 SBIR Insider Newsletter Urgent Update December 22, 2010 8:00am
I've never approached you like this before, (and I hope never again) but if you want SBIR/STTR/CPP to be reauthorized, you have to act now! Not later today, but now! I'll give you the alternative scenario at the end of this dispatch. What Just Happened: The Senate just passed the SBIR Bill S.4053 (yes that's a new number due to a technicality but it's the same legislation) and there is a very short time window for you to reach out to your Congressional Representative (at their DC office) to have this bill passed. If they do so, the President will sign it and you'll have a stable 8 year reauthorization! What You Should Do: Ask for the Representative's Legislative Assistant (preferably on small business issues) and ask them to urge Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer to take up and pass S.4053, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) bill before the close of this session of congress. How You Can Do It: The easiest way for most of you to do this, is to call the House switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and give them your zip code, and they will connect you to your Representative's DC office. If you know your representative's DC number, you can simply call them directly. Why Now? Unprecedented in SBIR history is the fact that this bill has the support of: Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), Small Business Technology Council (SBTC), U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Small Business Association (NSBA), National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), and many more state and regional entities such as Small Business California, and New England Innovation Alliance. This level of support has never happened in the past and is not a likely scenario for next year. What If Reauthorization Doesn't Happen In This Congress? If reauthorization doesn't happen now, at the close of this Congress (any hour now), all pending legislation (bills) that have not been passed go away, and everything starts from scratch on January 4, 2011 when the 112th Congress is installed. Then we have around 20 legislative days before the entire SBIR program ends on January 31, 2011 when the continuing resolution (CR) expires. It is possible that a new CR may be created for SBIR next year, but you know how many high profile items this new congress will face immediately. It is not imaginable that an SBIR reauthorization could take place early in the next congress (if at all). The amount of work to get this through the Senate was nothing short of phenomenal, and it will take an equal effort to do the same in the House. Remember, (202) 224-3121 and give them your zip code, and they will connect you to your Representative's DC office. Best of luck to all of you.
Sincerely,
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