LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION memorializing the United States Congress to
request reauthorization of the Small Business Innovation Research
Program

WHEREAS, The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program is a
federal program administered by the Small Business Administration Office
of Technology; and
WHEREAS, Each year, the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense,
Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Trans-
portation, and the Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, and National Science Foundation are required
to reserve a portion of their research and development funds for awards
to small business, as well as designate research topics for which funds
will be competitively awarded; and
WHEREAS, The risk and expense of conducting serious research and
development efforts are often beyond the means of small businesses and
the SBIR program funds the critical startup and early development stages
of research and development and encourages the commercialization of the
resulting technology, product or service; and
WHEREAS, SBIR has encouraged small businesses to realize their techno-
logical potential and has provided incentives for them to profit from
its commercialization for 25 years; and
WHEREAS, SBIR has produced results that have contributed to the
nation's defense as well as helped protect the environment, advance
health care, and improve information management; and
WHEREAS, SBIR is operating on continued authority until March 20,
2009, at which time the program's authorization will expire; now, there-
fore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Congress of the United States be and hereby is
respectfully memorialized by this Legislative Body to request that the
United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
acts on S. 177 to amend the Small Business Act to extend the Small Busi-
ness Innovation Research Program to 2022, to increase the allocation of
federal agency grants for the program, to add water, energy, transporta-
tion, and domestic security-related research to the list of topics
deserving special consideration, and for other purposes; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the President of the Senate of the United States, the Speaker
of the House of Representatives, and to each member of the Congress of
the United States from the State of New York.