Sponsors (4)
The bill promotes DOE collaboration that can help small businesses and researchers and increases congressional transparency, but by barring new appropriations and adding coordination requirements it risks constraining implementation, slowing service expansion, and shifting or increasing costs.
Small businesses will gain increased access to DOE R&D opportunities, partnerships, and commercialization prospects, improving chances to win contracts and commercialize technologies.
Scientists and researchers at DOE and partner institutions will benefit from expanded cross‑agency collaboration and joint projects, strengthening technical capabilities and research opportunities.
Taxpayers and the public will get greater congressional accountability and transparency through a required progress report within two years, informing oversight and future funding decisions.
Agencies and Congress will be constrained by a prohibition on new appropriations for implementation, reducing funding flexibility and making it harder to respond to unforeseen costs or scale programs.
People who rely on programs or services tied to implementation may face reduced or delayed expansion of services if existing funding or mandatory/offset authorities are insufficient.
Taxpayers could still face additional costs if agencies expand reimbursable or collaborative programs without identifiable offsets, increasing federal spending through other mechanisms.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Directs DOE and SBA to enter into agreements to collaborate on R&D involving small businesses, requires a two‑year report to Congress, and prohibits new appropriations for implementation.
Requires the Department of Energy and the Small Business Administration to enter into one or more formal agreements to carry out joint research and development activities that include small businesses and support each agency’s mission priorities. Those agreements may be reimbursable or otherwise collaborative and must follow existing R&D law standards. The agencies must report to Congress within two years describing their coordination, achievements, opportunities to expand technical efforts, future plans, and how activities will continue. The act does not authorize any new appropriations to implement these activities; agencies must use existing authorities or reimbursable funding arrangements.
Introduced January 28, 2025 by Nicholas LaLota · Last progress February 26, 2025