House Committees on Science, Space, and Technology and Small Business Celebrate Passage of SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Bill on the House Floor

March 17, 2026 Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed S. 3971, the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act , under suspension, favorably out of the chamber. The bill will now head to the President’s desk. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Technology Transfer (STTR) programs expired on September 30, 2025, following the Senate’s failure to pass the House’s clean, one-year extension. Legislation extending the SBIR/STTR programs was introduced by Small Business Committee Chairman Williams on September 2, 2025, and passed on the House Floor, with bipartisan support, on September 15, 2025. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Chairman Brian Babin (R-TX), Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), House Committee on Small Business Chairman Roger Williams (R-TX), and Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), issued a joint statement following the passage of S. 3971, the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act : “The reauthorization of the SBIR and STTR programs is a critical win for the small businesses that drive American innovation. We have worked to provide entrepreneurs with the resources they need to transform bold ideas into technology that will fuel our economy, strengthen supply chains, and safeguard our future. We look forward to this bill becoming law and restoring certainty to Main Street America.” S. 3971, Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act The bill reauthorizes the SBIR and STTR programs through September 30, 2031, while strengthening research security within the programs, modernizing and streamlining the programs to reduce administrative burdens, and accelerating innovation to advance cutting-edge technology. ### Issues : Innovation and Technology