II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4863 

To amend the Small Business Act to improve the Women’s Business Center 

Program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Ms. HIRONO, Mrs. SHAHEEN, 

and Ms. ROSEN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship 

A BILL 

To amend the Small Business Act to improve the Women’s 

Business Center Program, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Women’s Business 

5 Centers Improvement Act of 2022’’. 

6 SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER 

7 PROGRAM. 

8 Section 29 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656) 

9 is amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 29. WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM. 

2 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

3 ‘‘(1) ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR.—The term 

4 ‘Assistant Administrator’ means the Assistant Ad5 ministrator of the Office of Women’s Business Own6 ership established under subsection (j). 

7 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en8 tity’ means— 

9 ‘‘(A) an organization described in section 

10 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 

11 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) 

12 of such Code; 

13 ‘‘(B) a State, regional, or local economic 

14 development organization, if the organization 

15 certifies that grant funds received under this 

16 section will not be commingled with other 

17 funds; 

18 ‘‘(C) an institution of higher education, as 

19 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 

20 Act of 1965, unless the institution is receiving 

21 a grant under section 21; 

22 ‘‘(D) a development, credit, or finance cor23 poration chartered by a State, if the corpora24 tion certifies that grant funds received under 

25 this section will not be commingled with other 

26 funds; or 


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1 ‘‘(E) any combination of entities listed in 

2 subparagraphs (A) through (D). 

3 ‘‘(3) RELEVANT ORGANIZATIONS.—The term 

4 ‘relevant organizations’ means— 

5 ‘‘(A) organizations that advocate for or 

6 work with women entrepreneurs, women’s busi7 ness ownership, or women’s business centers; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(B) other organizations as the Adminis10 trator determines appropriate. 

11 ‘‘(4) RESOURCE PARTNERS.—The term ‘re12 source partners’ means small business development 

13 centers, chapters of the Service Corps of Retired Ex14 ecutives established under section 8(b)(1)(B), and 

15 Veteran Business Outreach Centers described in sec16 tion 32. 

17 ‘‘(5) WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER.—The term 

18 ‘women’s business center’ means the location at 

19 which counseling and training on the management, 

20 operations (including manufacturing, services, and 

21 retail), access to capital, international trade, govern22 ment procurement opportunities, and any other mat23 ter that is needed to start, maintain, or expand a 

24 small business concern owned and controlled by 

25 women. 


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1 ‘‘(6) WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER ORGANIZA2 TION.—The term ‘Women’s Business Center Organi3 zation’ means a membership organization formed by 

4 women’s business centers to pursue matters of com5 mon concern. 

6 ‘‘(b) AUTHORITY.— 

7 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a 

8 Women’s Business Center Program under which the 

9 Administrator may enter into a cooperative agree10 ment with an eligible entity to provide a grant to the 

11 eligible entity to operate 1 or more women’s business 

12 centers for the benefit of small business concerns 

13 owned and controlled by women. 

14 ‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—A women’s business cen15 ter established using funds made available under 

16 this section shall be designed to provide entrepre17 neurial counseling and training that meets the needs 

18 of the small business concerns owned and controlled 

19 by women, especially concerns owned and controlled 

20 by women who are both socially and economically 

21 disadvantaged, as defined in section 8(a), and shall 

22 provide— 

23 ‘‘(A) financial assistance, including coun24 seling and training on how to— 


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1 ‘‘(i) apply for and secure business 

2 credit and investment capital; 

3 ‘‘(ii) prepare and present financial 

4 statements; and 

5 ‘‘(iii) manage cash flow and other fi6 nancial operations of a small business con7 cern; 

8 ‘‘(B) management assistance, including 

9 counseling and training on how to plan, orga10 nize, staff, direct, and control each major activ11 ity and function of a small business concern; 

12 ‘‘(C) marketing assistance, including coun13 seling and training on how to— 

14 ‘‘(i) identify and segment domestic 

15 and international market opportunities; 

16 ‘‘(ii) prepare and execute marketing 

17 plans; 

18 ‘‘(iii) develop pricing strategies; 

19 ‘‘(iv) locate contract opportunities; 

20 ‘‘(v) negotiate contracts; and 

21 ‘‘(vi) use various public relations and 

22 advertising techniques; and 

23 ‘‘(D) other services, as needed, in order to 

24 meet the changing and evolving needs of the 

25 small business community. 


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1 ‘‘(3) TYPES OF GRANTS.— 

2 ‘‘(A) INITIAL GRANT.—The amount of an 

3 initial grant, which shall be for a 5-year term, 

4 provided under this section to an eligible entity 

5 shall be not more than $300,000 annually (as 

6 that amount is annually adjusted by the Admin7 istrator to reflect the change in inflation). 

8 ‘‘(B) CONTINUATION GRANTS.— 

9 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

10 may award a continuation grant, which 

11 shall be for a 5-year term, of not more 

12 than $300,000 annually (as that amount is 

13 annually adjusted by the Administrator to 

14 reflect the change in inflation) to an eligi15 ble entity that received an initial grant 

16 under subparagraph (A). 

17 ‘‘(ii) NO LIMITATION.—There shall be 

18 no limitation on the number of continu19 ation grants an eligible entity may receive 

20 under this section. 

21 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.— 

22 ‘‘(1) INITIAL GRANTS AND CONTINUATION

23 GRANTS.—To receive an initial grant or continuation 

24 grant under this section, an eligible entity shall sub25 mit an application to the Administrator in such 


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1 form, in such manner, and containing such informa2 tion as the Administrator may require, including— 

3 ‘‘(A) a certification that the eligible enti4 ty— 

5 ‘‘(i) has designated an executive direc6 tor or program manager, who may be com7 pensated using grant funds awarded under 

8 this section or other sources, to manage 

9 each women’s business center for which a 

10 grant under subsection (b) is sought; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) meets accounting and reporting 

12 requirements established by the Director of 

13 the Office of Management and Budget; 

14 ‘‘(B) information demonstrating the expe15 rience and effectiveness of the eligible entity 

16 in— 

17 ‘‘(i) providing entrepreneurial coun18 seling and training described in subsection 

19 (b)(2); 

20 ‘‘(ii) providing training and services to 

21 a representative number of women who are 

22 both socially and economically disadvan23 taged; and 

24 ‘‘(iii) working with resource partners, 

25 offices of the Administration, and other 


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1 public and private entities engaging in en2 trepreneurial and small business develop3 ment; and 

4 ‘‘(C) a 5-year plan that— 

5 ‘‘(i) includes information relating to 

6 the assistance to be provided by each wom7 en’s business center in the area in which 

8 each center is located; 

9 ‘‘(ii) describes the ability of the eligi10 ble entity to meet the needs of the market 

11 to be served by each women’s business cen12 ter; 

13 ‘‘(iii) describes the ability of the eligi14 ble entity to obtain the matching funds re15 quired under subsection (e); and 

16 ‘‘(iv) describes the ability of the eligi17 ble entity to provide entrepreneurial coun18 seling and training described in subsection 

19 (b)(2), including to a representative num20 ber of women who are both socially and 

21 economically disadvantaged. 

22 ‘‘(2) RECORD RETENTION.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

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1 mitted under this subsection for not less than 

2 5 years. 

3 ‘‘(B) PAPERWORK REDUCTION.—The Ad4 ministrator shall take steps to reduce, to the 

5 maximum extent practicable, the paperwork 

6 burden associated with carrying out subpara7 graph (A). 

8 ‘‘(d) SELECTION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In selecting recipients of 

10 initial grants, the Administrator shall consider— 

11 ‘‘(A) the experience of the applicant in pro12 viding entrepreneurial counseling and training; 

13 ‘‘(B) the amount of time needed for the 

14 applicant to commence operation of a women’s 

15 business center; 

16 ‘‘(C) the capacity of the applicant to meet 

17 the accreditation standards established under 

18 subsection (j)(4) in a timely manner and the 

19 likelihood that the recipient will become accred20 ited; 

21 ‘‘(D) the ability of the applicant to sustain 

22 operations, including the applicant’s ability to 

23 obtain matching funds under subsection (e), for 

24 a 5-year period; 


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1 ‘‘(E) the proposed location of a women’s 

2 business center to be operated by the applicant 

3 and the location’s proximity to Veteran Busi4 ness Outreach Centers and to recipients of 

5 grants under section 8(b)(1) or 21; 

6 ‘‘(F) the counsel of a Women’s Business 

7 Center Organization or another relevant organi8 zation on the level of unmet need in the area 

9 where the women’s business center is to be lo10 cated; and 

11 ‘‘(G) whether the applicant has received 

12 trainings conducted by, utilized services pro13 vided by, or engaged with a Women’s Business 

14 Center Organization or another relevant organi15 zation in the preparation of the application. 

16 ‘‘(2) SELECTION CRITERIA.— 

17 ‘‘(A) RULEMAKING.—The Administrator 

18 shall issue regulations to specify the criteria for 

19 review and selection of applicants under this 

20 subsection. 

21 ‘‘(B) EFFECT OF REGULATIONS AT TIME

22 OF APPLICATION.—Unless otherwise required 

23 by an Act of Congress or an order of a Federal 

24 court, any application for an opportunity to 

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1 erned by the regulations issued pursuant to 

2 subparagraph (A) that are in effect at the time 

3 of the public announcement of such opportunity 

4 made by the Administrator pursuant to sub5 section (k)(1). 

6 ‘‘(C) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing 

7 in this paragraph may be construed as prohib8 iting the Administrator from modifying the reg9 ulations issued pursuant to subparagraph (A) 

10 as the regulations apply to an opportunity to be 

11 awarded a grant under this section that the Ad12 ministrator has not yet publicly announced pur13 suant to subsection (k)(1). 

14 ‘‘(e) MATCHING REQUIREMENTS.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (5), 

16 upon approval of an application submitted under 

17 subsection (c), the eligible entity shall agree to ob18 tain contributions from non-Federal sources— 

19 ‘‘(A) in the first and second year of the 

20 term of an initial grant, if applicable, 1 non21 Federal dollar for every 2 Federal dollars; and 

22 ‘‘(B) in each subsequent year of the term 

23 of an initial grant, if applicable, or for the term 

24 of a continuation grant, 1 non-Federal dollar 

25 for each Federal dollar. 


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1 ‘‘(2) FORM OF MATCHING FUNDS.—Not more 

2 than one-half of non-Federal matching funds de3 scribed in paragraph (1) may be in the form of in4 kind contributions that are budget line items only, 

5 including office equipment and office space. 

6 ‘‘(3) SOLICITATION.—Notwithstanding any 

7 other provision of law, an eligible entity may— 

8 ‘‘(A) solicit cash and in-kind contributions 

9 from private individuals and entities to be used 

10 to operate a women’s business center; and 

11 ‘‘(B) use amounts made available by the 

12 Administrator under this section for the cost of 

13 solicitation and management of the contribu14 tions received, subject to the limitations set by 

15 the Administrator. 

16 ‘‘(4) DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS.—The Admin17 istrator may disburse an amount not greater than 

18 25 percent of the total amount of a grant awarded 

19 to an eligible entity before the eligible entity obtains 

20 the matching funds described in paragraph (1). 

21 ‘‘(5) FAILURE TO OBTAIN MATCHING FUNDS.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If an eligible entity 

23 fails to obtain the required matching funds de24 scribed in paragraph (1), the eligible entity may 

25 not be eligible to receive advance disbursements 


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1 pursuant to paragraph (4) during the remain2 der of the term, if applicable, of an initial grant 

3 awarded under this section. 

4 ‘‘(B) CONTINUATION GRANT.—Before ap5 proving the eligible entity for a continuation 

6 grant under this section, the Administrator 

7 shall make a written determination, including 

8 the reasons for the determination, of whether 

9 the Administrator believes that the eligible enti10 ty will be able to obtain the requisite matching 

11 funding under paragraph (1) for the continu12 ation grant. 

13 ‘‘(6) WAIVER OF NON-FEDERAL SHARE.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Upon request by an 

15 eligible entity and in accordance with this para16 graph, the Administrator may waive, in whole 

17 or in part, the requirement to obtain matching 

18 funds under paragraph (1) for a grant awarded 

19 under this section for the eligible entity for a 1- 

20 year term of the grant. 

21 ‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining 

22 whether to issue a waiver under this paragraph, 

23 the Administrator shall consider— 

24 ‘‘(i) the economic conditions affecting 

25 the eligible entity; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) the demonstrated ability of the 

2 eligible entity to raise non-Federal funds; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(iii) the performance of the eligible 

5 entity under the initial grant. 

6 ‘‘(C) LIMITATION.—The Administrator 

7 may not issue a waiver under this paragraph if 

8 the Administrator determines that granting the 

9 waiver would undermine the credibility of the 

10 Women’s Business Center Program. 

11 ‘‘(7) EXCESS NON-FEDERAL DOLLARS.—The 

12 amount of non-Federal dollars obtained by an eligi13 ble entity that is greater than the amount that is re14 quired to be obtained by the eligible entity under 

15 this subsection shall not be subject to the require16 ments of part 200 of title 2, Code of Federal Regu17 lations, or any successor thereto, if the amount of 

18 non-Federal dollars— 

19 ‘‘(A) is not used as matching funds for 

20 purposes of implementing the Women’s Busi21 ness Center Program; and 

22 ‘‘(B) was not obtained by using funds 

23 granted under the Women’s Business Center 

24 Program. 


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1 ‘‘(8) CARRYOVER.—An eligible entity may use 

2 excess non-Federal dollars described in paragraph 

3 (7) to satisfy the matching funds requirement under 

4 paragraph (1) for the subsequent 1-year grant term, 

5 if applicable, except that the amounts shall be sub6 ject to the requirements of part 200 of title 2, Code 

7 of Federal Regulations, or any successor thereto. 

8 ‘‘(f) OTHER REQUIREMENTS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) SEPARATION OF FUNDS.—An eligible enti10 ty shall— 

11 ‘‘(A) operate a women’s business center 

12 under this section separately from other 

13 projects, if any, of the eligible entity; and 

14 ‘‘(B) separately maintain and account for 

15 any grant funds received under this section. 

16 ‘‘(2) EXAMINATION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 

17 ‘‘(A) REQUIRED SITE VISIT.—Before re18 ceiving an initial grant under this section, each 

19 applicant shall have a site visit by an employee 

20 of the Administration in order to ensure that 

21 the applicant has sufficient resources to provide 

22 the services for which the grant is being pro23 vided. 

24 ‘‘(B) ANNUAL REVIEW.—An employee of 

25 the Administration shall— 


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1 ‘‘(i) conduct an annual programmatic 

2 and financial examination of each eligible 

3 entity, as described in subsection (g); and 

4 ‘‘(ii) provide the results of the exam5 ination to the eligible entity. 

6 ‘‘(3) REMEDIATION OF PROBLEMS.— 

7 ‘‘(A) PLAN OF ACTION.—If an examination 

8 of an eligible entity conducted under paragraph 

9 (2)(B) identifies any problems, the eligible enti10 ty shall, not later than 45 calendar days after 

11 receiving a copy of the results of the examina12 tion, provide the Assistant Administrator with a 

13 plan of action, including specific milestones, for 

14 correcting those problems. 

15 ‘‘(B) PLAN OF ACTION REVIEW BY THE AS16 SISTANT ADMINISTRATOR.—Not later than 30 

17 days after receipt of the plan of action, the As18 sistant Administrator shall review the plan of 

19 action submitted under subparagraph (A), and 

20 if the Assistant Administrator determines that 

21 the plan— 

22 ‘‘(i) will bring the eligible entity into 

23 compliance with all the terms of a coopera24 tive agreement described in subsection (b), 


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1 the Assistant Administrator shall approve 

2 the plan; or 

3 ‘‘(ii) is inadequate to remedy the 

4 problems identified in the annual examina5 tion to which the plan of action relates, the 

6 Assistant Administrator shall set forth the 

7 reasons in writing and provide the deter8 mination to the eligible entity not later 

9 than 15 calendar days after the date of de10 termination. 

11 ‘‘(C) AMENDMENT TO PLAN OF ACTION.— 

12 An eligible entity receiving a determination 

13 under subparagraph (B)(ii) shall have 30 cal14 endar days from the receipt of the determina15 tion to amend the plan of action to satisfy the 

16 problems identified by the Assistant Adminis17 trator and resubmit the plan to the Assistant 

18 Administrator. 

19 ‘‘(D) AMENDED PLAN REVIEW BY THE AS20 SISTANT ADMINISTRATOR.—Not later than 15 

21 calendar days after receipt of an amended plan 

22 of action under subparagraph (C), the Assistant 

23 Administrator shall approve or reject the plan 

24 and provide the approval or rejection in writing 

25 to the eligible entity. 


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1 ‘‘(E) APPEAL OF ASSISTANT ADMINIS2 TRATOR DETERMINATION.— 

3 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—If the Assistant 

4 Administrator rejects an amended plan of 

5 action under subparagraph (D), the eligible 

6 entity shall have the opportunity to appeal 

7 the decision to the Administrator, who may 

8 delegate the appeal to an appropriate offi9 cer of the Administration. 

10 ‘‘(ii) OPPORTUNITY FOR EXPLA11 NATION.—Any appeal described in clause 

12 (i) shall provide an opportunity for the eli13 gible entity to provide, in writing, an expla14 nation of why the amended plan of action 

15 of the eligible entity remedies the problems 

16 identified in the annual examination con17 ducted under paragraph (2)(B). 

18 ‘‘(iii) NOTICE OF DETERMINATION.— 

19 The Administrator shall provide to the eli20 gible entity a determination of the appeal, 

21 in writing, not later than 15 calendar days 

22 after the eligible entity files an appeal 

23 under this subparagraph. 

24 ‘‘(iv) EFFECT OF FAILURE TO ACT.— 

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1 peal made under this subparagraph within 

2 the 15-day period specified under clause 

3 (iii), the amended plan of action of the eli4 gible entity submitted under subparagraph 

5 (C) shall be deemed to be approved. 

6 ‘‘(4) TERMINATION OF GRANT.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

8 shall terminate a grant to an eligible entity 

9 under this section if the eligible entity fails to 

10 comply with— 

11 ‘‘(i) a plan of action approved by the 

12 Assistant Administrator under paragraph 

13 (3)(B)(i); or 

14 ‘‘(ii) an amended plan of action ap15 proved by the Assistant Administrator 

16 under paragraph (3)(D) or approved on 

17 appeal under paragraph (3)(E). 

18 ‘‘(B) APPEAL OF TERMINATION.—An eligi19 ble entity shall have the opportunity to chal20 lenge the termination of a grant under subpara21 graph (A) on the record and after an oppor22 tunity for a hearing. 

23 ‘‘(C) FINAL AGENCY ACTION.—A deter24 mination made pursuant to subparagraph (B) 

25 shall be considered final agency action for the 


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1 purposes of chapter 7 of title 5, United States 

2 Code. 

3 ‘‘(5) ENGAGEMENT WITH MAJORITY WOMEN’S

4 BUSINESS CENTER ORGANIZATION, WOMEN’S BUSI5 NESS CENTERS, AND OTHER RELEVANT ORGANIZA6 TIONS.—If, on the date of enactment of the Wom7 en’s Business Centers Improvement Act of 2022, a 

8 majority of women’s business centers that are oper9 ating pursuant to agreements with the Administra10 tion are members of an individual Women’s Business 

11 Center Organization, the Administrator shall— 

12 ‘‘(A) recognize the existence and activities 

13 of the Organization; and 

14 ‘‘(B) consult with the Organization, and to 

15 the extent practicable, women’s business centers 

16 and other relevant organizations, on the devel17 opment of documents with respect to— 

18 ‘‘(i) announcing the annual scope of 

19 activities pursuant to this section; 

20 ‘‘(ii) requesting proposals to deliver 

21 assistance as provided in this section; and 

22 ‘‘(iii) the governance, general oper23 ations, and administration of the Women’s 

24 Business Center Program, including gen25 eral best practices in the operation of that 


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1 Program and the development of regula2 tions and financial examinations under 

3 that Program. 

4 ‘‘(6) ENFORCEMENT.— 

5 ‘‘(A) GRANTS.—The Assistant Adminis6 trator shall develop policies and procedures to 

7 minimize the possibility of awarding a grant to 

8 an eligible entity that will operate a women’s 

9 business center that likely will not remain in 

10 compliance with program and financial require11 ments. 

12 ‘‘(B) INDIVIDUAL COOPERATIVE AGREE13 MENTS.—The Assistant Administrator shall en14 force the terms of any individual cooperative 

15 agreement described in paragraph (5)(B)(iii). 

16 ‘‘(g) PROGRAM EXAMINATION.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administration shall— 

18 ‘‘(A) develop and implement an annual 

19 programmatic and financial examination of 

20 each eligible entity receiving a grant under this 

21 section, under which each eligible entity shall 

22 provide to the Administration— 

23 ‘‘(i) an itemized cost breakdown of ac24 tual expenditures for costs incurred during 

25 the preceding year; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) documentation regarding the 

2 amount of matching assistance from non3 Federal sources obtained and expended by 

4 the eligible entity during the preceding 

5 year in order to meet the requirements of 

6 subsection (e) and, with respect to any in7 kind contributions described in subsection 

8 (e)(2) that were used to satisfy the re9 quirements of subsection (e), verification of 

10 the existence and valuation of those con11 tributions; and 

12 ‘‘(B) analyze the results of each examina13 tion and, based on that analysis, make a deter14 mination regarding the programmatic and fi15 nancial viability of each women’s business cen16 ter operated by the eligible entity. 

17 ‘‘(2) CONDITIONS FOR CONTINUED FUNDING.— 

18 In determining whether to award a continuation 

19 grant to an eligible entity, the Administrator shall— 

20 ‘‘(A) consider the results of the most re21 cent examination of the eligible entity under 

22 paragraph (1); 

23 ‘‘(B) determine if— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the eligible entity has failed to 

2 provide, or provided inadequate, informa3 tion under paragraph (1)(A); or 

4 ‘‘(ii) the eligible entity has failed to 

5 provide any information required to be pro6 vided by a women’s business center for 

7 purposes of the management report under 

8 subsection (l)(1), or the information pro9 vided by the center is inadequate; and 

10 ‘‘(C) consider the accreditation status as 

11 described in subsection (j)(4). 

12 ‘‘(h) CONTRACT AUTHORITY.— 

13 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—An eligible entity that 

14 receives a grant under this section may enter into a 

15 contract with a Federal department or agency to 

16 provide specific assistance to small business concerns 

17 owned and controlled by women and other under18 served small business concerns, if performance of 

19 that contract does not hinder the ability of the eligi20 ble entity to carry out the terms of a grant received 

21 under this section. 

22 ‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATOR.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The authority of the 

24 Administrator to enter into contracts shall be in 

25 effect for each fiscal year only to the extent and 


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1 in the amounts as are provided in advance in 

2 appropriations Acts. 

3 ‘‘(B) ADVERSE CONTRACT ACTION.—After 

4 the Administrator has entered into a contract, 

5 either as a grant or a cooperative agreement, 

6 with any applicant under this section, the Ad7 ministrator shall not suspend, terminate, or fail 

8 to renew or extend the contract unless the Ad9 ministrator provides the applicant with written 

10 notification setting forth the reasons therefore 

11 and affords the applicant an opportunity for a 

12 hearing, appeal, or other administrative pro13 ceeding under chapter 5 of title 5, United 

14 States Code. 

15 ‘‘(i) PRIVACY REQUIREMENTS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A women’s business center 

17 may not disclose the name, address, email address, 

18 or telephone number of any individual or small busi19 ness concern receiving assistance under this section 

20 without the consent of that individual or small busi21 ness concern, unless— 

22 ‘‘(A) the Administrator orders the disclo23 sure after the Administrator is ordered to make 

24 a disclosure by a court in any civil or criminal 


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1 enforcement action initiated by a Federal or 

2 State agency; or 

3 ‘‘(B) the Administrator considers a disclo4 sure to be necessary for the purpose of con5 ducting a financial audit of a women’s business 

6 center, except that the disclosure shall be lim7 ited to the information necessary for the audit. 

8 ‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATION USE OF INFORMATION.— 

9 This subsection shall not— 

10 ‘‘(A) restrict the access of the Administra11 tion to women’s business center data; or 

12 ‘‘(B) prevent the Administration from 

13 using information about individuals who use 

14 women’s business centers to conduct surveys of 

15 those individuals. 

16 ‘‘(3) REGULATIONS.—The Administrator shall 

17 issue regulations to establish standards for disclo18 sures for purposes of a financial audit described in 

19 paragraph (1)(B). 

20 ‘‘(j) OFFICE OF WOMEN’S BUSINESS OWNERSHIP.— 

21 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established 

22 within the Administration an Office of Women’s 

23 Business Ownership, which shall be— 

24 ‘‘(A) responsible for the administration of 

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1 ment of women’s business enterprises, as de2 fined in section 408 of the Women’s Business 

3 Ownership Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 7108); and 

4 ‘‘(B) administered by an Assistant Admin5 istrator, who shall be appointed by the Adminis6 trator. 

7 ‘‘(2) ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR OF THE OF8 FICE OF WOMEN’S BUSINESS OWNERSHIP.— 

9 ‘‘(A) QUALIFICATION.—The position of As10 sistant Administrator shall be— 

11 ‘‘(i) a Senior Executive Service posi12 tion under section 3132(a)(2) of title 5, 

13 United States Code; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) a noncareer appointee, as defined 

15 in section 3132(a)(7) of that title. 

16 ‘‘(B) DUTIES.—The Assistant Adminis17 trator shall administer the programs and serv18 ices of the Office of Women’s Business Owner19 ship and perform the following functions: 

20 ‘‘(i) Recommend the annual adminis21 trative and program budgets of the Office 

22 and eligible entities receiving a grant 

23 under the Women’s Business Center Pro24 gram. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) Review the annual budgets sub2 mitted by each eligible entity receiving a 

3 grant under the Women’s Business Center 

4 Program. 

5 ‘‘(iii) Collaborate with other Federal 

6 departments and agencies, State and local 

7 governments, nonprofit organizations, and 

8 for-profit organizations to maximize utili9 zation of taxpayer dollars and reduce or 

10 eliminate any duplication among the pro11 grams overseen by the Office of Women’s 

12 Business Ownership and those of other en13 tities that provide similar services to 

14 women entrepreneurs. 

15 ‘‘(iv) Maintain a clearinghouse to pro16 vide for the dissemination and exchange of 

17 information between women’s business cen18 ters. 

19 ‘‘(v) Serve as the vice chairperson of 

20 the Interagency Committee on Women’s 

21 Business Enterprise and as the liaison for 

22 the National Women’s Business Council. 

23 ‘‘(3) MISSION.—The mission of the Office of 

24 Women’s Business Ownership shall be to assist 

25 women entrepreneurs to start, grow, and compete in 


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1 global markets by providing quality support with ac2 cess to capital, access to markets, job creation, 

3 growth, and counseling by— 

4 ‘‘(A) fostering participation of women en5 trepreneurs in the economy by overseeing a net6 work of women’s business centers throughout 

7 States and territories; 

8 ‘‘(B) creating public-private partnerships 

9 to support women entrepreneurs and conduct 

10 outreach and education to small business con11 cerns owned and controlled by women; and 

12 ‘‘(C) working with other programs of the 

13 Administrator to— 

14 ‘‘(i) ensure women are well-rep15 resented in those programs and being 

16 served by those programs; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) identify gaps where participation 

18 by women in those programs could be in19 creased. 

20 ‘‘(4) ACCREDITATION PROGRAM.— 

21 ‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 

22 270 days after the date of enactment of the 

23 Women’s Business Centers Improvement Act of 

24 2022, the Administrator shall publish standards 


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1 for a program to accredit eligible entities that 

2 receive a grant under this section. 

3 ‘‘(B) PUBLIC COMMENT; TRANSITION.— 

4 Before publishing the standards under subpara5 graph (A), the Administrator— 

6 ‘‘(i) shall provide a period of not less 

7 than 60 days for public comment on the 

8 standards; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) may not terminate a grant under 

10 this section absent evidence of fraud or 

11 other criminal misconduct by the recipient. 

12 ‘‘(C) CONTRACTING AUTHORITY.—The Ad13 ministrator may provide financial support, by 

14 contract or otherwise, to a Women’s Business 

15 Center Organization to provide assistance in es16 tablishing the standards required under sub17 paragraph (A) or for carrying out an accredita18 tion program pursuant to those standards. 

19 ‘‘(5) CONTINUATION GRANT CONSIDER20 ATIONS.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In determining wheth22 er to award a continuation grant under this sec23 tion, the Administrator shall consider the re24 sults of the annual programmatic and financial 


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1 examination conducted under subsection (g) 

2 and the accreditation program. 

3 ‘‘(B) ACCREDITATION REQUIREMENT.—On 

4 and after the date that is 2 years after the date 

5 of enactment of the Women’s Business Centers 

6 Improvement Act of 2022, the Administration 

7 may not award a continuation grant under this 

8 section unless the applicable eligible entity has 

9 been approved under the accreditation program 

10 conducted pursuant to this subsection, except 

11 that the Assistant Administrator for the Office 

12 of Women’s Business Ownership may waive the 

13 accreditation requirement, in the discretion of 

14 the Assistant Administrator, upon a showing 

15 that the eligible entity is making a good faith 

16 effort to obtain accreditation. 

17 ‘‘(6) ANNUAL CONFERENCE.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each women’s busi19 ness center shall participate in annual profes20 sional development at an annual conference fa21 cilitated by the Administrator. 

22 ‘‘(B) COLLABORATION.—The Adminis23 trator shall collaborate with 1 or more Women’s 

24 Business Center Organizations, women’s busi25 ness centers, or other relevant organizations in 


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1 carrying out the responsibilities of the Adminis2 trator under subparagraph (A). 

3 ‘‘(k) NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE

4 WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM.—The Adminis5 trator shall provide the following: 

6 ‘‘(1) A public announcement of any opportunity 

7 to be awarded grants under this section, to include 

8 the selection criteria under subsection (d) and any 

9 applicable regulations. 

10 ‘‘(2) To any applicant for a grant under this 

11 section that failed to obtain a grant, an opportunity 

12 to debrief with the Administrator to review the rea13 sons for the failure of the applicant. 

14 ‘‘(3) To an eligible entity that receives an initial 

15 grant under this section, if a site visit or review of 

16 the eligible entity is carried out by an officer or em17 ployee of the Administration (other than the Inspec18 tor General), a copy of the site visit report or eval19 uation, as applicable, not later than 30 calendar 

20 days after the completion of the visit or evaluation. 

21 ‘‘(l) ANNUAL MANAGEMENT REPORT.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall 

23 prepare and submit to the Committee on Small 

24 Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate and 

25 the Committee on Small Business of the House of 


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1 Representatives an annual report on the effective2 ness of women’s business centers operated through 

3 a grant awarded under this section. 

4 ‘‘(2) INFORMATION FOR REPORT.—Each wom5 en’s business center shall, annually and upon re6 quest, provide the Administrator with sufficient in7 formation to complete the report required under 

8 paragraph (1), including the information described 

9 in paragraph (3). 

10 ‘‘(3) CONTENTS.—Each report submitted under 

11 paragraph (1) shall summarize— 

12 ‘‘(A) information concerning, with respect 

13 to each women’s business center established 

14 pursuant to a grant awarded under this section, 

15 the most recent analysis of the annual pro16 grammatic and financial examination of the ap17 plicable eligible entity, as required under sub18 section (g)(1)(B), and the subsequent deter19 mination made by the Administration under 

20 that subsection; 

21 ‘‘(B) the total number of individuals and 

22 the number of unique individuals counseled or 

23 trained through the Women’s Business Center 

24 Program; 


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1 ‘‘(C) the total number of hours of coun2 seling and training services provided through 

3 the Program; 

4 ‘‘(D) to the extent practicable, the demo5 graphics of Program participants to include the 

6 gender, race, ethnicity, and age of each partici7 pant; 

8 ‘‘(E) the number of Program participants 

9 who are veterans; 

10 ‘‘(F) the number of new businesses started 

11 by participants in the Program; 

12 ‘‘(G) to the extent practicable, the number 

13 of jobs supported, created, or retained with as14 sistance from women’s business centers; 

15 ‘‘(H) the total amount of capital secured 

16 by participants in the Program, including 

17 through loans and equity investment of the Ad18 ministration; 

19 ‘‘(I) the number of participants in the Pro20 gram receiving financial assistance, including 

21 the type and dollar amount, under a loan pro22 gram of the Administration; 

23 ‘‘(J) an estimate of gross receipts, includ24 ing to the extent practicable a description of 


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1 any change in revenue of small business con2 cerns assisted through the Program; 

3 ‘‘(K) the number of referrals of individuals 

4 to other resources and programs of the Admin5 istration; 

6 ‘‘(L) the results of satisfaction surveys of 

7 participants, including a summary of any com8 ments received from those participants; and 

9 ‘‘(M) any recommendations by the Admin10 istrator to improve the delivery of services by 

11 women’s business centers. 

12 ‘‘(m) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 

14 appropriated to the Administration to carry out this 

15 section, to remain available until expended, 

16 $31,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 

17 2026. 

18 ‘‘(2) USE OF AMOUNTS.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

20 subparagraph (B), amounts made available 

21 under this subsection for fiscal year 2023, and 

22 each fiscal year thereafter, may only be used for 

23 grant awards and may not be used for costs in24 curred by the Administration in connection with 


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1 the management and administration of the pro2 gram under this section. 

3 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTIONS.—Of the amount made 

4 available under this subsection for a fiscal year, 

5 for the fiscal year beginning after the date of 

6 enactment of the Women’s Business Centers 

7 Improvement Act of 2022 and each fiscal year 

8 thereafter through fiscal year 2026, 2.6 percent 

9 shall be available for costs incurred by the Ad10 ministration in connection with the manage11 ment and administration of the program under 

12 this section. 

13 ‘‘(C) ACCREDITATION AND ANNUAL CON14 FERENCE.—Of the amounts made available in 

15 any fiscal year to carry out this section, not 

16 more than $250,000 may be used by the Ad17 ministration to pay for expenses related to car18 rying out paragraphs (4) and (6) of subsection 

19 (j). 

20 ‘‘(3) EXPEDITED ACQUISITION.—Notwith21 standing any other provision of law, the Adminis22 trator may use expedited acquisition methods as the 

23 Administrator determines to be appropriate to carry 

24 out this section, except that the Administrator shall 


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1 ensure that all small business concerns are provided 

2 a reasonable opportunity to submit proposals.’’. 

3 SEC. 3. EFFECT ON EXISTING GRANTS. 

4 (a) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—A nonprofit organiza5 tion receiving a grant under section 29(m) of the Small 

6 Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(m)), as in effect on the day 

7 before the date of enactment of this Act, shall continue 

8 to receive the grant under the terms and conditions in ef9 fect for the grant on the day before the date of enactment 

10 of this Act, except that the nonprofit organization may 

11 not apply for a continuation of the grant under section 

12 29(m)(5) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

13 656(m)(5)), as in effect on the day before the date of en14 actment of this Act. 

15 (b) LENGTH OF CONTINUATION GRANT.—The Ad16 ministrator of the Small Business Administration may 

17 award a grant under section 29 of the Small Business Act 

18 (15 U.S.C. 656), as amended by this Act, to a nonprofit 

19 organization receiving a grant under section (m) of such 

20 section 29, as in effect on the day before the date of enact21 ment of this Act, for the period— 

22 (1) beginning on the day after the last day of 

23 the grant agreement under such section 29(m); and 

24 (2) ending at the end of the third fiscal year be25 ginning after the date of enactment of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 4. REGULATIONS. 

2 Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment 

3 of this Act, the Administrator of Small Business Adminis4 tration shall issue rules as are necessary to carry out sec5 tion 29 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656), as 

6 amended by this Act, and ensure that a period of public 

7 comment for those rules is not less than 60 days. 

Æ 


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