Small Business Advocacy Improvements Act of 2025

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Bill ID: 119/hr/832
Last Updated: July 17, 2026

Sponsored by

Rep. Williams, Roger [R-TX-25]

ID: W000816

Follow the money

The bill

Small Business Advocacy Improvements Act of 2025

HR. 832, 119th Congress.

The sponsor

Rep. Williams, Roger [R-TX-25]

Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.

The money

$98,700 raised

21 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.

The alignment

61% match to Project 2025

This bill's text tracks the "Introduction" section, p. 789-791 of the Mandate for Leadership.

Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law

Track this bill's progress through the legislative process

Latest Action

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

February 24, 2025

Introduced

Committee Review

Floor Action

Passed House

Senate Review

📍 Current Status

Next: Both chambers must agree on the same version of the bill.

🎉

Passed Congress

🖊️

Presidential Action

⚖️

Became Law

📚 How does a bill become a law?

1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.

2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.

3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.

4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.

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!

Bill Summary

Another masterpiece of legislative theater, carefully crafted to make the ignorant masses believe their elected officials are actually doing something useful. Let's dissect this farce and expose the real disease beneath.

**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The Small Business Advocacy Improvements Act of 2025 is a cleverly titled bill that promises to "clarify" the primary functions and duties of the Office of Advocacy within the Small Business Administration (SBA). In reality, this bill is a minor tweak to existing law, designed to create the illusion of action while maintaining the status quo. The main purpose? To provide a feel-good press release for politicians to tout their "support" for small businesses.

**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill makes three changes to existing law:

1. Adds "and the international economy" to the SBA's primary functions, because who doesn't love a good buzzword? 2. Corrects a typo in paragraph (9) of Section 202, replacing "complete" with "compete." Wow, what a game-changer. 3. Amends Section 203(a) to include a new duty for the Office of Advocacy: representing small businesses before foreign governments and international entities. Because, clearly, this wasn't already being done.

**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The usual suspects:

* Small business owners who will be duped into thinking this bill actually helps them * Lobbyists who will use this bill as a justification for their existence * Politicians who need a photo op to pretend they care about small businesses

**Potential Impact & Implications:** This bill is a placebo, designed to create the illusion of progress while doing nothing meaningful. The real impact? A few more bureaucrats will be hired to "represent" small businesses internationally, and some politicians will get to tout their "support" for small business owners. Meanwhile, the actual problems facing small businesses – regulatory burdens, lack of access to capital, etc. – will remain unaddressed.

Diagnosis: This bill is a classic case of "Legislative Lip Service Syndrome," where politicians pretend to care about an issue while doing nothing substantive to address it. The real disease? A chronic lack of courage and vision among our elected officials, combined with a healthy dose of cynicism and contempt for the intelligence of their constituents.

Treatment: None needed. This bill will pass, and everyone involved will pat themselves on the back for "helping" small businesses. Meanwhile, the actual problems will persist, waiting for someone with real courage and vision to address them.

Related Topics

Small Business & Entrepreneurship
Generated using Llama 3.1 70B (Dr. Haus personality)

💰 Campaign Finance Network

Rep. Williams, Roger [R-TX-25]

Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions
$98,700
19 donors
PACs
$0
Organizations
$3,300
Committees
$0
Individuals
$95,400

No PAC contributions found

1
POARCH BANK OF CREEK INDIANS
1 transaction
$3,300

No committee contributions found

1
FORD, GERALD J. MR.
2 transactions
$9,900
2
ZELTER, JAMES
2 transactions
$7,800
3
PRINCE, ZAN MRS.
1 transaction
$6,600
4
WOODARD, DONALD M. MR. JR.
1 transaction
$6,600
5
CARVALHO, ANNE MARIE MRS.
1 transaction
$6,600
6
ROWAN, CAROLYN
1 transaction
$6,600
7
ROWAN, MARC
1 transaction
$6,600
8
DUNIGAN, MIKE MR.
1 transaction
$6,000
9
LOWRANCE, DAN E. MR.
1 transaction
$5,000
10
NICHOLS, THOMAS B. MR.
1 transaction
$5,000
11
KLEINHEINZ, JOHN B. MR.
1 transaction
$5,000
12
KLEINMAN, SCOTT
1 transaction
$3,900
13
PATTERSON, DAN
1 transaction
$3,300
14
WEEKLEY, RICHARD W. MR.
1 transaction
$3,300
15
RODMAN, LANCE MR.
1 transaction
$3,300
16
REILLY, BEVERLY MRS.
1 transaction
$3,300
17
MCCLELLAND, MARK
1 transaction
$3,300
18
VINSON, JOHNNY H. MR. II
1 transaction
$3,300

Cosponsors & Their Campaign Finance

This bill has 3 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.

Rep. Tran, Derek [D-CA-45]

ID: T000491

Top Contributors

10

1
FEHER, ERICA
FEHER LAWMARKETING
OrganizationTORRANCE, CA
$3,300
Feb 22, 2024
2
COTCHETT, PITRE & MCCARTHY LLP
OrganizationBURLINGAME, CA
$1,700
Jul 7, 2024
3
BRACAMONTES VLASAK, PC
OrganizationOAKLAND, CA
$1,000
Mar 31, 2024
4
FEDERATED INDIANS OF GRATON RANCHERIA
OrganizationROHNERT PARK, CA
$1,000
Aug 27, 2024
5
SOSNICK, AARON
IndividualRENO, NV
$3,392
Jun 24, 2024
6
ABIR, DANNY
ACTS LAW FIRMATTORNEY
IndividualENCINO, CA
$3,300
Oct 2, 2023
7
ABRON, BYRON
BYRON ABRONATTORNEY
IndividualLOS ANGELES, CA
$3,300
Oct 2, 2023
8
ARDALAN, PEZHMAN CHRISTOPHER
ARDALAN & ASSOCIATES, APLCATTORNEY
IndividualTHOUSAND OAKS, CA
$3,300
Oct 2, 2023
9
AREVALO, KRISTY
MCCUNE LAW GROUPATTORNEY
IndividualUPLAND, CA
$3,300
Oct 1, 2023
10
BABBITT, GREGORY
AUTO FRAUD LEGAL CENTERATTORNEY
IndividualSAN DIEGO, CA
$3,300
Nov 24, 2023

Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2]

ID: V000133

Top Contributors

10

1
WINRED
PACARLINGTON, VA
$6,781
Jan 26, 2024
2
WINRED
PACARLINGTON, VA
$868
Feb 16, 2024
3
ACE LISTENGER ENTERPRISES LLC
OrganizationLOUISVILLE, KY
$500
Sep 30, 2024
4
SPTWO LLC
OrganizationNORTH WILDWOOD, NJ
$500
Sep 30, 2024
5
TEC AEROSPACE, LLC
OrganizationCLAYTON, NJ
$500
Jun 30, 2024
6
FV REDEMPTION LLC
OrganizationCAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, NJ
$500
Jun 27, 2024
7
CHARLES MARANDINO LLC
OrganizationMILMAY, NJ
$105
May 15, 2024
8
FORMAN, RICHARD P
RETIREDRETIRED
IndividualCHERRY HILL, NJ
$6,600
Nov 29, 2023
9
HOLLANDER, SCOTT
PULSE VASCULARPHYSICIAN
IndividualMULLICA HILL, NJ
$6,600
Feb 16, 2024
10
LAUDEMAN, KEITH MR
COLD SPRING FISHFISH DEALER
IndividualCAPE MAY, NJ
$6,600
May 8, 2023

Rep. Goodlander, Maggie [D-NH-2]

ID: G000604

Top Contributors

10

1
MCLAUGHLIN, JANE
NOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYED
IndividualLYME, NH
$4,500
Aug 24, 2024
2
FLORY, ROBERT H. JR
FLORY INVESTMENTS, INC.PRESIDENT
IndividualDAMARISCOTTA, ME
$4,100
Sep 30, 2024
3
FLORY, ROBERT H. JR
FLORY INVESTMENTS, INC.PRESIDENT
IndividualDAMARISCOTTA, ME
$4,100
Sep 30, 2024
4
KRAUSZ, STEVEN
US VENTURE PARTNERSVENTURE CAPITAL
IndividualPORTOLA VALLEY, CA
$3,300
Oct 23, 2024
5
HIRSHBERG, GARY
STONYFIELD FARM INC.SENIOR ADVISOR
IndividualCONCORD, NH
$3,300
Oct 22, 2024
6
DRAKE, LAWRENCE C JR
NOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYED
IndividualPORTSMOUTH, NH
$3,300
Oct 19, 2024
7
CUTLER, DOULGAS
CUTLER MANAGEMENT CORPMANAGEMENT
IndividualDANIA, FL
$3,300
Oct 17, 2024
8
JAMES, AMABEL
NOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYED
IndividualNEW YORK, NY
$3,300
Oct 24, 2024
9
NUNNELLY, MARK
NOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYED
IndividualDOVER, MA
$3,300
Oct 21, 2024
10
ROBY, DAVID M.
NOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYED
IndividualLYME, NH
$3,300
Oct 28, 2024

Donor Network - Rep. Williams, Roger [R-TX-25]

PACs
Organizations
Individuals
Politicians

Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.

Loading...

Showing 48 nodes and 30 connections (39 secondary connections hidden)

Total contributions: $125,549

Top Donors - Rep. Williams, Roger [R-TX-25]

Showing top 19 donors by contribution amount

1 Org18 Individuals

Project 2025 Policy Matches

This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document.

Introduction

Moderate60.7%
Pages: 789-791

— 757 — Small Business Administration largely duplicates private-sector venture capital to the extent that the sector receiving much of its support is software and information technology, which already receive the lion’s share of venture capital investment.65 In addition, Congress should reform the SBIC program to make its financing more favorable to capital-intense investments and small manufacturers. The Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools (HEALS) Act, introduced in 2020,66 and American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, introduced in 2021,67 would allow SBIC to offer longer-term financing to manufacturers and make the program more fiscally sustainable. Small-Business Size Standard Modernization. Many small-business pro- grams both inside and outside the SBA use the SBA’s definition of “small business.” Under the Small Business Act, the SBA is tasked with defining what counts as a small business and ensuring that the definition varies from industry to industry to reflect differences in regular size by industry. However, the SBA’s small-business size standards reflect a one-size-fits-all approach under which all businesses within its size standard are considered small businesses for all eligible purposes, from gov- ernment contracting preferences to eligibility for SBA loans through private banks. At the same time, the SBA is an outlier among competing economies in not considering medium-sized enterprises along with small businesses, often referred to collectively as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Medium-sized and regional businesses are increasingly critical to maintaining competition. The next Administration should: l Encourage Congress to create a “medium-sized business” classification with its eligibility for programs confined to access to capital programs from projects for which credit elsewhere does not exist. SBA POLICY PRIORITIES FOR 2025 AND BEYOND Legislation. The new Administration can support SBA reform legislation pro- posed in Congress that aligns with key measures outlined in this chapter. It also can support legislative initiatives that would help SBA to focus on its core statutory activities such as capital access, federal contracting opportunities, and regulatory advocacy. For example: l The IMPROVE the SBA Act68 would strengthen accountability, transparency, and oversight of the SBA and aligns with many of the reforms outlined in this chapter. — 758 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise l The Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act69 would require federal agencies to perform more thorough RFA economic analysis and provide a rationale for proposed regulations. It also would waive fines for certain first-time paperwork violations. l The Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act70 (SBREFA) panel process allows small businesses to provide input on agency rulemakings, gives participating small businesses greater procedural rights, and allows for judicial review of agency violations of the SBREFA panel process. SBREFA panel requirements should be extended to all federal agencies. l The Fair and Open Competition Act71 would disallow the use of project labor agreements (PLAs) in federal contracting as required in President Biden’s Executive Order 14063,72 which puts small businesses at a competitive disadvantage and works against the SBA’s governmentwide contracting goal for small businesses. l The JOBS Act 4.073 would advance regulatory improvements and modernization of various Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules to enhance capital formation and access. ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES AND BUDGET Administrator and Key Staff. The position of Administrator should not be considered a symbolic or messaging-related position as some past Administrations have viewed it. Rather, the Administrator should have the requisite experience, skills, and knowledge to ensure that the SBA fulfills its statutory authorities. Because much of the SBA’s statutory authority relates to financing and reg- ulatory policy, and in order to make the SBA a more effective agency within the Administration, the Administrator and his or her key staff should have experience in small-business finance and investment and/or administrative law. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the SBA was often forced to outsource key deci- sions and administrative follow-through to the Department of the Treasury. The SBA Administrator and leadership team must share the President’s mission and vision and execute the Administration’s policies effectively. Budget The next Administration should undertake a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of its various loan and grant programs and provide a report to Congress within six months. The report should rank programs by cost-effective- ness. In the interim, the roughly $1 billion overall agency budget should be held constant until the report is considered, after which Congress should terminate

Introduction

Moderate60.7%
Pages: 780-782

— 747 — Small Business Administration established a new role for the Office of Advocacy: “to facilitate greater consider- ation of small business economic issues during international trade negotiations.”14 This small office has been relatively effective over the years—and more produc- tive during periods when a strong Chief Counsel for Advocacy has been installed to utilize the Office of Advocacy’s authority aggressively to provide a check on regulatory overreach. The office is one of the bright spots within the SBA that a conservative Administration could supercharge to dismantle extreme regulatory policies and advance limited-government reforms that promote economic freedom and opportunity. Currently, the SBA’s four core functions include: l Access to capital. SBA maintains assorted financing and lending programs for small businesses, from microlending to debt and equity investment capital. l Entrepreneurial development programs. SBA provides “free” or low- cost training at more than 1,800 locations and through online platforms and webinars. l Government contracting support programs. Through goals established by the SBA for federal departments and agencies, the broader goal is to ensure that small businesses win 23 percent of prime contracts. l Advocacy. This independent office within the SBA works to ensure that federal agencies consider small businesses’ concerns and impact in rulemakings. The office also conducts small-business research. BUDGETARY FLUCTUATION SBA’s budget and programs have expanded significantly under some Admin- istrations and have been scaled back under others. President Ronald Reagan cut the SBA’s budget by more than 30 percent, and his annual budgets regularly pro- posed to eliminate the agency altogether.15 Under President George W. Bush, SBA Administrator Hector Barreto said that SBA’s goal was “to do more with less,”16 but this changed because of Hurricane Katrina and a surge in disaster funding. In 2016, President Barack Obama considered streamlining and combining SBA programs and other business-related agencies and programs under one entity at the U.S. Department of Commerce, but opposition within the small-business lobby in Washington scuttled the effort.17 In general, SBA budget fluctuations have been driven by several factors such as efforts by Administrations either to cut or to greatly expand programs, the need to boost disaster assistance because of economic or weather-related events, business

Introduction

Moderate60.7%
Pages: 780-782

— 747 — Small Business Administration established a new role for the Office of Advocacy: “to facilitate greater consider- ation of small business economic issues during international trade negotiations.”14 This small office has been relatively effective over the years—and more produc- tive during periods when a strong Chief Counsel for Advocacy has been installed to utilize the Office of Advocacy’s authority aggressively to provide a check on regulatory overreach. The office is one of the bright spots within the SBA that a conservative Administration could supercharge to dismantle extreme regulatory policies and advance limited-government reforms that promote economic freedom and opportunity. Currently, the SBA’s four core functions include: l Access to capital. SBA maintains assorted financing and lending programs for small businesses, from microlending to debt and equity investment capital. l Entrepreneurial development programs. SBA provides “free” or low- cost training at more than 1,800 locations and through online platforms and webinars. l Government contracting support programs. Through goals established by the SBA for federal departments and agencies, the broader goal is to ensure that small businesses win 23 percent of prime contracts. l Advocacy. This independent office within the SBA works to ensure that federal agencies consider small businesses’ concerns and impact in rulemakings. The office also conducts small-business research. BUDGETARY FLUCTUATION SBA’s budget and programs have expanded significantly under some Admin- istrations and have been scaled back under others. President Ronald Reagan cut the SBA’s budget by more than 30 percent, and his annual budgets regularly pro- posed to eliminate the agency altogether.15 Under President George W. Bush, SBA Administrator Hector Barreto said that SBA’s goal was “to do more with less,”16 but this changed because of Hurricane Katrina and a surge in disaster funding. In 2016, President Barack Obama considered streamlining and combining SBA programs and other business-related agencies and programs under one entity at the U.S. Department of Commerce, but opposition within the small-business lobby in Washington scuttled the effort.17 In general, SBA budget fluctuations have been driven by several factors such as efforts by Administrations either to cut or to greatly expand programs, the need to boost disaster assistance because of economic or weather-related events, business — 748 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise loan credit subsidy costs, and miscellaneous program “enhancements” to support small businesses through economic challenges or circumstances. As noted by the Congressional Research Service: Overall, the SBA’s appropriations have ranged from a high of over $761.9 billion in FY2020 to a low of $571.8 million in FY2007. Much of this volatility is due to significant variation in supplemental appropriations for disaster assistance to address economic damages caused by major hurricanes and for SBA lending program enhancements to help small businesses access capital during and immediately following recessions. For example, in FY2020, the SBA received over $760.9 billion in supplemental appropriations to assist small businesses adversely affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID- 19) pandemic.18 The CRS further notes that “[o]verall, since FY2000, appropriations for SBA’s other programs, excluding supplemental appropriations, have increased at a pace that exceeds inflation.”19 In terms of current loan volume, the SBA “reached nearly $43 billion in fund- ing to small businesses, providing more than 62,000 traditional loans through its 7(a), 504, and Microloan lending partners and over 1,200 investments through SBA licensed Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022.”20 The agency’s total budgetary resources for FY 2022 amount to $44.25 billion, which represents 0.4 percent of the FY 2022 U.S. federal budget.21 HISTORY OF MISMANAGEMENT Throughout its history, various SBA programs and practices have generated negative news headlines and scathing Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Inspector General (IG) reports that have centered on mismanagement, lack of competent personnel and/or systems, and waste, fraud and abuse.22 From the 8a program23 to Hurricane Katrina24 to the more current COVID-19 (EIDL) program and PPP lending program,25 the SBA has managed to maintain its lending role even when repeated system failures have affected its distribution of funds. Congress has been somewhat responsive, pressuring the SBA to clean up fraud-related matters within its COVID-19 lending and grant programs.26 Repub- licans in the U.S. House of Representatives have gone farther, specifying that the SBA needs to improve transparency and accountability and deal with mission creep, the expansion of unauthorized programs, and structural and reporting deficiencies that have allowed mismanagement and fraud to reoccur, largely through massive supplemental appropriations.27 The SBA is led by an Administrator (currently a member of the President’s Cabinet) and a Deputy Administrator. Senate-confirmed appointees include

About These Correlations

Policy matches are calculated using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text. A score of 60% or higher indicates meaningful thematic overlap. This does not imply direct causation or intent, but highlights areas where legislation aligns with Project 2025 policy objectives.

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