I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3619 

To amend and extend The State Trade and Export Promotion Grant 

Program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 22, 2013 

Ms. BASS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Small Business 

A BILL 

To amend and extend The State Trade and Export 

Promotion 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 ‘‘STEP A Act of 2013’’. 

5 SEC. 2. STATE TRADE AND EXPORT PROMOTION GRANT 

6 PROGRAM. 

7 The Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.) is 

8 amended— 

9 (1) by redesignating section 47 as section 48; 

10 and 


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1 (2) by inserting after section 46 the following: 

2 ‘‘SEC. 47. STATE TRADE AND EXPORT PROMOTION GRANT 

3 PROGRAM. 

4 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

5 ‘‘(1) the term ‘eligible small business concern’ 

6 means a small business concern that— 

7 ‘‘(A) has been in business for not less than 

8 the 1-year period ending on the date on which 

9 assistance is provided using a grant under this 

10 section; 

11 ‘‘(B) is operating profitably, based on op12 erations in the United States; 

13 ‘‘(C) has demonstrated understanding of 

14 the costs associated with exporting and doing 

15 business with foreign purchasers, including the 

16 costs of freight forwarding, customs brokers, 

17 packing and shipping, as determined by the As18 sociate Administrator; and 

19 ‘‘(D) has in effect a strategic plan for ex20 porting; 

21 ‘‘(2) the term ‘program’ means the State Trade 

22 and Export Promotion Grant Program established 

23 under subsection (b); 

24 ‘‘(3) the term ‘small business concern owned 

25 and controlled by women’ has the meaning given 


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1 that term in section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 

2 U.S.C. 632); 

3 ‘‘(4) the term ‘socially and economically dis4 advantaged small business concern’ has the meaning 

5 given that term in section 8(a)(4)(A) of the Small 

6 Business Act (15 U.S.C. 6537(a)(4)(A)); and 

7 ‘‘(5) the term ‘State’ means each of the several 

8 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth 

9 of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Com10 monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and 

11 American Samoa. 

12 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—The Associate 

13 Administrator shall establish a trade and export pro14 motion program to be known as the State Trade and Ex15 port Promotion Grant Program, to make grants to States 

16 to carry out export programs that assist eligible small 

17 business concerns in— 

18 ‘‘(1) participation in a foreign trade mission; 

19 ‘‘(2) a foreign market sales trip; 

20 ‘‘(3) a subscription to services provided by the 

21 Department of Commerce; 

22 ‘‘(4) the payment of website translation fees; 

23 ‘‘(5) the design of international marketing 

24 media; 

25 ‘‘(6) a trade show exhibition; 


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1 ‘‘(7) participation in training workshops; or 

2 ‘‘(8) any other export initiative determined ap3 propriate by the Associate Administrator. 

4 ‘‘(c) GRANTS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) JOINT REVIEW.—In carrying out the pro6 gram, the Associate Administrator may make a 

7 grant to a State to increase the number of eligible 

8 small business concerns in the State that export or 

9 to increase the value of the exports by eligible small 

10 business concerns in the State. 

11 ‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In making grants 

12 under this section, the Associate Administrator may 

13 give priority to an application by a State that pro14 poses a program that— 

15 ‘‘(A) focuses on eligible small business con16 cerns as part of an export promotion program; 

17 ‘‘(B) demonstrates success in promoting 

18 exports by— 

19 ‘‘(i) socially and economically dis20 advantaged small business concerns; 

21 ‘‘(ii) small business concerns owned or 

22 controlled by women; and 

23 ‘‘(iii) rural small business concerns; 

24 ‘‘(C) promotes exports from a State that is 

25 not 1 of the 10 States with the highest percentVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:26 Nov 27, 2013 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3619.IH H3619

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1 age of exporters that are small business con2 cerns, based upon the latest data available from 

3 the Department of Commerce; and 

4 ‘‘(D) promotes new-to-market export op5 portunities to Sub-Saharan Africa for eligible 

6 small business concerns in the United States. 

7 ‘‘(3) LIMITATIONS.— 

8 ‘‘(A) SINGLE APPLICATION.—A State may 

9 not submit more than 1 application for a grant 

10 under the program in any 1 fiscal year. 

11 ‘‘(B) PROPORTION OF AMOUNTS.—The 

12 total value of grants under the program made 

13 during a fiscal year to the 10 States with the 

14 highest number of exporters that are small 

15 business concerns, based upon the latest data 

16 available from the Department of Commerce, 

17 shall be not more than 40 percent of the 

18 amounts appropriated for the program for that 

19 fiscal year. 

20 ‘‘(4) APPLICATION.—A State desiring a grant 

21 under the program shall submit an application at 

22 such time, in such manner, and accompanied by 

23 such information as the Associate Administrator 

24 may establish. 


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1 ‘‘(d) COMPETITIVE BASIS.—The Associate Adminis2 trator shall award grants under the program on a competi3 tive basis. 

4 ‘‘(e) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the 

5 cost of an export program carried out using a grant under 

6 the program shall be— 

7 ‘‘(1) for a State that has a high export volume, 

8 as determined by the Associate Administrator, not 

9 more than 65 percent; and 

10 ‘‘(2) for a State that does not have a high ex11 port volume, as determined by the Associate Admin12 istrator, not more than 75 percent. 

13 ‘‘(f) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non-Federal share 

14 of the cost of an export program carried using a grant 

15 under the program shall be comprised of not less than 50 

16 percent cash and not more than 50 percent of indirect 

17 costs and in-kind contributions, except that no such costs 

18 or contributions may be derived from funds from any 

19 other Federal program. 

20 ‘‘(g) REPORTS.—The Associate Administrator shall 

21 submit an annual report to the Committee on Small Busi22 ness and Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Com23 mittee on Small Business of the House of Representatives 

24 regarding the State Trade and Export Promotion Grant 

25 Program, which shall include— 


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1 ‘‘(1) the description of the program and the se2 lection process conducted by States to award grants 

3 to small business concerns; 

4 ‘‘(2) the number and amount of grants made 

5 under the program during the preceding year; 

6 ‘‘(3) a list of the States receiving a grant under 

7 the program during the preceding year, including 

8 the activities being performed with grant; 

9 ‘‘(4) the effect of each grant on exports by eligi10 ble small business concerns in the State receiving 

11 the grant; and 

12 ‘‘(5) the number of grants and amounts award13 ed under the program covering exports to Sub-Saha14 ran Africa. 

15 ‘‘(h) REVIEWS BY INSPECTOR GENERAL.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Inspector General of 

17 the Administration shall conduct a review of— 

18 ‘‘(A) the extent to which recipients of 

19 grants under the program are measuring the 

20 performance of the activities being conducted 

21 and the results of the measurements; and 

22 ‘‘(B) the overall management and effective23 ness of the program. 

24 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than the date that is 

25 2 years after the date of enactment of this section, 


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1 and every 2 years thereafter, the Inspector General 

2 of the Administration shall submit to the Committee 

3 on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Sen4 ate and the Committee on Small Business of the 

5 House of Representatives a report regarding the re6 view conducted under paragraph (1). 

7 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

8 authorized to be appropriated to carry out the program 

9 $30,000,000 for each fiscal year after the date of enact10 ment of this section.’’. 

Æ 


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