Recently, Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, a member of the Senate Small Business Committee, announced two bills that would potentially impact how participation goals for Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Contractors (SDVOSBs) in federal contracting are calculated. 

The two bills introduced by Ernst are the "Accountability in Women-Owned Small Business Contracting Act" and the "Stop Stolen Valor for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Contractors Act."

The legislation requires federal government agencies to only classify a firm as such if it has been certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA), prohibiting them from including self-certified SDVOSBs and WOSBs towards participation goals for those certifications. 

Additionally, the law on WOSBs also mandates that the Administrator of the SBA provides an interagency report for Congress no later than a year after the bill's enactment, outlining obstacles to WOSBs' access as well as suggestions for mitigating these obstacles.

Even though the SBA discontinued its WOSB self-certification program in 2020, self-certified WOSBs can still be eligible for some goals. 

These bills are a great initiative for supporting more women and veteran-owned small businesses and fall under the Iowa state’s mission of empowering and uplifting its residents. 

Contractor News had previously reported that US Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a member of the Senate Small Business Committee, has sent a letter to Isabel Guzman, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator, to encourage SBA to establish a Veteran Business Outreach Center (VBOC) in Nevada. 

More such endeavors are happening nationwide to create egalitarian procurement and contracting opportunities.