Pass H.R. 7217 SBIR Administrative Funding Act

H.R. 7217 SBIR Administrative Funding Act I’m writing on behalf of my strong support of the SBIR/STTR program. Please work with Congressman Latimer to pass this act. It is essential to our National Security. We must keep our military up to date with innovative technology to take into battle. Congress should move to reauthorize this program as soon as possible as it has been lapsed since the end of September 2025, causing untimely disruptions to small technology firms and to the economy, and the U.S. Governmental agencies that benefit from the technologies developed within the program. Recently, at the request of Congress, the National Academics of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine prepared a report on SBIR/STTR titled “Review of the SBIR and STTR Programs at the Department of Defense,” as I’m sure you’re aware. This thorough look into SBIR/STTR found that “SBIR/STTR firms bring distinct capabilities to advance the U.S. defense innovation system.” The report states, through recommendation 7-1, “Congress should make the SBIR/STTR program permanent,” a recommendation that I firmly agree with. The Navy directly contracts with small businesses to provide coaching to eligible Phase II SBIR/STTR awardees Without SBIR, many more people would be without a job. I understand, in the past, experienced firms (firms that receive more than 50 Phase I awards over a five-year period or more than 50 Phase II awards over a ten-year period) have fallen under scrutiny, but the findings within “Review of the SBIR and STTR Programs at the Department of Defense” report experienced firms have a positive impact — Finding 9-2 states, “DoD SBIR/STTR firms with more than 50 Phase I awards over a 10-year period are more likely to contribute capability and expertise to the defense supply chain and innovation ecosystem than are firms that receive fewer awards.” I hope these will help clarify a swift need to reauthorize SBIR.