Bill · H.R. 4615· House(119-HR-4615)
Small Business Payment for Performance Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 7/22/2025
- Last activity
- 9/16/2026 — Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 23 - 0.
- Sponsored by
- Pete Stauber
- Cosponsors
- - 3 - 12
- Introduced
What this bill would do
This bill is known as the Small Business Payment for Performance Act of 2026. It amends the Small Business Act to help small business contractors working on construction projects. If an agency directs a change in a contract without the small business's agreement, the business can request an adjustment to cover extra costs. Upon receiving this request, the agency must provide an interim partial payment of at least 50 percent of the estimated amount. Small businesses that receive this payment must also pass the appropriate portion down to their subcontractors who incurred increased costs. The Administrator of the Small Business Administration has 90 days to issue rules to implement these requirements.
Yes· 3 of 7
Would business owners be better off under this?+9
Directly benefits small business construction owners by ensuring timely partial payments for added costs.
Does this make it easier to run a small business?+8
Provides critical interim payments to small construction contractors when contract terms change.
Does this protect the right to fair treatment by the courts?+3
Provides a more equitable financial process for contractors facing unilateral changes by government officers.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
How the text last changed
Reported in House (10/9/2026), compared with Introduced in House. Each change is on the Text tab.
The newer version of the bill changes the short title year from 2025 to 2026 and updates how small businesses request and share payments for construction contract changes. It removes the previous deadlines for the Small Business Administration to put the rules in place—which were set for the first day of the first full fiscal year after enactment or October 1, 2027—and replaces them with a new deadline requiring rules to be issued within 90 days of enactment. It also adds specific procedures for submitting requests, clarifies payment rules for subcontractors, and adds a conforming amendment.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Interim Partial Payments for Small Businesses: Under Section 2(a), adding subsection (x)(2) to the Small Business Act, an agency must provide a small business construction contractor with an interim partial payment of at least 50 percent of the estimated additional costs when the agency changes contract terms without agreement. This is positive because it helps small businesses cover unexpected costs right away rather than waiting for the entire adjustment process to finish.
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Flow-Down Payments for Subcontractors: Under Section 2(a), adding subsection (x)(4) to the Small Business Act, a small business contractor that receives an interim partial payment must pay their first-tier subcontractors the portion attributable to their increased costs, and those subcontractors must pay lower-tier subcontractors their appropriate portions. This is positive because it ensures that subcontractors who actually did the work and faced higher costs also get paid part of the money promptly.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No Negative Impacts Found: Based on the explicit text of the bill, there are no specific sections or provisions identified that create negative consequences or burdens for individuals or groups of people in the United States.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Small Business Support+8Improves Economic Growth+2Increases Job Creation+2
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Business Owners+9Good For Union Workers+2
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Due Process+3
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Roads And Bridges+2
A committee approved it and sent it to the floor
What changed from Introduced in House
The newer version of the bill changes the short title year from 2025 to 2026 and updates how small businesses request and share payments for construction contract changes. It removes the previous deadlines for the Small Business Administration to put the rules in place—which were set for the first day of the first full fiscal year after enactment or October 1, 2027—and replaces them with a new deadline requiring rules to be issued within 90 days of enactment. It also adds specific procedures for submitting requests, clarifies payment rules for subcontractors, and adds a conforming amendment.
Each change
-
Section 1 updates the short title year of the Act from [-2025-] to {+2026+}.
-
Section 2 changes the description of who may submit a request, specifying a small business concern awarded a {+contract for+} construction [-contract-] by an agency, and adds that requests must be made in accordance with the procedures of the agency and the contract.
-
Section 2 removes specific wording from the rule on how agencies calculate interim partial payments upon receipt of a request [-for equitable adjustment from a small business concern-].
-
Section 2 changes the rules for passing payments to subcontractors by specifying that a small business concern that receives an [-equitable adjustment-] {+interim partial payment+} must pay its first-tier subcontractor, and changes a reference from [-section-] to {+paragraph+} regarding payments further down the subcontractor chain.
-
Section 2 removes the implementation deadline of the earlier of the first day of the first full fiscal year after enactment or October 1, 2027, and adds a new requirement that the Administrator of the Small Business Administration issue implementation rules within 90 days after enactment following specific administrative procedures.
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Section 2 adds a conforming amendment to paragraph (2) of section 15(y) of the Small Business Act, changing a subsection reference.
Written by an AI model from a comparison of this version’s text with the one before it, not by a person. .
-
- 9/16/2026
- Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 23 - 0.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 9/14/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/15/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 6/24/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 4/20/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 1/6/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 1/2/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 10/28/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 10/8/2025
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 9/26/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 8/26/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/22/2025
- Referred to the House Committee on Small Business.
- 3 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
Robert BresnahanRepublican · Pennsylvania
Ed CaseDemocrat · Hawaii
André CarsonDemocrat · Indiana
Angie CraigDemocrat · Minnesota
Gilbert CisnerosDemocrat · California
Donald DavisDemocrat · North Carolina
Sharice DavidsDemocrat · Kansas
Brian FitzpatrickRepublican · Pennsylvania
Michael LawlerRepublican · New York
Greg LandsmanDemocrat · Ohio
Donald NorcrossDemocrat · New Jersey
Hillary ScholtenDemocrat · Michigan
Eric SorensenDemocrat · Illinois
Marc VeaseyDemocrat · Texas
Eugene VindmanDemocrat · Virginia