2020 First Extraordinary Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 22
BY SENATORS CARTER, BARROW, BERNARD, BOUDREAUX, BOUIE, CATHEY,
CLOUD, CONNICK, CORTEZ, FESI, FIELDS, FOIL, HARRIS,
HEWITT, JACKSON, LUNEAU, MILLIGAN, FRED MILLS, ROBERT
MILLS, MIZELL, SMITH, TARVER AND WOMACK
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To memorialize the Congress of the United States to extend certifications for an 8(a)
business by one additional year if the business was certified by January 1, 2020.
WHEREAS, the 8(a) Business Development Program (program) is a business
assistance program that exists to level the playing field for small businesses owned by
socially and economically disadvantaged people or entities; and
WHEREAS, the program offers a broad scope of assistance to businesses that are at
least fifty-one percent owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged
individuals whose personal net worth is two hundred fifty thousand dollars or less, and who
own four million dollars or less in assets; and
WHEREAS, the 8(a) program is an essential instrument for helping socially and
economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs gain access to the economic mainstream of
American society and helps thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs to gain a foothold in
government contracting; and
WHEREAS, beginning as early as March 11, 2020, many states declared a public
health emergency as a result of the imminent threat posed by the outbreak of a respiratory
disease caused by a novel coronavirus known commonly as COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control suggested aggressive measures for
limiting the possible interaction of the public with individuals who are exposed to or test
positive for the virus; and
WHEREAS, the response by many states to the contagion of COVID-19 required a
large scale disruption of the state economies as many businesses were closed in order to
protect the public health and to prevent a spike in demand for health care services that would
have overwhelmed the capacity of the health care system to provide services; and
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WHEREAS, a participant in the certified 8(a) Business Development Program
receives a program term of nine years from the date of the Small Business Administration's
approval letter certifying admission to the program, including four years in the
developmental stage and five years in the transitional stage; and
WHEREAS, efforts to slow or disrupt the spread of COVID-19 has resulted in the
temporary closure of many 8(a) certified businesses; and
WHEREAS, temporary closures of 8(a) certified businesses may have prevented
these businesses from reaching the program goal of maintaining a balance between their
commercial and government business, and this may result in poor performance reviews,
incomplete business planning, and unfair evaluations due to the unforeseen and unavoidable
consequences of COVID-19.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana memorializes
the Congress of the United States to extend certifications for 8(a) businesses for one
additional year beyond the requisite nine-year term, thereby allowing those 8(a) certified
businesses that are in the first four years of certification to remain in the developmental stage
an additional year if the business was certified before January 1, 2020, and similarly, the 8(a)
certified businesses currently in the five-year transitional stage would be extended by one
additional year.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the United States Senate and the clerk of the United States House of
Representatives and to each member of the Louisiana delegation to the United States
Congress.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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