House passes SBIR extension bill

The House of Representatives voted 410-4 on Wednesday to pass H.R. 4508, which would temporarily extend the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program through April 30. The program is slated to expire on Jan. 31. The Senate must pass the extension before it goes to the president. The extension would be the third since last summer, when the House and Senate passed separate full reauthorization bills. The House and Senate have yet to agree on how to reconcile the bills, including differences in SBIR eligibility for companies majority-owned by venture capital firms (See BioCentury, July 20, 2009). ...