Oversight and Transparency for Small Business Certifications Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- H.R. 8879
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Commerce
- Status
- Passed House
- Latest Action
- 2026-06-24: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
- Last Updated
- 2026-07-02T20:56:41Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose This legislation amends the Small Business Act to mandate annual reporting on small business participation in certain federal contracting programs. The goal is to improve oversight and transparency regarding certifications for small businesses seeking government contracts.
Key Provisions
- Requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator to submit a detailed report each year alongside the President's budget submission to Congress.
- The report must cover participation in covered contracting programs, which include:
- Section 8(a) (business development program for socially and economically disadvantaged businesses).
- Section 8(m) (women-owned small business program).
- Section 31 (HUBZone program for historically underutilized business zones).
- Section 36 (service-disabled veteran-owned small business program).
- Specific data elements include: total certified small businesses; application volumes and outcomes (certified, denied, pending); multi-program certifications; use of a unified application platform; processing timeframes for first-time and recertification applications; and breakdowns for women-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned certifications.
- Requires disaggregation of data by program, applicant type, and processing speed relative to SBA-established timeframes.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Replaces the prior, less detailed version of Section 10(c) in the Small Business Act with expanded reporting requirements focused exclusively on certification processes and outcomes.
- Introduces new metrics on application sufficiency, multi-program participation, platform usage, and average processing times, which were not previously mandated in this section.
Potential Impacts
- Increases administrative workload for the SBA in compiling and submitting comprehensive data.
- Provides Congress and the public with more granular information on certification efficiency and program access.
- May influence future policy decisions on small business contracting by highlighting trends in approvals, denials, and processing delays.
- Limited direct effects on international relations or broad citizen rights, but could affect how federal agencies award contracts to certified small businesses.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Small business concerns seeking certification in the listed programs.
- The SBA, responsible for certifications and reporting.
- Congress, as the recipient of the annual reports.
- Federal agencies that use these programs for contract awards.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- The bill operates entirely within existing statutory authority under the Small Business Act and does not alter constitutional allocations of power.
- It emphasizes data transparency without creating new enforcement mechanisms or penalties.
- Politically, it reinforces congressional oversight of federal small business programs without introducing partisan-specific language.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Olszewski, Johnny [D-MD-2]
Cosponsors (1)
Recent Actions
- 2026-06-24: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
- 2026-06-23: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- 2026-06-23: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4145-4146)
- 2026-06-23: Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- 2026-06-23: DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 8879.
- 2026-06-23: Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H4145-4146)
- 2026-06-23: Mr. Williams (TX) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- 2026-06-03: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 593.
- 2026-06-03: Reported by the Committee on Small Business. H. Rept. 119-680.
- 2026-06-03: Reported by the Committee on Small Business. H. Rept. 119-680.
- 2026-05-20: Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 23 - 0.
- 2026-05-20: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- 2026-05-19: Referred to the House Committee on Small Business.
- 2026-05-19: Introduced in House
- 2026-05-19: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Oversight and Transparency for Small Business Certifications Act of 2026 — issued 2026-06-23 — PDF (10 pages)
- Oversight and Transparency for Small Business Certifications Act of 2026 — issued 2026-05-19 — PDF (8 pages)
- Oversight and Transparency for Small Business Certifications Act of 2026 — issued 2026-06-24 — PDF (9 pages)
- Oversight and Transparency for Small Business Certifications Act of 2026 — issued 2026-06-03 — PDF (10 pages)