, and it is important for the reauthorization timeline to reflect that. The changes could dramatically improve the program, but in case there are additional changes that need to be to ensure they remain successful and effective, it is in the best interest of the participating agencies and the participants in the programs that there is an opportunity to make adjustments after a few years. Second, my amendment strikes the mandatory increase agencies must set aside from their budgets to fund both the SBIR and STTR programs. Currently, these programs are funded through the participating agencies setting aside 2.5 percent of their total research budgets for the SBIR program and 0.3 percent for the STTR program. S. 493 would require this set aside be increased to 3.5 percent and 0.6 percent over a period of time for the SBIR and STTR programs, respectively. In this current budget environment, when all agency budgets are feeling the pinch, increasing this mandatory set aside will mean fewer dollars are available for other research.…”