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CIVIC HERALD
HR 788 · 119th Congress · HouseIn committee

DOE and SBA Research Act

In plain language: This bill directs the Department of Energy and the Small Business Administration to partner on joint research and development initiatives, requiring them to include small businesses in these projects. The agencies can share resources and work with other federal offices while applying federal research security rules to safeguard sensitive technology. No new taxpayer money is authorized for the program, meaning the agencies must cover all collaborative work using their existing budgets and submit a progress report to Congress within two years.

Provisional: our plain-language summary, pending review.

Provisionalunreviewed: impact, provisions, stakeholders, summary
People affectedThe text directs the inclusion of small business concerns 'as appropriate' but does not specify or quantify the number of participating entities or individuals.
Fiscal magnitudeSection 3 explicitly states that no additional amounts are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the Act.
Reach16provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
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Issues

What this bill touches.

Public R&D+15Role of government+12

The sign shows the bill's direction on each issue (+ toward, − away); the number is its magnitude. Color never encodes good or bad, and never party.

Who it affects

Who it helps · who it burdens.

Who it helps

  • small business concernsSection 2(c) directs the Department of Energy and the Small Business Administration to ensure small businesses are included, where appropriate, in collaborative federal research and development initiatives.provisional

Who it burdens

  • Department of Energy and Small Business AdministrationSection 2 requires both agencies to negotiate joint research agreements, integrate small businesses, follow federal research security standards, and report to Congress within two years, all using existing resources because Section 3 prohibits new funding.provisional

Dollar-level funding (FEC sector totals) is coming in a later phase.

What it does

The provisions, in plain language.

  1. Directs the Department of Energy and the Small Business Administration to enter into an agreement to carry out joint research and development projects supporting both agencies' missions.

    Sec. 2(a)provisional
  2. Requires the agencies to include small businesses in their joint research and development activities when appropriate.

    Sec. 2(c)provisional
  3. Prohibits authorizing any additional federal funding to carry out the Act.

    Sec. 3provisional

How your members of Congress line up

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Timeline

How it moved.

  1. Feb 26, 2025Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  2. Feb 25, 2025Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  3. Feb 25, 2025On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 427 - 3 (Roll no. 48). (text: 2/24/2025 CR H742)
  4. Feb 25, 2025Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 427 - 3 (Roll no. 48). (text: 2/24/2025 CR H742)
  5. Jan 28, 2025Introduced in House
  6. Jan 28, 2025Introduced in House

The original text

Read it for yourself.

Sources & provenance

Congress.govrefreshed 9 days ago

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