House Passes Two Small Manufacturer Bills

This week in brief: The U.S. House passed two small-manufacturer bills by voice vote on Nov. 11: the 504 Modernization and Small Manufacturer Enhancement Act and the Reshoring American Manufacturing Act. In Texas, new prefiled bills would give local governments more say over where industrial facilities can operate.

Congress: help for small manufacturers

• Congress H.R. 10375, the 504 Modernization and Small Manufacturer Enhancement Act, would let small manufacturers qualify for SBA 504 loans on new buildings if they occupy at least 50% of the space, down from 60%. It also adds a program goal for workforce training of at least 12 weeks. The House passed it, as amended, on Nov. 11.
• Congress H.R. 9718, the Reshoring American Manufacturing Act, would have the SBA create a webpage and free tool to help small businesses move manufacturing back to the U.S. The law would end after four years. The House passed it, as amended, on Nov. 11.
• New federal bills: H.R. 10979, the Defend American Manufacturing Act 2.0, addresses oversight of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership. H.R. 10977 would create a Small Business Tariff Relief Hotline, and H.R. 10958 would require transparency about microplastics in clothing. All three were introduced Nov. 5–10.

Texas: where industrial facilities can go

Texas opened bill filing for its 2027 session on Nov. 9, and several early bills address industrial sites.

• Texas HB 587 would give counties authority over certain industrial land uses, and HB 682 would let local governments bar certain commercial and industrial facilities near homes. Both were prefiled Nov. 9.
• Texas SB 160 addresses aggregate production near semiconductor wafer manufacturing facilities. It was prefiled Nov. 9.
• Texas SB 287 would repeal certain tax breaks for manufacturing, selling, or installing solar and wind energy devices. It was prefiled Nov. 9.

Food manufacturing

• Texas HB 290 and Nevada AB 45 would both require folic acid in corn masa flour and corn masa food products made or sold in the state. Both were prefiled for 2027 sessions.

Hearings and local action

• Ohio HB 863 would require health care facilities to keep a 50% operating threshold for reusable infection prevention textiles. It had its second hearing, with supporter testimony, in the House Health Committee on Nov. 10.
• Colchester, Connecticut, voted 5–0 on Nov. 5 to join proposed PFAS class action settlements.

What To Watch

Senate action on the two House-passed SBA bills isn’t scheduled yet. The Texas Legislature convenes Jan. 12, 2027, and Nevada’s begins Feb. 1, 2027, so this week’s prefiled bills will wait until then for hearings.

Quick Answers

Data: Quorum legislative tracking, Nov. 5 to Nov. 11, 2026. Track bills like these with Quorum Federal and Quorum State.