Protecting Business Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2019
Public Law 116-183 · H.R. 561 · 116th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Oct 30, 2020 · Armed Forces and National Security
Sponsor: Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI-1)
Cosponsors (20): Rep. Ann Kuster, Rep. Neal Dunn,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Protecting Business Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2019
This bill applies certain small business subcontracting limitations to contracts that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) awards to a small business concern owned and controlled by a veteran or a veteran with a service-connected disability.
The VA may award such a contract only after obtaining a certification from the offeror that it will comply with such subcontracting limitations if awarded the contract. Such certification shall specify the applicable performance requirements and explicitly acknowledge that the certification is subject to criminal penalties for making false statements in any matter within the jurisdiction of the U.S. government.
The VA Director of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization and the VA Chief Acquisition Officer shall jointly monitor compliance and refer any violation or suspected violation to the VA Inspector General.
If the VA determines that a contract recipient did not act in good faith, such recipient shall be subject to any or all of the following: (1) referral to the VA Debarment and Suspension Committee, (2) a criminal fine, and (3) criminal prosecution.
The Inspector General shall report on (1) the number of referred violations and suspected violations; and (2) the disposition of such violations, including the number of small business concerns suspended or debarred from federal contracting or referred for Department of Justice prosecution.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Veterans' Affairs Committee · House · markup by, referred toSubcommittee: Economic Opportunity Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 3282Related bill
Protecting Business Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2020
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 17 actions.
- Oct 30, 2020Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 116-183.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 20, 2020FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Oct 1, 2020FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Sep 30, 2020FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Feb 27, 2020CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- Feb 25, 2020FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 561.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Takano moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Oct 16, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Feb 8, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
- Jan 15, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.