H.R. 1816 · Passed House · Commerce

WOSB Accountability Act

Sponsor: Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY)

What it does

• Counts only women-owned small businesses certified by a federal agency, a state, or an SBA-approved national certifying entity toward agencies' annual contracting goals.
• Treats certain self-certified businesses with a pending certification application as certified until the SBA or certifying entity decides.
• Requires the SBA to brief Congress quarterly on the certification process and implementation of the bill.

Official summary

WOSB Accountability Act This bill requires that only women-owned small businesses that have been certified by a federal agency, state government, or national certifying entity approved by the Small Business Administration (SBA) are included when calculating whether a federal agency has met its contracting goals with respect to such businesses during a fiscal year. Certain self-certified, women-owned small businesses that have filed an application for certification are deemed to have been certified until the SBA or national certifying entity makes a determination with respect to the certification of such business. The SBA must provide a briefing each quarter about specified aspects of the process of certifying women-owned small businesses and implementing the requirements of the bill.

Latest action

Jun 4, 2025: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Committee: Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship