Latest action: Held at the desk.
Bill is filed in its originating chamber and assigned a number.
Sponsor
Edward Markey (D-MA)
Filed in the Senate.
Next: In Committee
Members of the committee(s) the bill was referred to
Expands the surety bond program to help more businesses and contractors secure financing.
The problem
Small businesses and contractors struggle to obtain surety bonds needed for contracts. Current program limitations restrict who can participate and benefit.
The proposal
Increases access to federal surety bond programs by expanding eligibility requirements and program capacity for qualifying businesses and contractors.
The impact
Small businesses, contractors, and construction firms gain easier access to bonding. Federal surety programs serve more applicants seeking contract performance guarantees.
Surety bonds enable small contractors to bid on larger projects they previously couldn't access. This levels the playing field against bigger competitors and creates business growth opportunities.
Expanded bonding programs reduce upfront capital needs for qualifying businesses. Companies can pursue contracts without massive cash reserves or collateral.
More accessible bonding encourages contractors to bid on infrastructure and construction projects. This can boost job creation in the construction sector.
Easier access to bonding helps underserved businesses access federal and private contracts. Broader participation strengthens small business development.
Expanding the program means federal taxpayers assume greater liability if bonded contractors fail to complete projects. Increased defaults could cost government money.
Broader eligibility criteria might allow less-qualified contractors into the program. This could lead to poor project quality or incomplete work.
The bill provides limited detail on program costs or funding mechanisms. Budget impact and taxpayer expense remain unclear without full analysis.
Expanded programs with relaxed requirements may attract fraudulent applicants. Oversight challenges could increase when serving more participants.
Generated by AI from the bill text. Not a prediction and not legal or policy advice. The percentage is the model's own rating of each item — self-reported, and not a measure of how accurate it is.
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Individual contributions, grouped by employer · FEC
Where their individual donors work · 2026 cycle
Money from people who work there, not from the company. Not tied to this bill.
Itemized individual contributions via FEC, grouped by the employer each contributor self-reported. Companies and unions cannot contribute to federal candidates from their treasuries, so these totals are money from people who work at an employer — never from the organization itself. They are campaign contributions covering a full election cycle and are not connected to this bill.
Senate LDA lobbying disclosures
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