HR 10371: Ensuring SBA Implementation of GAO Recommendations Act of 2026

HR 10371 in plain English: This bill requires the Small Business Administration's Office of Veterans Business Development to create policies ensuring the agency complies with existing rules requiring it to submit annual reports on the needs of veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, including proposals to improve their access to government assistance.

Stated purpose

This bill requires the SBA's Office of Veterans Business Development to create and follow policies that ensure it actually submits the annual reports on veteran-owned small businesses that existing law already requires.

Key points

• Requires the SBA's Office of Veterans Business Development to develop compliance policies and procedures.
• Ensures the SBA submits required annual reports on needs of veteran-owned small businesses.
• Reports must include proposals to improve veteran-owned businesses' access to government assistance.

Arguments supporters make

• The SBA is already legally required to submit these reports — this bill simply makes the agency follow the law it has been ignoring.
• Better, consistent reporting helps identify gaps in support for veterans who have served the country and are now trying to build businesses.
• Holding federal agencies accountable to existing requirements costs little but can meaningfully improve oversight and resource allocation for veteran entrepreneurs.

Arguments opponents make

• Adding another layer of internal policy mandates may create bureaucratic paperwork without fixing the underlying reasons the reports were missed in the first place.
• Congress could address non-compliance through its existing oversight tools rather than passing a new law to enforce an old one.
• The bill does not include any enforcement mechanism or consequences if the SBA fails to develop or follow the new policies, which may leave the problem unsolved.

Tradeoffs

The bill focuses resources on procedural compliance and reporting rather than directly funding new programs for veteran-owned businesses, so its benefit depends on whether better reporting actually leads to better outcomes for those businesses.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.

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