Chairman Williams Pens Letter to SBA on Court Order Concerning 8(a) Business Development Program

Summary

On December 1, 2023, Chairman Roger Williams of the House Committee on Small Business wrote to Administrator Guzman of the Small Business Administration (SBA) about the SBA’s implementation of a recent court order on narrative reviews within the SBA’s 8(a) business development program. The quoted letter says that on July 19, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee enjoined the SBA’s use of a rebuttable presumption of social disadvantage, and that the District Court found this violated the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause. It adds that the SBA now requires 8(a) applicants and participants to provide a narrative, and created a task force to review the narratives.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Full text

Chairman Williams Pens Letter to SBA Regarding Implementation of Court Order Concerning the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program
Source(print): https://smallbusiness.house.gov/news/documentprint.aspx?DocumentID=405809

Chairman Williams Pens Letter to SBA Regarding Implementation of Court Order Concerning the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program 

 smallbusiness.house.gov 

 Cmte Small Business (R) 

 Contact: 

 Chairman Williams Pens Letter to SBA Regarding Implementation of Court Order Concerning the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program 

 Washington ,
 December 1, 2023 
 -

 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Roger Williams (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, wrote to Administrator Guzman of the Small Business Administration (SBA) regarding the agency’s implementation of the recent court order related to narrative reviews within the SBA’s 8(a) business development program. 
 Read the full letter here . 
 Read excerpts from the letter below: 
 “The Committee on Small Business (the Committee) is investigating the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) implementation of the recent court order related to narrative reviews within the SBA’s 8(a) business development program (8(a)). The 8(a) program provides participants with training, technical assistance, and contracting opportunities but is generally limited to small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Considering the updated requirements under the court order have a significant impact on how the SBA administers this program, the Committee seeks information on the SBA’s compliance with the expanded program obligations. 
 “On July 19, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee enjoined the SBA’s use of its “rebuttable presumption” of the social disadvantage designation for eligibility in the 8(a) program. Prior to the District Court’s ruling, the SBA presumed individuals who are members of certain racial and ethnic groups to be socially disadvantaged, thus meeting a key criteria to enter into the 8(a) program. The District Court found this violated the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause. In light of this ruling, the SBA now requires 8(a) applicants and participants to provide a narrative detailing an individual’s assertion of social disadvantaged status, unless they previously provided a narrative to the SBA. The SBA created a task force to help review the increased volume of narratives. While SBA acknowledges these individuals have received three trainings, it is imperative to ensure that reviews are being done in accordance with 13 C.F.R. § 124.103(c) and other relevant statutes.” 
 ###

File and source

File

405809_2023-12-01_chairman-williams-pens-letter-to-sba-regarding-imp.txt

Size

2,734 bytes

SHA-256

74ba4d6edf96377e1e29c75467e8178c684bdd262af6d32a3e82122838a6e9f3

Our copy

405809_2023-12-01_chairman-williams-pens-letter-to-sba-regarding-imp.txt

Original

No public link identified.