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US Congress · H.R. 787 · Passed the House

Plain Language in Contracting Act

Introduced
Moved
Reached a final decision
Introduced 2025-01-28
Derived from the official record below.

Officially: “Plain Language in Contracting Act Read the full text

Commerce

What it does

Plain Language in Contracting Act This bill requires that notices of contracting opportunities for small businesses are written in a clear, concise, and accessible manner. Each notice also must comply with the requirements of the Plain Writing Act of 2010, which are applicable to publications and notices by federal agencies. The Small Business Administration must issue rules to implement these requirements.
Summary by the Congressional Research Service, from the official record. Plain-language version below. Not legal advice.

Read it in plain language

AI plain language3 sections
Written by AI from the complete official bill text and independently fact-checked against it. Not legal advice.
1Short title

This section would let the Act be called the Plain Language in Contracting Act.

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Official text, verbatim from the record

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Plain Language in Contracting Act .

2Accessibility and clarity in covered notices for small business concerns

This section would require every covered notice to be written clearly, concisely, and in a way that is accessible to a small business concern, and to follow the Federal plain language guidelines set up under the Plain Writing Act of 2010 to the extent practicable. It would also require each covered notice to include, to the maximum extent practicable, key words in its description so that a small business concern searching the single Government-wide point of entry described in section 1708 of title 41, United States Code, could easily find and understand the notice. Within 90 days after the Act became law, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration would have to issue rules to carry out these requirements. For this section, a covered notice would mean a notice about small business concerns that a Federal agency publishes on that single Government-wide point of entry, and the terms Federal agency and small business concern would have the same meanings given to them in section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632).

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Official text, verbatim from the record

2. Accessibility and clarity in covered notices for small business concerns (a) In general Each covered notice shall be written— (1) in a manner that is clear, concise, and accessible to a small business concern; and (2) in a manner consistent, to the extent practicable, with the Federal plain language guidelines established pursuant to the Plain Writing Act of 2010 ( 5 U.S.C. 301 note). (b) Inclusion of key words in covered notices Each covered notice shall, to the maximum extent practicable, include key words in the description of the covered notice such that a small business concern seeking contract opportunities using the single Government-wide point of entry described under section 1708 of title 41, United States Code, can easily identify and understand such covered notice. (c) Rulemaking Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration shall issue rules to carry out this section. (d) Definitions In this section: (1) Covered notice The term covered notice means a notice pertaining to small business concerns published by a Federal agency on the single Government-wide point of entry described under section 1708 of title 41, United States Code. (2) Small Business Act definitions The terms Federal agency and small business concern have the meanings given those terms, respectively, in section 3 of the Small Business Act ( 15 U.S.C. 632 ).

3Compliance with CUTGO

This section states that no additional money is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act or any amendments the Act makes.

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Official text, verbatim from the record

3. Compliance with CUTGO No additional amounts are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act or the amendments made by this Act.

AI plain languageRead the whole bill in plain language, 3 sections

Where it is

Introduced · 2025-01-28

In the House.

Passed the House · 2025-06-03
Senate floor vote · next · the next step

Official documents

The on-site text is shown verbatim from the GovInfo publication, captured 2026-07-23. The same version at GovInfo.

The numbers

29%
of bills that passed one chamber became law in the 118th Congress, 2023 to 2024 (n=939)
4
sponsors, out of 218 needed to pass

Who is lobbying on this

ASSOCIATED GENERAL CONTRACTORS OF AMERICAvia ASSOCIATED GENERAL CONTRACTORS OF AMERICA
4 filings
ASSOCIATED BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS INCvia ASSOCIATED BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS, INC.
3 filings
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF THE U.S.A.via CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF THE U.S.A.
1 filing
From 8 filings in federal lobbying disclosures (LDA), via lda.gov, naming this bill (2025 to 2026). Filings are self-reported by lobbying firms and show who is paid to influence this bill. They do not say which side, or whether it worked.
Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record. Last action: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. (2025-06-04).