Two agencies told to collaborate on R&D—with small businesses included

What it does

This bill directs the Department of Energy and the Small Business Administration to sign a formal agreement and work together on joint research and development projects that serve both agencies' missions. The bill requires them to include small businesses in these activities and report back to Congress within two years on what they've accomplished, but does not appropriate any new money—agencies must fund it from existing budgets.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is a mandate for DOE and SBA to formalize joint R&D activities and report outcomes. It is procedural and coordinative, not substantive policy change or appropriation.

What the text implies

• The bill does not appropriate funds, meaning agencies must reprogram existing budgets to comply—this may redirect resources from other DOE or SBA priorities without explicit congressional approval of the trade-off.
• The memorandum of understanding is left entirely to agency discretion ('as jointly determined by the covered officials'), creating no enforceable standard for what 'joint advancement' means or how small businesses are actually included.
• The two-year reporting requirement is advisory only; there is no enforcement mechanism if agencies fail to report or if the report shows minimal collaboration or small-business participation.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill creates a framework for federal agencies to collaborate on R&D in ways that explicitly include small businesses, potentially expanding innovation access and economic opportunity for smaller firms. There are no restrictions on citizen rights, no liability shields, and no hidden costs to the public.

Who stands to gain

• small business concerns (potential indirect benefit through R&D collaboration access)
• research institutions and contractors selected by DOE/SBA for joint projects

Named in the bill

Department of Energy (DOE), Small Business Administration (SBA), Small Business Act (section 3 definition), Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (Public Law 117–167), House Committee on Small Business

Where it stands

3 cosponsors: 3 Democrats.

• Jan 28, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jan 28, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Small Business and House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committee on Small…”
• Feb 24, 2025 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Williams (TX) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill”
• Feb 25, 2025 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $54,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 10 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.

Nicolas LaLota, the sponsor, reported $986,333 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Earthjustice — $54,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 17, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.