Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley says the first bill he sponsored to pass the U.S. House was written to stop large corporations from snapping up federal contracts that could be handled by small businesses. Specifically, he says it’s an effort to prevent "bundling," a process in which several smaller contracts are rolled into one large agreement.
Braley says small businesses are the number-one "job creators" in this country, but he says in the past five years government contracting has increased by 60-percent — while the number of small-business contracts has decreased by 55-percent. Braley says his "Small Business Fairness in Contracting Act" will provide more opportunities for small businesses in this state to compete with big corporations for government business.
If it’s approved by the Senate and signed into law, Braley says his bill would require agencies to justify in writing why they approved any bundled contracts. Braley’s a Democrat who won an open seat in Iowa’s First District in 2006.