I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5348 

To require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to 

establish an Innovation Voucher Grant Program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 6, 2019 

Mr. CROW (for himself and Mr. BURCHETT) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Small Business 

A BILL 

To require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to establish an Innovation Voucher Grant Program. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Small Business Inno5 vation Voucher Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis9 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Small Busi10 ness Administration. 


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1 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti2 ty’’ means— 

3 (A) an institution of higher education, as 

4 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 

5 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001); or 

6 (B) a nonprofit research lab, institution, or 

7 other similar organization in the United States 

8 associated with educational or research activi9 ties. 

10 (3) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Program’’ means 

11 the Innovation Voucher Grant Program established 

12 under section 3. 

13 (4) SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN; SMALL BUSI14 NESS CONCERN OWNED AND CONTROLLED BY VET15 ERANS; SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN OWNED AND

16 CONTROLLED BY WOMEN.—The terms ‘‘small busi17 ness concern’’, ‘‘small business concern owned and 

18 controlled by veterans’’, and ‘‘small business concern 

19 owned and controlled by women’’ have the meanings 

20 given those terms in section 3 of the Small Business 

21 Act (15 U.S.C. 632). 

22 (5) SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN OWNED AND

23 CONTROLLED BY SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DIS24 ADVANTAGED INDIVIDUALS.—The term ‘‘small busi25 ness concern owned and controlled by socially and 


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1 economically disadvantaged individuals’’ has the 

2 meaning given the term in section 8(d)(3)(C) of the 

3 Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(3)(C)). 

4 SEC. 3. INNOVATION VOUCHER GRANT PROGRAM. 

5 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 

6 the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 

7 establish a program to be known as the ‘‘Innovation 

8 Voucher Grant Program’’ under which the Administrator 

9 shall, on a competitive basis and in accordance with sub10 section (f), award to small business concerns grants for 

11 the Federal share of the cost of purchasing from eligible 

12 entities technical assistance and services necessary to 

13 carry out projects to advance research, development, or 

14 commercialization of new or innovative products and serv15 ices. 

16 (b) APPLICATION.—A small business concern desiring 

17 a grant under the Program shall submit to the Adminis18 trator an application with the eligible entity from which 

19 the small business concern will purchase technical assist20 ance and services using funds awarded under the grant. 

21 (c) EVALUATION.—In evaluating an application for 

22 a grant under the Program, the Administrator shall take 

23 into consideration— 


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1 (1) the likelihood that funds awarded under the 

2 grant will be used to create or advance a novel prod3 uct or service; 

4 (2) the feasibility of creating or advancing a 

5 novel product or service proposed to be created or 

6 advanced using funds awarded under the grant; and 

7 (3) whether creating or advancing a product or 

8 service proposed to be created or advanced using 

9 funds awarded under the grant could be accom10 plished without a grant awarded under the Program. 

11 (d) PRIORITY.—In making grants under the Pro12 gram, the Administrator shall give priority to an applica13 tion submitted by— 

14 (1) a small business concern owned and con15 trolled by socially and economically disadvantaged 

16 individuals, including minorities; 

17 (2) a small business concern owned and con18 trolled by women; 

19 (3) a small business concern owned and con20 trolled by veterans; 

21 (4) a small business concern that is located in 

22 a rural area; or 

23 (5) a small business concern located in a region 

24 or State that has historically been underserved by 

25 Federal research and development funds. 


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1 (e) AMOUNT.—A grant made under the Program 

2 shall be made in an amount of not less than $25,000 and 

3 not more than $100,000. 

4 (f) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the cost 

5 of purchasing technical assistance and services described 

6 in subsection (a) using funds awarded under a grant made 

7 under the Program shall be not more than 75 percent. 

8 (g) REPORTS.— 

9 (1) REPORTS FROM GRANT RECIPIENTS.—Not 

10 later than 180 days after the date on which a 

11 project carried out under a grant awarded under the 

12 Program is completed, the recipient of the grant 

13 shall submit to the Administrator a report on the 

14 project, including— 

15 (A) whether and how the project met the 

16 original expectations for the project; 

17 (B) how the results of the project were in18 corporated in the business of the grant recipi19 ent; and 

20 (C) whether and how the project improved 

21 innovation practices of the grant recipient. 

22 (2) REPORT OF THE ADMINISTRATOR.—Not 

23 later than 3 years after the date on which the Ad24 ministrator establishes the Program, and every 2 

25 years thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to 


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1 the Committee on Small Business and Entrepre2 neurship of the Senate and the Committee on Small 

3 Business of the House of Representatives a report 

4 on grants awarded under the Program, including— 

5 (A) a description of the grants awarded; 

6 (B) the estimated number of products or 

7 services created or advanced under grants 

8 awarded under the Program that could have 

9 been created or advanced without grants award10 ed under the Program; and 

11 (C) a description of the impact of the Pro12 gram on knowledge transfer and commercializa13 tion. 

14 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

15 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Admin16 istrator to carry out the Program $10,000,000 for each 

17 of fiscal years 2020 through 2024, to remain available 

18 until expended. 

Æ 


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