Roger Williams

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 825, the Assisting Small Businesses Not Fraudsters Act. Mr. Speaker, SBA financial assistance programs are critical to entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, fraudsters infiltrated pandemic-era loans at an alarming rate. An estimated $200 billion was stolen from honest, hardworking small businesses who needed help when they were forced to close their doors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The harm these fraudsters caused small businesses is devastating to see. My bill creates accountability and ensures fraudsters are banned from receiving SBA resources for the rest of their lives. As chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, it is my duty to support America's small businesses, not fraudsters. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support prioritizing honest, hardworking entrepreneurs over those who defrauded the government, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this important legislation will hold these fraudsters accountable, and I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in full support of H.R. 818, the SPUR Act, led by my colleagues Representatives Stauber, Cisneros, and Perez. The SPUR Act is crucial in assessing the Federal Government's progress in bringing in new companies and expanding the industrial base. Understanding the number of new small businesses engaged in government contracting will highlight the concerning decline in industrial base participation and track agencies' progress on rebuilding it. Small businesses are an essential component of the United States industrial base. Despite their importance, over the last few decades, small businesses have been squeezed out of the industrial base at an alarming rate, with nearly half of the businesses leaving over the past 10 years. This threatens America's economic interests and strategic readiness, which must be remedied. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote for H.R. 818, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 818) to amend the Small Business Act to include requirements relating to new small business entrants in the scorecard program, and for other purposes.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber).

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 832) to clarify the primary functions and duties of the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 832, better known as the Small Business Advocacy Improvements Act. I thank my colleagues, Representatives Van Drew, Tran, and Goodlander, for joining me in support of this critical legislation. By design, the SBA Office of Advocacy acts as the independent voice representing the views and interests of all small businesses within the Federal Government. This means calling attention to harmful regulations and inefficient rules preventing small businesses from competing for government contracts. This legislation would clarify the functions and duties of the SBA Office of Advocacy when advocating for small businesses on the world stage, specifically when regulatory international trade initiatives are being developed. Small business voices can easily be drowned out during these important conversations. This legislation fixes that problem by ensuring the views of Main Street are represented and heard before foreign governments and international entities. My hope this Congress is that we can continue to look for bipartisan ways to make the SBA Office of Advocacy more effective in helping our American small businesses. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 788) to provide for Department of Energy and Small Business Administration joint research and development activities, and for other purposes.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 788, the DOE and SBA Research Act, led by my colleagues, Representatives LaLota, Morrison, and Thanedar. This legislation would require the SBA and DOE to enter a memorandum of understanding to help unify and streamline research efforts between the national labs and American small businesses. Currently, the 17 national laboratories across the United States provide the government with some of its most cutting-edge research. At the same time, our Nation's small businesses contribute extensively to public and private sector research and development efforts. Aligning research efforts between the DOE and the SBA would increase the efficiency of the national labs and better integrate small business innovation into government research. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to join me in voting for H.R. 788, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaLota).