IIB 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 1680 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 9, 2018 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and 

Entrepreneurship 

AN ACT 

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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Women’s Business 

3 Centers Improvements Act of 2018’’. 

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

5 PROGRAM. 

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

7 is amended to read as follows: 

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

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

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

11 ‘Assistant Administrator’ means the Assistant Ad12 ministrator of the Office of Women’s Business Own13 ership established under subsection (l). 

14 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en15 tity’ means— 

16 ‘‘(A) an organization described in section 

17 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 

18 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) 

19 of such Code; 

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

21 development organization, so long as the orga22 nization certifies that grant funds received 

23 under this section will not be co-mingled with 

24 other funds; 

25 ‘‘(C) an institution of higher education (as 

26 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 


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1 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)), unless such in2 stitution is currently receiving a grant under 

3 section 21; 

4 ‘‘(D) a development, credit, or finance cor5 poration chartered by a State, so long as the 

6 corporation certifies that grant funds received 

7 under this section will not be comingled with 

8 other funds; or 

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

10 subparagraphs (A) through (D). 

11 ‘‘(3) SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN OWNED AND

12 CONTROLLED BY WOMEN.—The term ‘small business 

13 concern owned and controlled by women’ has the 

14 meaning given under section 3(n). 

15 ‘‘(4) WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER.—The term 

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

17 which counseling and training on the management, 

18 operations (including manufacturing, services, and 

19 retail), access to capital, international trade, Govern20 ment procurement opportunities, and any other mat21 ter that is needed to start, maintain, or expand a 

22 small business concern owned and controlled by 

23 women. 

24 ‘‘(b) AUTHORITY.— 


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

2 Women’s Business Center Program under which the 

3 Administrator may provide a grant to any eligible 

4 entity to operate one or more women’s business cen5 ters for the benefit of small business concerns owned 

6 and controlled by women. 

7 ‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—The women’s business 

8 centers shall be designed to provide counseling and 

9 training that meets the needs of the small business 

10 concerns owned and controlled by women, especially 

11 socially or economically disadvantaged women, and 

12 shall provide— 

13 ‘‘(A) financial assistance, including train14 ing and counseling in how to apply for and se15 cure business credit and investment capital, 

16 preparing and presenting financial statements, 

17 and managing cash flow and other financial op18 erations of a small business concern; 

19 ‘‘(B) management assistance, including 

20 training and counseling in how to plan, orga21 nize, staff, direct, and control each major activ22 ity and function of a small business concern; 

23 and 

24 ‘‘(C) marketing assistance, including train25 ing and counseling in identifying and segVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:43 May 11, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1680.RFS H1680

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1 menting domestic and international market op2 portunities, preparing and executing marketing 

3 plans, developing pricing strategies, locating 

4 contract opportunities, negotiating contracts, 

5 and utilizing varying public relations and adver6 tising techniques. 

7 ‘‘(3) TYPES OF GRANTS.— 

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

9 initial grant provided under this subsection to 

10 an eligible entity shall be not more than 

11 $185,000 (as such amount is annually adjusted 

12 by the Administrator to reflect the change in 

13 inflation). 

14 ‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL GRANTS.— 

15 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—With respect to an 

16 eligible entity that has received a grant, 

17 the Administrator may award an additional 

18 grant of up to $65,000, to be dispersed 

19 after the expiration of the term of the ini20 tial grant under this subsection if the Ad21 ministrator determines that the eligible en22 tity— 

23 ‘‘(I) has agreed to obtain, after 

24 its application has been approved and 

25 notice of award has been issued, cash 


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1 contributions from non-Federal 

2 sources of 1 non-Federal dollar for 

3 each Federal dollar; 

4 ‘‘(II) is in good standing with the 

5 Women’s Business Center Program; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(III) has met performance goals 

8 for grant term of the initial grant, if 

9 applicable. 

10 ‘‘(ii) LIMITATIONS.—The Adminis11 trator may only award additional grants 

12 under clause (i)— 

13 ‘‘(I) during the 3rd and 4th 

14 quarters of the grant term of the ini15 tial grant; and 

16 ‘‘(II) from unobligated amounts 

17 made available to the Administrator 

18 to carry out this section. 

19 ‘‘(C) CONTINUATION GRANTS.—The Ad20 ministrator may award a continuation grant of 

21 up to $150,000 to an eligible entity that re22 ceived an initial grant under subparagraph (A). 

23 There shall be no limitation on the number of 

24 continuation grants an eligible entity may re25 ceive under this section. 


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1 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.— 

2 ‘‘(1) INITIAL GRANTS AND CONTINUATION

3 GRANTS.—To receive an initial grant or continuation 

4 grant under this section, an eligible entity shall sub5 mit an application to the Administrator in such 

6 form, in such manner, and containing such informa7 tion as the Administrator may require, including— 

8 ‘‘(A) a certification that the eligible enti9 ty— 

10 ‘‘(i) has designated an executive direc11 tor or program manager, who may be com12 pensated using grant funds awarded under 

13 this section or other sources, to manage 

14 the women’s business center for which a 

15 grant under subsection (b) is sought; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) meets the accounting and report17 ing requirements established under guid18 ance issued by the Director of the Office of 

19 Management and Budget for the eligible 

20 entity; 

21 ‘‘(B) information demonstrating the expe22 rience and effectiveness of the eligible entity 

23 in— 

24 ‘‘(i) provide counseling and training 

25 described under subsection (b)(2); 


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1 ‘‘(ii) providing training and services to 

2 a representative number of women who are 

3 socially or economically disadvantaged; and 

4 ‘‘(iii) working with resource partners 

5 of the Administration and other entities; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(C) a 5-year plan that— 

8 ‘‘(i) includes information relating to 

9 the assistance to be provided by the wom10 en’s business center in the area in which 

11 the women’s business center is located; 

12 ‘‘(ii) describes the ability of the eligi13 ble entity to meet the needs of the market 

14 to be served by the women’s business cen15 ter, including the ability to fundraise to ob16 tain the matching funds required under 

17 subsection (e); and 

18 ‘‘(iii) describes the ability of the eligi19 ble entity to provide counseling and train20 ing described under subsection (b)(2), in21 cluding to a representative number of 

22 women who are socially or economically 

23 disadvantaged. 

24 ‘‘(2) RECORD RETENTION.— 


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

2 shall maintain a copy of each application sub3 mitted under this subsection for not less than 

4 5 years. 

5 ‘‘(B) PAPERWORK REDUCTION.—The Ad6 ministrator shall take steps to reduce, to the 

7 maximum extent practicable, the paperwork 

8 burden associated with carrying out subpara9 graph (A). 

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

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

12 initial grants, the Administrator shall consider— 

13 ‘‘(A) the experience of the applicant in pro14 viding entrepreneurial training; 

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

16 applicant to commence operation of a women’s 

17 business center; 

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

19 the accreditation standards established under 

20 subsection (l)(4) in a timely manner; 

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

22 operations, including its ability to obtain suffi23 cient non-Federal funds, for a 5-year period; 

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

25 business center to be operated by the applicant 


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1 eligible entity and its proximity to Veteran 

2 Business Outreach Centers and to recipients of 

3 grants under section 8(b)(1) or 21; and 

4 ‘‘(F) the population density of the area to 

5 be served by the women’s business center oper6 ated by the applicant eligible entity. 

7 ‘‘(2) SELECTION CRITERIA.— 

8 ‘‘(A) RULEMAKING.—The Administrator 

9 shall issue regulations to specify the criteria for 

10 review and selection of applicants under this 

11 subsection. 

12 ‘‘(B) MODIFICATIONS PROHIBITED AFTER

13 ANNOUNCEMENT.—With respect to a public an14 nouncement of any opportunity to be awarded 

15 a grant under this section made by the Admin16 istrator pursuant to subsection (j)(1), the Ad17 ministrator may not modify regulations issued 

18 pursuant to subparagraph (A) with respect to 

19 such opportunity unless required to do so by an 

20 Act of Congress or an order of a Federal court. 

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

22 in this clause may be construed as prohibiting 

23 the Administrator from modifying the regula24 tions issued pursuant to subparagraph (A) 

25 (after providing an opportunity for notice and 


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1 comment) as such regulations apply to an op2 portunity to be awarded a grant under this sec3 tion that the Administrator has not yet publicly 

4 announced pursuant to subsection (j)(1). 

5 ‘‘(e) MATCHING REQUIREMENTS.— 

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

7 upon approval of an application submitted under 

8 subsection (c), the eligible entity shall agree to ob9 tain contributions from non-Federal sources— 

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

11 term of an initial grant, if applicable, 1 non12 Federal dollar for each 2 Federal dollars; and 

13 ‘‘(B) in each year of the term of an initial 

14 grant, if applicable, 1 non-Federal dollar for 

15 each Federal dollar. 

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

17 than one-half of non-Federal matching funds de18 scribed under paragraph (1) may be in the form of 

19 in-kind contributions that are budget line items only, 

20 including office equipment and office space. 

21 ‘‘(3) DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS.—The Admin22 istrator may disburse an amount not greater than 

23 25 percent of the total amount of a grant awarded 

24 to an eligible entity before such eligible entity obVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:43 May 11, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1680.RFS H1680

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1 tains the non-Federal matching funds described 

2 under paragraph (1). 

3 ‘‘(4) FAILURE TO OBTAIN MATCHING FUNDS.— 

4 If an eligible entity fails to obtain the required 

5 matching funds described under paragraph (1), the 

6 eligible entity may not be eligible to receive advance 

7 disbursements pursuant to paragraph (3) during the 

8 remainder of the term, if applicable, of a grant 

9 awarded under this section. Before approving such 

10 eligible entity for an additional grant or continuation 

11 grant under this section, the Administrator shall 

12 make a written determination, including the reasons 

13 for such determination, of whether the Adminis14 trator believes that the eligible entity will be able to 

15 obtain the requisite funding under paragraph (1) for 

16 such additional grant or continuation grant. 

17 ‘‘(5) WAIVER OF NON-FEDERAL SHARE.— 

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

19 eligible entity, and in accordance with this para20 graph, the Administrator may waive, in whole 

21 or in part, the requirement to obtain non-Fed22 eral matching funds for a grant awarded under 

23 this section for the eligible entity for a fiscal 

24 year. The Administrator may not issue such a 


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1 waiver for more than a total of 2 consecutive 

2 fiscal years. 

3 ‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining 

4 whether to issue a waiver under this paragraph, 

5 the Administrator shall consider— 

6 ‘‘(i) the economic conditions affecting 

7 the eligible entity; 

8 ‘‘(ii) the impact the waiver would have 

9 on the credibility of the Women’s Business 

10 Center Program under this section; 

11 ‘‘(iii) the demonstrated ability of the 

12 eligible entity to raise non-Federal funds; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(iv) the performance of the eligible 

15 entity under the initial grant. 

16 ‘‘(C) LIMITATION.—The Administrator 

17 may not issue a waiver under this paragraph if 

18 granting the waiver would undermine the credi19 bility of the Women’s Business Center Pro20 gram. 

21 ‘‘(6) EXCESS NON-FEDERAL DOLLARS.—The 

22 amount of non-Federal dollars obtained by an eligi23 ble entity that is above the amount that is required 

24 to be obtained by the eligible entity under this sub25 section shall not be subject to the requirements of 


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1 part 200 of title 2, Code of Federal Regulations, or 

2 any successor thereto, if such amount of non-Fed3 eral dollars— 

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

5 purposes of implementing the Women’s Busi6 ness Center Program; and 

7 ‘‘(B) was not obtained using funds from 

8 the Women’s Business Center Program. 

9 ‘‘(f) OTHER REQUIREMENTS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) SEPARATION OF FUNDS.—An eligible enti11 ty shall— 

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

13 under this section separately from other 

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

15 ‘‘(B) separately maintain and account for 

16 any grants received under this section. 

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

18 ‘‘(A) REQUIRED SITE VISIT.—Before re19 ceiving an initial grant under this section, each 

20 applicant shall have a site visit by an employee 

21 of the Administration, in order to ensure that 

22 the applicant has sufficient resources to provide 

23 the services for which the grant is being pro24 vided. 


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

2 the Administration shall— 

3 ‘‘(i) conduct an annual review of the 

4 compliance of each eligible entity receiving 

5 an initial grant under this section with the 

6 grant agreement, including a financial ex7 amination; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) provide such review to the eligi9 ble entity as required under subsection 

10 (j)(3). 

11 ‘‘(3) REMEDIATION OF PROBLEMS.— 

12 ‘‘(A) PLAN OF ACTION.—If a review of an 

13 eligible entity under paragraph (2)(B) identifies 

14 any problems, the eligible entity shall, within 45 

15 calendar days of receiving a copy of such re16 view, provide the Assistant Administrator with 

17 a plan of action, including specific milestones, 

18 for correcting such problems. 

19 ‘‘(B) PLAN OF ACTION REVIEW BY THE AS20 SISTANT ADMINISTRATOR.—The Assistant Ad21 ministrator shall review each plan of action sub22 mitted under subparagraph (A) within 30 cal23 endar days of receiving such plan. If the Assist24 ant Administrator determines that such plan— 


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

2 compliance with all the terms of the grant 

3 agreement, the Assistant Administrator 

4 shall approve such plan; or 

5 ‘‘(ii) is inadequate to remedy the 

6 problems identified in the annual review to 

7 which the plan of action relates, the Assist8 ant Administrator shall set forth such rea9 sons in writing and provide such deter10 mination to the eligible entity within 15 

11 calendar days of such determination. 

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

13 An eligible entity receiving a determination 

14 under subparagraph (B)(ii) shall have 30 cal15 endar days from the receipt of the determina16 tion to amend the plan of action to satisfy the 

17 problems identified by the Assistant Adminis18 trator and resubmit such plan to the Assistant 

19 Administrator. 

20 ‘‘(D) AMENDED PLAN REVIEW BY THE AS21 SISTANT ADMINISTRATOR.—Within 15 calendar 

22 days of the receipt of an amended plan of ac23 tion under subparagraph (C), the Assistant Ad24 ministrator shall either approve or reject such 


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1 plan and provide such approval or rejection in 

2 writing to the eligible entity. 

3 ‘‘(E) APPEAL OF ASSISTANT ADMINIS4 TRATOR DETERMINATION.— 

5 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—If the Assistant 

6 Administrator rejects an amended plan 

7 under subparagraph (D), the eligible entity 

8 shall have the opportunity to appeal such 

9 decision to the Administrator, who may 

10 delegate such appeal to an appropriate of11 ficer of the Administration. 

12 ‘‘(ii) OPPORTUNITY FOR EXPLA13 NATION.—Any appeal described under 

14 clause (i) shall provide an opportunity for 

15 the eligible entity to provide, in writing, an 

16 explanation of why the eligible entity’s 

17 amended plan remedies the problems iden18 tified in the annual review conducted under 

19 paragraph (2)(B). 

20 ‘‘(iii) NOTICE OF DETERMINATION.— 

21 The Administrator shall provide to the eli22 gible entity a determination of the appeal, 

23 in writing, not later than 15 calendar days 

24 after the eligible entity files an appeal 

25 under this subparagraph. 


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1 ‘‘(iv) EFFECT OF FAILURE TO ACT.— 

2 If the Administrator fails to act on an ap3 peal made under this subparagraph within 

4 the 15-day period specified under clause 

5 (iii), the eligible entity’s amended plan of 

6 action submitted under subparagraph (C) 

7 shall be deemed to be approved. 

8 ‘‘(4) TERMINATION OF GRANT.— 

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

10 shall terminate a grant to an eligible entity 

11 under this section if the eligible entity fails to 

12 comply with— 

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

14 Assistant Administrator under paragraph 

15 (3)(B)(i); or 

16 ‘‘(ii) an amended plan of action ap17 proved by the Assistant Administrator 

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

19 appeal under paragraph (3)(E). 

20 ‘‘(B) APPEAL OF TERMINATION.—An eligi21 ble entity shall have the opportunity to chal22 lenge the termination of a grant under subpara23 graph (A) on the record and after an oppor24 tunity for a hearing. 


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1 ‘‘(C) FINAL AGENCY ACTION.—A deter2 mination made pursuant to subparagraph (B) 

3 shall be considered final agency action for the 

4 purposes of chapter 7 of title 5, United States 

5 Code. 

6 ‘‘(5) 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 such solicitation and management of the con14 tributions received. 

15 ‘‘(6) NOTICE AND COMMENT REQUIRED.—The 

16 Administrator may only make a change to the stand17 ards by which an eligible entity obtains or maintains 

18 grants under this section, the standards for accredi19 tation, or any other requirement for the operation of 

20 a women’s business center if the Administrator first 

21 provides notice and the opportunity for public com22 ment, as set forth in section 553(b) of title 5, 

23 United States Code, without regard to any excep24 tions provided for under such section. 

25 ‘‘(g) PROGRAM EXAMINATION.— 


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

2 ‘‘(A) develop and implement an annual 

3 programmatic and financial examination of 

4 each eligible entity, under which each such eligi5 ble entity shall provide to the Administration— 

6 ‘‘(i) an itemized cost breakdown of ac7 tual expenditures for costs incurred during 

8 the preceding year; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) documentation regarding the 

10 amount of matching assistance from non11 Federal sources obtained and expended by 

12 the eligible entity during the preceding 

13 year in order to meet the requirements of 

14 subsection (e) and, with respect to any in15 kind contributions described in subsection 

16 (e)(2) that were used to satisfy the re17 quirements of subsection (e), verification of 

18 the existence and valuation of those con19 tributions; and 

20 ‘‘(B) analyze the results of each such ex21 amination and, based on that analysis, make a 

22 determination regarding the programmatic and 

23 financial viability of each women’s business cen24 ter operated by the eligible entity. 


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

2 In determining whether to award a continuation 

3 grant, the Administrator— 

4 ‘‘(A) shall consider the results of the most 

5 recent examination of the eligible entity under 

6 paragraph (1); and 

7 ‘‘(B) shall determine if— 

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

9 provide, or provided inadequate, informa10 tion under paragraph (1)(A); or 

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

12 provide any information required to be pro13 vided by the women’s business center for 

14 purposes of the management report under 

15 subsection (k)(1), or the information pro16 vided by the center is inadequate. 

17 ‘‘(h) CONTRACT AUTHORITY.— 

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

19 receives a grant under this section may enter into a 

20 contract with a Federal department or agency to 

21 provide specific assistance to small business concerns 

22 owned and controlled by women and other under23 served small business concerns, if performance of 

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1 gible entity to carry out the terms of a grant re2 ceived under this section. 

3 ‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATOR.—The authority of the 

4 Administrator to enter into contracts shall be in ef5 fect for each fiscal year only to the extent and in the 

6 amounts as are provided in advance in appropria7 tions Acts. After the Administrator has entered into 

8 a contract, either as a grant or a cooperative agree9 ment, with any applicant under this section, the Ad10 ministrator shall not suspend, terminate, or fail to 

11 renew or extend any such contract unless the Ad12 ministrator provides the applicant with written noti13 fication setting forth the reasons therefore and af14 fords the applicant an opportunity for a hearing, ap15 peal, or other administrative proceeding under chap16 ter 5 of title 5, United States Code. 

17 ‘‘(i) PRIVACY REQUIREMENTS.— 

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

19 may not disclose the name, address, or telephone 

20 number of any individual or small business concern 

21 receiving assistance under this section without the 

22 consent of such individual or small business concern, 

23 unless— 

24 ‘‘(A) the Administrator is ordered to make 

25 such a disclosure by a court in any civil or 


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1 criminal enforcement action initiated by a Fed2 eral or State agency; or 

3 ‘‘(B) the Administrator considers such a 

4 disclosure to be necessary for the purpose of 

5 conducting a financial audit of a women’s busi6 ness center, except that such a disclosure shall 

7 be limited to the information necessary for such 

8 audit. 

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

10 This subsection shall not— 

11 ‘‘(A) restrict Administration access to 

12 women’s business center data; or 

13 ‘‘(B) prevent the Administration from 

14 using information about individuals who use 

15 women’s business centers (other than the infor16 mation described in subparagraph (A)) to con17 duct surveys of such individuals. 

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

19 issue regulations to establish standards for disclo20 sures for purposes of a financial audit under para21 graph (1)(B). 

22 ‘‘(j) NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE

23 WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM.—The Adminis24 trator shall provide the following: 


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

2 to be awarded grants under this section, to include 

3 the selection criteria under subsection (d) and any 

4 applicable regulations. 

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

6 section that failed to obtain such a grant, an oppor7 tunity to debrief with the Administrator to review 

8 the reasons for the applicant’s failure. 

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

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

11 the eligible entity is carried out by an officer or em12 ployee of the Administration (other than the Inspec13 tor General), a copy of the site visit report or eval14 uation, as applicable, within 30 calendar days of the 

15 completion of such visit or evaluation. 

16 ‘‘(k) REPORTS.— 

17 ‘‘(1) MANAGEMENT REPORT.— 

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

19 shall prepare and submit to the Committee on 

20 Small Business of the House of Representatives 

21 and the Committee on Small Business and En22 trepreneurship of the Senate a report on the ef23 fectiveness of women’s business centers oper24 ated through a grant awarded under this sec25 tion. 


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1 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—Each report submitted 

2 under paragraph (1) shall include information 

3 concerning, with respect to each women’s busi4 ness center established pursuant to a grant 

5 awarded under this section— 

6 ‘‘(i) the number of individuals receiv7 ing assistance; 

8 ‘‘(ii) the number of startup business 

9 concerns formed; 

10 ‘‘(iii) the gross receipts of assisted 

11 concerns; 

12 ‘‘(iv) the employment increases or de13 creases of assisted concerns; 

14 ‘‘(v) to the maximum extent prac15 ticable, increases or decreases in profits of 

16 assisted concerns; and 

17 ‘‘(vi) the most recent analysis, as re18 quired under subsection (g)(1)(B), and the 

19 subsequent determination made by the Ad20 ministration under that subsection. 

21 ‘‘(2) STUDY AND REPORT ON REPRESENTATION

22 OF WOMEN.— 

23 ‘‘(A) STUDY.—The Administrator shall pe24 riodically conduct a study to identify industries, 

25 as defined under the North American Industry 


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1 Classification System, underrepresented by 

2 small business concerns owned and controlled 

3 by women. 

4 ‘‘(B) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years 

5 after the date of enactment of this subsection, 

6 and every 5 years thereafter, the Administrator 

7 shall submit to the Committee on Small Busi8 ness and Entrepreneurship of the Senate and 

9 the Committee on Small Business of the House 

10 of Representatives a report on the results of 

11 each study under paragraph (1) conducted dur12 ing the 5-year period ending on the date of the 

13 report. 

14 ‘‘(l) OFFICE OF WOMEN’S BUSINESS OWNERSHIP.— 

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

16 within the Administration an Office of Women’s 

17 Business Ownership, which shall be responsible for 

18 the administration of the Administration’s programs 

19 for the development of women’s business enterprises 

20 (as defined in section 408 of the Women’s Business 

21 Ownership Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 7108)). The Of22 fice of Women’s Business Ownership shall be admin23 istered by an Assistant Administrator, who shall be 

24 appointed by the Administrator. 


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1 ‘‘(2) ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR OF THE OF2 FICE OF WOMEN’S BUSINESS OWNERSHIP.— 

3 ‘‘(A) QUALIFICATION.—The position of As4 sistant Administrator shall be a Senior Execu5 tive Service position under section 3132(a)(2) 

6 of title 5, United States Code. The Assistant 

7 Administrator shall serve as a noncareer ap8 pointee (as defined in section 3132(a)(7) of 

9 that title). 

10 ‘‘(B) DUTIES.—The Assistant Adminis11 trator shall administer the programs and serv12 ices of the Office of Women’s Business Owner13 ship and perform the following functions: 

14 ‘‘(i) Recommend the annual adminis15 trative and program budgets of the Office 

16 and eligible entities receiving a grant 

17 under the Women’s Business Center Pro18 gram. 

19 ‘‘(ii) Review the annual budgets sub20 mitted by each eligible entity receiving a 

21 grant under the Women’s Business Center 

22 Program. 

23 ‘‘(iii) Collaborate with other Federal 

24 departments and agencies, State and local 

25 governments, not-for-profit organizations, 


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1 and for-profit organizations to maximize 

2 utilization of taxpayer dollars and reduce 

3 (or eliminate) any duplication among the 

4 programs overseen by the Office of Wom5 en’s Business Ownership and those of 

6 other entities that provide similar services 

7 to women entrepreneurs. 

8 ‘‘(iv) Maintain a clearinghouse to pro9 vide for the dissemination and exchange of 

10 information between women’s business cen11 ters. 

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

13 the Interagency Committee on Women’s 

14 Business Enterprise and as the liaison for 

15 the National Women’s Business Council. 

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

17 Women’s Business Ownership shall be to assist 

18 women entrepreneurs to start, grow, and compete in 

19 global markets by providing quality support with ac20 cess to capital, access to markets, job creation, 

21 growth, and counseling by— 

22 ‘‘(A) fostering participation of women en23 trepreneurs in the economy by overseeing a net24 work of women’s business centers throughout 

25 States and territories; 


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1 ‘‘(B) creating public-private partnerships 

2 to support women entrepreneurs and conduct 

3 outreach and education to small business con4 cerns owned and controlled by women; and 

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

6 Administrator to— 

7 ‘‘(i) ensure women are well-rep8 resented in those programs and being 

9 served by those programs; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) identify gaps where participation 

11 by women in those programs could be in12 creased. 

13 ‘‘(4) ACCREDITATION PROGRAM.— 

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

15 270 days after the date of enactment of this 

16 paragraph, the Administrator shall publish 

17 standards for a program to accredit eligible en18 tities that receive a grant under this section. 

19 ‘‘(B) PUBLIC COMMENT; TRANSITION.— 

20 Before publishing the standards under subpara21 graph (A), the Administrator— 

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

23 than 60 days for public comment on such 

24 standards; and 


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

2 this section absent evidence of fraud or 

3 other criminal misconduct by the recipient. 

4 ‘‘(C) CONTRACTING AUTHORITY.—The Ad5 ministrator may provide financial assistance, by 

6 contract or otherwise, to a relevant national 

7 women’s business center representative associa8 tion to provide assistance in establishing the 

9 standards required under subparagraph (A) or 

10 for carrying out an accreditation program pur11 suant to such standards. 

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 $21,750,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 

17 2022. 

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 2018, 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 the following amounts shall be available: 

6 ‘‘(i) For the first fiscal year beginning 

7 after the date of the enactment of this sub8 paragraph, 2.65 percent. 

9 ‘‘(ii) For the second fiscal year begin10 ning after the date of the enactment of 

11 this subparagraph and each fiscal year 

12 thereafter through fiscal year 2022, 2.5 

13 percent. 

14 ‘‘(3) EXPEDITED ACQUISITION.—Notwith15 standing any other provision of law, the Adminis16 trator may use such expedited acquisition methods 

17 as the Administrator determines to be appropriate to 

18 carry out this section, except that the Administrator 

19 shall ensure that all small business sources are pro20 vided a reasonable opportunity to submit pro21 posals.’’. 

22 SEC. 3. EFFECT ON EXISTING GRANTS. 

23 (a) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—A nonprofit organiza24 tion receiving a grant under section 29(m) of the Small 

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


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

2 to receive the grant under the terms and conditions in ef3 fect for the grant on the day before the date of enactment 

4 of this Act, except that the nonprofit organization may 

5 not apply for a continuation of the grant under section 

6 29(m)(5) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

7 656(m)(5)), as in effect on the day before the date of en8 actment of this Act. 

9 (b) LENGTH OF CONTINUATION GRANT.—The Ad10 ministrator of the Small Business Administration may 

11 award a grant under section 29(m) of the Small Business 

12 Act, as amended by this Act, to a nonprofit organization 

13 receiving a grant under section 29(m) of the Small Busi14 ness Act (15 U.S.C. 656(m)), as in effect on the day be15 fore the date of enactment of this Act, for the period— 

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

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

18 (2) ending at the end of the third fiscal year be19 ginning after the date of enactment of this Act. 

20 SEC. 4. REGULATIONS. 

21 Not later than 270 days after the date of the enact22 ment of this Act, the Administrator of Small Business Ad23 ministration shall publish in the Federal Register such 

24 regulations as are necessary to carry out section 29 of the 

25 Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656), as amended by this 


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1 Act. The Administrator shall accept public comments on 

2 such proposed regulations for a period of not less than 

3 60 days. 

Passed the House of Representatives May 8, 2018. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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