SBIR Reauthorization—Déjà vu All Over Again

28 Jul SBIR Reauthorization—Déjà vu All Over Again

I could probably just repost my earlier updates on the progress of the SBIR reauthorization because nothing really changes much. It looks like we are going to get another continuing resolution while the House tries an end-run around Nydia Vazquez’s (D-NY) stonewalling as I described in my earlier post here.
The Small Business Technology Council issued the following notice yesterday:
The Senate passed a continuing resolution on Friday that would extend the SBIR program another two months. That would make the new expiration date for the SBIR program September 30th, 2009. This CR also needs to pass the House of Representatives to be enacted, and we expect it to pass the House on Tuesday.Currently, the staff from the House Small Business and Science Committees are in negotiations in conference with the staff from the Senate Small Business Committee to produce a compromise SBIR reauthorization bill that will incorporate elements from both the House and the Senate Reauthorization Bills. We have heard and have reason to believe that both sides are negotiating in good faith, and that no party is acting unreasonably or otherwise sabotaging the process. Because there is an agreement between the staffers in the conference, we won’t know what’s in the compromise bill until it is finished and released to the public.The SBTC will be hosting a conference call on Thursday to discuss these developments. Contact Alec Orban if you’d like the call-in number and code.
Stay tuned and follow the tortuous path of this legislation at www.SBIRreauthorization.com.
Recent columns by Steve Clark

• Steven S. Clark: Clinical research activity up significantly in 2008
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• Steven S. Clark: The SBIR clock is ticking
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• Steven S. Clark: SBIR re-authorization update