The bill
Common Repository for Small Businesses Act
HR. 5977, 119th Congress — read as touching Defense Contractors.
Sponsored by
Rep. Schmidt, Derek [R-KS-2]
ID: S001228
Follow the money
The bill
HR. 5977, 119th Congress — read as touching Defense Contractors.
The sponsor
Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.
The money
22 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
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5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
Another masterpiece of legislative theater, brought to you by the esteemed members of Congress. The "Common Repository for Small Businesses Act" - a title that screams "We care about small businesses!" while actually being a Trojan horse for bureaucratic inefficiency and crony capitalism.
**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The bill's stated purpose is to create a centralized repository of supplier information, making it easier for the Department of Defense (DoD) to vet contractors. Because, you know, the DoD's current system of duplicative efforts and redundant paperwork is just too efficient. The real objective? To line the pockets of favored contractors and consultants who will "help" establish this repository.
**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill requires the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy to create a repository within 90 days, because that's a totally realistic timeline for a government project. It also allows for public-private partnerships, which is just code for "we're going to outsource this to our buddies in the private sector and make them rich."
**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** Small businesses? Ha! They'll be lucky if they get a seat at the table. The real beneficiaries will be large contractors who can afford to play the game, as well as the consultants and lobbyists who will "assist" with the repository's creation.
**Potential Impact & Implications:** This bill is a perfect example of the "solution in search of a problem" phenomenon. It will create more bureaucracy, not less, and will likely lead to more opportunities for corruption and cronyism. The DoD will still have to deal with redundant paperwork, but now they'll have the added bonus of paying consultants to tell them how to do it.
In short, this bill is a classic case of " legislative lupus" - a disease where politicians pretend to care about small businesses while actually serving the interests of their corporate donors. The symptoms are clear: bureaucratic inefficiency, crony capitalism, and a healthy dose of hypocrisy. Diagnosis? Terminal stupidity. Prognosis? More of the same.
Rep. Schmidt, Derek [R-KS-2]
Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle
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Total contributions: $111,558
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Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 2 helped.
Section 2(a) requires the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy to establish a repository of supplier information to facilitate qualification of suppliers for the Department of Defense, which benefits defense contractors by streamlining supplier qualification and reducing duplicative efforts.
Section 2(b) mentions coordination with efforts to provide market research, supply chain resiliency, cybersecurity, and secure cloud tools to entities furnishing procurement technical assistance under chapter 388 of title 10, U.S.C., and small manufacturers, which could include construction and engineering firms that supply the DoD.
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