Senate passes Small Business Administration funding extender

The Senate on Thursday passed by unanimous consent another short-term extension for Small Business Administration (SBA) funding after failing to clear an eight-year extension earlier in the month.

The extender bill funds the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Research Funding Opportunities programs for four months, with two-month extensions for other SBA programs. The House will take up the bill next week.

The original eight-year funding bill was noncontroversial but failed in the Senate after Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) held the legislation hostage by demanding a vote on an amendment that would change the way regulations affecting small businesses are issued.

-- This story was updated at 11:15 a.m. Friday to correct that the bill now moves to the House next week.