Late last week, we reported in Pipeline that the U.S. House and Senate were expected to act very soon on the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). On December 20 the House passed the bill 315-107, while on December 21, the Senate passed the bill 81-14. The bill now heads to the White House for the president’s signature. The NDAA included the following provisions which NASBP supported that included: increasing the contract size of the SBA Surety Bond Guarantee Program from $2 million to $6.5 million, and up to $10 million if a federal agency’s contracting officer certifies that the guarantee is necessary; and providing the SBA Administrator discretion to determine the Program liabilities to attract more surety company participation in the Program. The bill also includes language that addresses mentor-protégé teaming agreements, giving the SBA Administrator the authority to oversee the 13 federal agencies that have mentor-protégé programs. NASBP will keep you apprised when the bill becomes law and goes into effect.