Rep. Cisneros’s Bill to Support New Small Businesses Passes House

Washington, DC – Congressman Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr.’s bipartisan legislation, the Small Business Procurement and Utilization Reform (SPUR) Act passed the House and now heads to the Senate. The SPUR Act would help small businesses compete for federal contracts by requiring the Small Business Administration (SBA) to consider the number of small businesses that secure a first-time federal prime contract when evaluating a federal agency on its contracting scorecard. A contracting scorecard is a ranking system that evaluates each agency’s efforts in meeting goals for awarding contracts to small businesses. Rep. Cisneros provided remarks on the House floor ahead of the vote. 

“Small business owners, and entrepreneurs take a chance when they start their ventures, so it is only right that the federal government do what it can to provide them with a greater opportunity to succeed,” said Rep. Cisneros. “The SPUR Act will help ensure more small businesses, like those in the San Gabriel Valley, can fairly compete for federal contracts. There are several HUBZones in my district including in El Monte, Covina, Azusa, and La Puente, and many more small businesses owned by women and people of color. They’ve worked just as hard as other small business owners to realize their dreams and they deserve to play on the same level playing field as other businesses that have experience navigating the federal bureaucracy.” 

Specifically, the SPUR Act would require federal agencies to examine and track the following data: 

Rep. Cisneros introduced the SPUR Act alongside Republican Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) and Democratic Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03). Rep. Cisneros serves on the House Committee on Small Business and is the Ranking Member on its Contracting and Infrastructure Subcommittee.  

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