I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1680 

To amend the Small Business Act to improve the women’s business center 

program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 22, 2017 

Mr. KNIGHT (for himself and Mr. LAWSON of Florida) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Small Business 

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 Improvements Act of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. OFFICE OF WOMEN’S BUSINESS OWNERSHIP. 

7 Section 29(g) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

8 656(g)) is amended— 

9 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking subparagraphs 

10 (B) and (C) and inserting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(B) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The responsibil2 ities of the Assistant Administrator shall be to 

3 administer the programs and services of the Of4 fice of Women’s Business Ownership. 

5 ‘‘(C) DUTIES.—The Assistant Adminis6 trator shall perform the following functions 

7 with respect to the Office of Women’s Business 

8 Ownership: 

9 ‘‘(i) Recommend the annual adminis10 trative and program budgets of the Office 

11 and eligible entities receiving a grant 

12 under the Women’s Business Center Pro13 gram. 

14 ‘‘(ii) Review the annual budgets sub15 mitted by each eligible entity receiving a 

16 grant under the Women’s Business Center 

17 Program. 

18 ‘‘(iii) Select applicants to receive 

19 grants to operate a women’s business cen20 ter after reviewing information required by 

21 this section, including the budget of each 

22 applicant. 

23 ‘‘(iv) 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 enterprises to maximize uti2 lization of taxpayer dollars and reduce (or 

3 eliminate) any duplication among the pro4 grams overseen by the Office of Women’s 

5 Business Ownership and those of other en6 tities that provide similar services to 

7 women entrepreneurs. 

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

10 information between women’s business cen11 ters. 

12 ‘‘(vi) 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 and 

17 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

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

19 Women’s Business Ownership shall be to assist 

20 women entrepreneurs to start, grow, and compete in 

21 global markets by providing quality support with ac22 cess to capital, access to markets, job creation, 

23 growth, and counseling by— 

24 ‘‘(A) fostering participation of women en25 trepreneurs in the economy by overseeing a netVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:48 Mar 28, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1680.IH H1680

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1 work of women’s business centers throughout 

2 States and territories; 

3 ‘‘(B) creating public-private partnerships 

4 to support women entrepreneurs and conduct 

5 outreach and education to startup and existing 

6 small business concerns owned and controlled 

7 by women; and 

8 ‘‘(C) working with other programs over9 seen by the Administrator to ensure women are 

10 well-represented and being served and to iden11 tify gaps where participation by women could 

12 be increased. 

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 establish 

17 standards for an accreditation program for ac18 crediting eligible entities receiving a grant 

19 under this section, after notice and the oppor20 tunity for public comment of no less than 60 

21 days. 

22 ‘‘(B) TRANSITION PROVISION.—Before the 

23 date on which standards are established under 

24 subparagraph (A), the Administrator may not 

25 terminate a grant under this section absent eviVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:48 Mar 28, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1680.IH H1680

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1 dence of fraud or other criminal misconduct by 

2 the recipient. 

3 ‘‘(C) CONTRACTING AUTHORITY.—The Ad4 ministrator may provide financial assistance, by 

5 contract or otherwise, to a relevant national 

6 women’s business center representative associa7 tion to provide assistance in establishing the 

8 standards required under subparagraph (A) or 

9 for carrying out an accreditation program pur10 suant to such standards.’’. 

11 SEC. 3. WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM. 

12 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 29(a) of the Small Busi13 ness Act (15 U.S.C. 656(a)) is amended— 

14 (1) by striking paragraph (4); 

15 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as 

16 paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; 

17 (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(2) the term ‘eligible entity’ means— 

20 ‘‘(A) an organization described in section 

21 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 

22 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) 

23 of such Code; 

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

25 development organization, so long as the orgaVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:48 Mar 28, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1680.IH H1680

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1 nization certifies that grant funds received 

2 under this section will not be co-mingled with 

3 other funds; 

4 ‘‘(C) an institution of higher education, 

5 unless such institution is currently receiving a 

6 grant under section 21; 

7 ‘‘(D) a development, credit, or finance cor8 poration chartered by a State, so long as the 

9 corporation certifies that grant funds received 

10 under this section will not be co-mingled with 

11 other funds; or 

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

13 subparagraphs (A) through (D);’’; and 

14 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(5) the term ‘women’s business center’ means 

16 the location at which counseling and training on the 

17 management, operations (including manufacturing, 

18 services, and retail), access to capital, international 

19 trade, Government procurement opportunities, and 

20 any other matter is needed to start, maintain, or ex21 pand a small business concern owned and controlled 

22 by women.’’. 

23 (b) AUTHORITY.—Section 29(b) of the Small Busi24 ness Act (15 U.S.C. 656(b)) is amended— 


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1 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), and 

2 (3) as subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C), respectively, 

3 and adjusting the margins accordingly; 

4 (2) by striking ‘‘The Administration’’ and all 

5 that follows through ‘‘5-year projects’’ and inserting 

6 the following: 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is established a 

8 Women’s Business Center Program under which the 

9 Administrator may provide a grant to any eligible 

10 entity to operate one or more women’s business cen11 ters’’; 

12 (3) by striking ‘‘The projects shall’’ and insert13 ing the following: 

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

15 centers shall be designed to provide counseling and 

16 training that meets the needs of women, especially 

17 socially or economically disadvantaged women, and 

18 shall’’; and 

19 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(3) AMOUNT OF GRANTS.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The amount of a 

22 grant provided under this subsection to an eligi23 ble entity per project year shall be not more 

24 than $185,000 (as such amount is annually adVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:48 Mar 28, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1680.IH H1680

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1 justed by the Administrator to reflect the 

2 change in inflation). 

3 ‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL GRANTS.— 

4 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding 

5 subparagraph (A), with respect to an eligi6 ble entity that has received $185,000 in 

7 grants under this subsection in a project 

8 year, the Administrator may award an ad9 ditional grant under this subsection of up 

10 to $65,000 during such project year if the 

11 Administrator determines that the eligible 

12 entity— 

13 ‘‘(I) agrees to obtain, after its 

14 application has been approved and no15 tice of award has been issued, cash 

16 contributions from non-Federal 

17 sources of 1 non-Federal dollar for 

18 each Federal dollar; 

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

20 Women’s Business Center Program; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(III) has met performance goals 

23 for the previous project year, if appli24 cable. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) LIMITATIONS.—The Adminis2 trator may only award additional grants 

3 under clause (i)— 

4 ‘‘(I) during the 3rd and 4th 

5 quarters of the fiscal year; and 

6 ‘‘(II) from unobligated amounts 

7 made available to the Administrator 

8 to carry out this section. 

9 ‘‘(4) NOTICE AND COMMENT REQUIRED.—The 

10 Administrator may only make a change to the stand11 ards by which an eligible entity obtains or maintains 

12 grants under this section, the standards for accredi13 tation, or any other requirement for the operation of 

14 a women’s business center if the Administrator first 

15 provides notice and the opportunity for public com16 ment, as set forth in section 553(b) of title 5, 

17 United States Code, without regard to any excep18 tions provided for under such section.’’. 

19 (c) CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION.—Section 29(c) 

20 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(c)) is amend21 ed— 

22 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

23 (A) by striking ‘‘the recipient organiza24 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘an eligible entity’’; and 


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1 (B) by striking ‘‘financial assistance’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘a grant’’; 

3 (2) in paragraph (3)— 

4 (A) by striking ‘‘financial assistance au5 thorized pursuant to this section may be made 

6 by grant, contract, or cooperative agreement 

7 and’’ and inserting ‘‘grants authorized pursuant 

8 to this section’’; and 

9 (B) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘a 

10 recipient organization’’ and inserting ‘‘an eligi11 ble entity’’; 

12 (3) in paragraph (4)— 

13 (A) by striking ‘‘recipient of assistance’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘eligible entity’’; 

15 (B) by striking ‘‘during any project, it 

16 shall not be eligible thereafter’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘during any project for 2 consecutive years, the 

18 eligible entity shall not be eligible at any time 

19 after that 2-year period’’; 

20 (C) by striking ‘‘such organization’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘the eligible entity’’; and 

22 (D) by striking ‘‘the recipient’’ and insert23 ing ‘‘the eligible entity’’; and 

24 (4) by adding at end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(5) SEPARATION OF PROJECT AND FUNDS.— 

2 An eligible entity shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) carry out a project under this section 

4 separately from other projects, if any, of the eli5 gible entity; and 

6 ‘‘(B) separately maintain and account for 

7 any grants under this section. 

8 ‘‘(6) EXAMINATION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 

9 ‘‘(A) REQUIRED SITE VISIT.—Each appli10 cant, prior to receiving a grant under this sec11 tion, shall have a site visit by an employee of 

12 the Administration, in order to ensure that the 

13 applicant has sufficient resources to provide the 

14 services for which the grant is being provided. 

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

16 the Administration shall— 

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

18 compliance of each eligible entity receiving 

19 a grant under this section with the grant 

20 agreement, including a financial examina21 tion; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) provide such review to the eligi23 ble entity as required under subsection (l). 

24 ‘‘(7) REMEDIATION OF PROBLEMS.— 


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

2 eligible entity under paragraph (6)(B) identifies 

3 any problems, the eligible entity shall, within 45 

4 calendar days of receiving such review, provide 

5 the Assistant Administrator with a plan of ac6 tion, including specific milestones, for cor7 recting such problems. 

8 ‘‘(B) PLAN OF ACTION REVIEW BY THE AS9 SISTANT ADMINISTRATOR.—The Assistant Ad10 ministrator shall review each plan of action sub11 mitted under subparagraph (A) within 30 cal12 endar days of receiving such plan and— 

13 ‘‘(i) if the Assistant Administrator de14 termines that such plan will bring the eligi15 ble entity into compliance with all the 

16 terms of the grant agreement, approve 

17 such plan; 

18 ‘‘(ii) if the Assistant Administrator 

19 determines that such plan is inadequate to 

20 remedy the problems identified in the an21 nual review to which the plan of action re22 lates, the Assistant Administrator shall set 

23 forth such reasons in writing and provide 

24 such determination to the eligible entity 


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1 within 15 calendar days of such determina2 tion. 

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

4 An eligible entity receiving a determination 

5 under subparagraph (B)(ii) shall have 30 cal6 endar days from the receipt of the determina7 tion to amend the plan of action to satisfy the 

8 problems identified by the Assistant Adminis9 trator and resubmit such plan to the Assistant 

10 Administrator. 

11 ‘‘(D) AMENDED PLAN REVIEW BY THE AS12 SISTANT ADMINISTRATOR.—Within 15 calendar 

13 days of the receipt of an amended plan of ac14 tion under subparagraph (C), the Assistant Ad15 ministrator shall either approve or reject such 

16 plan and provide such approval or rejection in 

17 writing to the eligible entity. 

18 ‘‘(E) APPEAL OF ASSISTANT ADMINIS19 TRATOR DETERMINATION.— 

20 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—If the Assistant 

21 Administrator rejects an amended plan 

22 under subparagraph (D), the eligible entity 

23 shall have the opportunity to appeal such 

24 decision to the Administrator, who may 


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1 delegate such appeal to an appropriate of2 ficer of the Administration. 

3 ‘‘(ii) OPPORTUNITY FOR EXPLA4 NATION.—Any appeal described under 

5 clause (i) shall provide an opportunity for 

6 the eligible entity to provide, in writing, an 

7 explanation of why the eligible entity’s plan 

8 remedies the problems identified in the an9 nual review. 

10 ‘‘(iii) NOTICE OF DETERMINATION.— 

11 The determination of the appeal shall be 

12 provided to the eligible entity, in writing, 

13 within 15 calendar days from the eligible 

14 entity’s filing of the appeal. 

15 ‘‘(iv) EFFECT OF FAILURE TO ACT.— 

16 If the Administrator fails to act on an ap17 peal made under this subparagraph within 

18 the 15-calendar-day period specified under 

19 clause (iii), the eligible entity’s amended 

20 plan of action submitted under subpara21 graph (C) shall be deemed to be approved. 

22 ‘‘(8) TERMINATION OF GRANT.— 

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

24 shall issue regulations (after providing an op25 portunity for notice and comment) to provide 


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1 that, if an eligible entity fails to comply with a 

2 plan of action approved by the Assistant Ad3 ministrator under paragraph (7)(B)(i) or an 

4 amended plan of action approved by the Assist5 ant Administrator under paragraph (7)(D) or 

6 approved on appeal under paragraph (7)(E), 

7 the Assistant Administrator shall terminate the 

8 grant provided to the eligible entity under this 

9 section. 

10 ‘‘(B) APPEAL OF TERMINATION.—An eligi11 ble entity that has a grant terminated under 

12 subparagraph (A) shall have the opportunity to 

13 challenge the termination on the record and 

14 after an opportunity for a hearing. 

15 ‘‘(C) FINAL AGENCY ACTION.—The deter16 mination made pursuant to subparagraph (B) 

17 shall be considered final agency action for the 

18 purposes of chapter 7, title 5, United States 

19 Code.’’. 

20 (d) SUBMISSION OF 5-YEAR PLAN.—Section 29(e) of 

21 the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(e)) is amended— 

22 (1) by striking ‘‘applicant organization’’ and in23 serting ‘‘eligible entity’’; 

24 (2) by striking ‘‘a recipient organization’’ and 

25 inserting ‘‘an eligible entity’’; 


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1 (3) by striking ‘‘financial assistance’’ and in2 serting ‘‘grants’’; and 

3 (4) by striking ‘‘site’’. 

4 (e) APPLICATIONS AND CRITERIA FOR INITIAL

5 GRANT.—Subsection (f) of section 29 of the Small Busi6 ness Act (15 U.S.C. 656) is amended to read as follows: 

7 ‘‘(f) APPLICATIONS AND CRITERIA FOR INITIAL

8 GRANT.— 

9 ‘‘(1) APPLICATION.—Each eligible entity desir10 ing a grant under subsection (b) shall submit to the 

11 Administrator an application that contains— 

12 ‘‘(A) a certification that the eligible enti13 ty— 

14 ‘‘(i) has designated an executive direc15 tor or program manager, who may be com16 pensated using grant funds under sub17 section (b) or other sources, to manage the 

18 women’s business center for which a grant 

19 under subsection (b) is sought; 

20 ‘‘(ii) meets the accounting and report21 ing requirements established by the Direc22 tor of the Office of Management and 

23 Budget; 

24 ‘‘(B) information demonstrating that the 

25 eligible entity has the ability and resources to 


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1 meet the needs of the market to be served by 

2 the women’s business center, including the abil3 ity to obtain the non-Federal contribution re4 quired under subsection (c); 

5 ‘‘(C) information relating to the assistance 

6 to be provided by the women’s business center 

7 in the area in which the women’s business cen8 ter is located; 

9 ‘‘(D) information demonstrating the expe10 rience and effectiveness of the eligible entity 

11 in— 

12 ‘‘(i) conducting the services described 

13 under subsection (a)(5); 

14 ‘‘(ii) providing training and services to 

15 a representative number of women who are 

16 socially or economically disadvantaged; and 

17 ‘‘(iii) working with resource partners 

18 of the Administration and other entities, 

19 such as universities; and 

20 ‘‘(E) a 5-year plan that describes the abil21 ity of the eligible entity to provide the services 

22 described under subsection (a)(3), including to 

23 a representative number of women who are so24 cially or economically disadvantaged. 


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1 ‘‘(2) REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS

2 FOR INITIAL GRANTS.— 

3 ‘‘(A) REVIEW AND SELECTION OF ELIGI4 BLE ENTITIES.— 

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

6 shall review applications to determine 

7 whether the applicant can meet obligations 

8 to perform the activities required by a 

9 grant under this section, including— 

10 ‘‘(I) the experience of the appli11 cant in conducting activities required 

12 by this section; 

13 ‘‘(II) the amount of time needed 

14 for the applicant to commence oper15 ations should it be awarded a grant; 

16 ‘‘(III) the capacity of the appli17 cant to meet the accreditation stand18 ards established by the Administrator 

19 in a timely manner; 

20 ‘‘(IV) the ability of the applicant 

21 to sustain operations for more than 5 

22 years (including its ability to obtain 

23 sufficient non-Federal funds for that 

24 period); 


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1 ‘‘(V) the location of the women’s 

2 business center and its proximity to 

3 other grant recipients under this sec4 tion; and 

5 ‘‘(VI) the population density of 

6 the area to be served by the women’s 

7 business center. 

8 ‘‘(ii) SELECTION CRITERIA.— 

9 ‘‘(I) RULEMAKING.—The Admin10 istrator shall issue regulations (after 

11 providing an opportunity for notice 

12 and comment) to specify the criteria 

13 for review and selection of applicants 

14 under this subsection. 

15 ‘‘(II) MODIFICATIONS PROHIB16 ITED AFTER ANNOUNCEMENT.—With 

17 respect to a public announcement of 

18 any opportunity to be awarded a 

19 grant under this section made by the 

20 Administrator pursuant to subsection 

21 (l)(1), the Administrator may not 

22 modify regulations issued pursuant to 

23 subclause (I) with respect to such op24 portunity unless required to do so by 


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1 an Act of Congress or an order of a 

2 Federal court. 

3 ‘‘(III) RULE OF CONSTRUC4 TION.—Nothing in this clause may be 

5 construed as prohibiting the Adminis6 trator from modifying the regulations 

7 issued pursuant to subclause (I) (after 

8 providing an opportunity for notice 

9 and comment) as such regulations 

10 apply to an opportunity to be awarded 

11 a grant under this section that the 

12 Administrator has not yet publicly an13 nounced pursuant to subsection (l)(1). 

14 ‘‘(B) RECORD RETENTION.— 

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

16 shall maintain a copy of each application 

17 submitted under this subsection for not 

18 less than 5 years. 

19 ‘‘(ii) PAPERWORK REDUCTION.—The 

20 Administrator shall take steps to reduce, 

21 to the maximum extent practicable, the pa22 perwork burden associated with carrying 

23 out clause (i).’’. 

24 (f) NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE

25 WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM.—Section 29 of 


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1 the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656) is amended by 

2 inserting after subsection (k) the following: 

3 ‘‘(l) NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE

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

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

7 to be awarded grants under this section, and such 

8 announcement shall include the standards by which 

9 such award will be made, including the regulations 

10 issued pursuant to subsection (f)(2)(A)(ii); 

11 ‘‘(2) the opportunity for any applicant for a 

12 grant under this section that failed to obtain such 

13 a grant a debriefing with the Assistant Adminis14 trator to review the reasons for the applicant’s fail15 ure; and 

16 ‘‘(3) with respect to any site visit or evaluation 

17 of an eligible entity receiving a grant under this sec18 tion that is carried out by an officer or employee of 

19 the Administration (other than the Inspector Gen20 eral), a copy of the site visit report or evaluation, as 

21 applicable, within 30 calendar days of the completion 

22 of such vision or evaluation.’’. 

23 (g) CONTINUED FUNDING FOR CENTERS.—Section 

24 29(m) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(m)) is 

25 amended— 


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1 (1) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(3) APPLICATION AND APPROVAL FOR CON4 TINUATION GRANTS.— 

5 ‘‘(A) SOLICITATION OF APPLICATIONS.— 

6 The Administrator shall solicit applications and 

7 award continuation grants under this subsection 

8 for the first fiscal year beginning after the date 

9 of enactment of this paragraph, and every third 

10 fiscal year thereafter. 

11 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS OF APPLICATION.—Each 

12 eligible entity desiring a grant under this sub13 section shall submit to the Administrator an ap14 plication that contains— 

15 ‘‘(i) a certification that the appli16 cant— 

17 ‘‘(I) is an eligible entity; 

18 ‘‘(II) has designated an executive 

19 director or program manager to man20 age the women’s business center oper21 ated by the applicant; and 

22 ‘‘(III) as a condition of receiving 

23 a grant under this subsection, 

24 agrees— 


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1 ‘‘(aa) to receive a site visit 

2 as part of the final selection 

3 process, at the discretion of the 

4 Administrator; and 

5 ‘‘(bb) to remedy any prob6 lem identified pursuant to the 

7 site visit under item (aa); 

8 ‘‘(ii) information demonstrating that 

9 the applicant has the ability and resources 

10 to meet the needs of the market to be 

11 served by the women’s business center for 

12 which a grant under this subsection is 

13 sought, including the ability to obtain the 

14 non-Federal contribution required under 

15 paragraph (4)(C); 

16 ‘‘(iii) information relating to assist17 ance to be provided by the women’s busi18 ness center in the geographic area served 

19 by the women’s business center for which 

20 a grant under this subsection is sought; 

21 ‘‘(iv) information demonstrating that 

22 the applicant has worked with resource 

23 partners of the Administration and other 

24 entities; 


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1 ‘‘(v) a 3-year plan that describes the 

2 services provided by the women’s business 

3 center for which a grant under this sub4 section is sought— 

5 ‘‘(I) to serve women who are 

6 business owners or potential business 

7 owners by conducting training and 

8 counseling activities; and 

9 ‘‘(II) to provide training and 

10 services to a representative number of 

11 women who are socially or economi12 cally disadvantaged; and 

13 ‘‘(vi) any additional information that 

14 the Administrator may reasonably require. 

15 ‘‘(C) REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF APPLICA16 TIONS FOR GRANTS.— 

17 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Adminis18 trator— 

19 ‘‘(I) shall review each application 

20 submitted under subparagraph (B), 

21 based on the information described in 

22 such subparagraph and the criteria 

23 set forth under clause (ii) of this sub24 paragraph; and 


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1 ‘‘(II) as part of the final selection 

2 process, may, at the discretion of the 

3 Administrator, conduct a site visit to 

4 each women’s business center for 

5 which a grant under this subsection is 

6 sought, in particular to evaluate the 

7 women’s business center using the se8 lection criteria described in clause 

9 (ii)(II). 

10 ‘‘(ii) SELECTION CRITERIA.— 

11 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The Admin12 istrator shall evaluate applicants for 

13 grants under this subsection in ac14 cordance with selection criteria that 

15 are— 

16 ‘‘(aa) established before the 

17 date on which applicants are re18 quired to submit the applications; 

19 ‘‘(bb) stated in terms of rel20 ative importance; and 

21 ‘‘(cc) publicly available and 

22 stated in each solicitation for ap23 plications for grants under this 

24 subsection made by the Adminis25 trator. 


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1 ‘‘(II) REQUIRED CRITERIA.—The 

2 selection criteria for a grant under 

3 this subsection shall include— 

4 ‘‘(aa) the total number of 

5 entrepreneurs served by the ap6 plicant; 

7 ‘‘(bb) the total number of 

8 new startup companies assisted 

9 by the applicant; 

10 ‘‘(cc) the percentage of cli11 ents of the applicant that are so12 cially or economically disadvan13 taged; 

14 ‘‘(dd) the percentage of indi15 viduals in the community served 

16 by the applicant who are socially 

17 or economically disadvantaged; 

18 ‘‘(ee) the successful accredi19 tation of the applicant under the 

20 accreditation program developed 

21 under subsection (g)(5); and 

22 ‘‘(ff) any additional criteria 

23 that the Administrator may rea24 sonably require. 


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1 ‘‘(iii) CONDITIONS FOR CONTINUED

2 FUNDING.—In determining whether to 

3 make a grant under this subsection, the 

4 Administrator— 

5 ‘‘(I) shall consider the results of 

6 the most recent evaluation of the 

7 women’s business center for which a 

8 grant under this subsection is sought, 

9 and, to a lesser extent, previous eval10 uations; and 

11 ‘‘(II) may withhold a grant under 

12 this subsection, if the Administrator 

13 determines that the applicant has 

14 failed to provide the information re15 quired to be provided under this para16 graph, or the information provided by 

17 the applicant is inadequate. 

18 ‘‘(D) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 60 

19 calendar days after the date of each deadline to 

20 submit applications under this paragraph, the 

21 Administrator shall approve or deny each sub22 mitted application and notify the applicant for 

23 each such application of the approval or denial. 

24 ‘‘(E) RECORD RETENTION.— 


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

2 shall maintain a copy of each application 

3 submitted under this paragraph for not 

4 less than 5 years. 

5 ‘‘(ii) PAPERWORK REDUCTION.—The 

6 Administrator shall take steps to reduce, 

7 to the maximum extent practicable, the pa8 perwork burden associated with carrying 

9 out clause (i).’’; and 

10 (2) by striking paragraph (5) and inserting the 

11 following: 

12 ‘‘(5) AWARD TO PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS.—There 

13 shall be no limitation on the number of times the 

14 Administrator may award a grant to an applicant 

15 under this subsection.’’. 

16 (h) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

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

18 amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (h)(2), by striking ‘‘to award 

20 a contract (as a sustainability grant) under sub21 section (l) or’’; 

22 (2) in subsection (j)(1), by striking ‘‘The Ad23 ministration’’ and inserting ‘‘Not later than Novem24 ber 1 of each year, the Administrator’’; 

25 (3) in subsection (k)— 


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1 (A) by striking paragraphs (1) and (4); 

2 (B) by inserting before paragraph (2) the 

3 following: 

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

5 appropriated to the Administration to carry out this 

6 section, to remain available until expended, 

7 $21,750,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 

8 2021.’’; and 

9 (C) in paragraph (2), by striking subpara10 graph (B) and inserting the following: 

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

12 available under this subsection for a fiscal year, 

13 the following amounts shall be available for se14 lection panel costs, costs associated with main15 taining an accreditation program, and post16 award conference costs: 

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

18 after the date of the enactment of this sub19 paragraph, 2.65 percent. 

20 ‘‘(ii) For the second fiscal year begin21 ning after the date of the enactment of 

22 this subparagraph and each fiscal year 

23 thereafter through fiscal year 2021, 2.5 

24 percent.’’; and 

25 (4) in subsection (m)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘sub2 section (b) or (l)’’ and inserting ‘‘this sub3 section or subsection (b)’’; and 

4 (B) in paragraph (4)(D), by striking ‘‘or 

5 subsection (l)’’. 

6 (i) EFFECT ON EXISTING GRANTS.— 

7 (1) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—A nonprofit or8 ganization receiving a grant under section 29(m) of 

9 the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(m)), as in 

10 effect on the day before the date of enactment of 

11 this Act, shall continue to receive the grant under 

12 the terms and conditions in effect for the grant on 

13 the day before the date of enactment of this Act, ex14 cept that the nonprofit organization may not apply 

15 for a continuation of the grant under section 

16 29(m)(5) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

17 656(m)(5)), as in effect on the day before the date 

18 of enactment of this Act. 

19 (2) LENGTH OF CONTINUATION GRANT.—The 

20 Administrator of the Small Business Administration 

21 may award a grant under section 29(m) of the Small 

22 Business Act to a nonprofit organization receiving a 

23 grant under section 29(m) of the Small Business 

24 Act (15 U.S.C. 656(m)), as in effect on the day beVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:48 Mar 28, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1680.IH H1680

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1 fore the date of enactment of this Act, for the pe2 riod— 

3 (A) beginning on the day after the last day 

4 of the grant agreement under such section 

5 29(m); and 

6 (B) ending at the end of the third fiscal 

7 year beginning after the date of enactment of 

8 this Act. 

9 SEC. 4. MATCHING REQUIREMENTS UNDER WOMEN’S BUSI10 NESS CENTER PROGRAM. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 29(c) of the Small Busi12 ness Act (15 U.S.C. 656(c)), as amended by section 3 of 

13 this Act, is further amended— 

14 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘As a condi15 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘Subject to paragraph (6), as a 

16 condition’’; and 

17 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(9) WAIVER OF NON-FEDERAL SHARE.— 

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

20 eligible entity, and in accordance with this para21 graph, the Administrator may waive, in whole 

22 or in part, the requirement to obtain non-Fed23 eral funds under this subsection for counseling 

24 and training activities of the eligible entity car25 ried out using a grant under this section for a 


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1 fiscal year. The Administrator may not waive 

2 the requirement for an eligible entity to obtain 

3 non-Federal funds under this paragraph for 

4 more than a total of 2 consecutive fiscal years. 

5 ‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining 

6 whether to waive the requirement to obtain 

7 non-Federal funds under this paragraph, the 

8 Administrator shall consider— 

9 ‘‘(i) the economic conditions affecting 

10 the eligible entity; 

11 ‘‘(ii) the impact a waiver under this 

12 paragraph would have on the credibility of 

13 the Women’s Business Center Program 

14 under this section; 

15 ‘‘(iii) the demonstrated ability of the 

16 eligible entity to raise non-Federal funds; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(iv) the performance of the eligible 

19 entity. 

20 ‘‘(C) LIMITATION.—The Administrator 

21 may not waive the requirement to obtain non22 Federal funds under this paragraph if granting 

23 the waiver would undermine the credibility of 

24 the Women’s Business Center Program. 


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1 ‘‘(10) SOLICITATION.—Notwithstanding any 

2 other provision of law, eligible entity may— 

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

4 from private individuals and entities to be used 

5 to carry out the activities of the eligible entity 

6 under the project conducted under this section; 

7 and 

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

9 Administrator under this section for the cost of 

10 such solicitation and management of the con11 tributions received. 

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

13 amount of non-Federal dollars obtained by an eligi14 ble entity that is above the amount that is required 

15 to be obtained by the eligible entity under this sub16 section shall not be subject to the requirements of 

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

18 any successor thereto, if such amount of non-Fed19 eral dollars— 

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

21 purposes of implementing the Women’s Busi22 ness Center Program; and 

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

24 the Women’s Business Center Program.’’. 

25 (b) REGULATIONS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of Small 

2 Business Administration shall— 

3 (A) except as provided in paragraph (2), 

4 and not later than 270 days after the date of 

5 enactment of this Act, publish in the Federal 

6 Register proposed regulations by the Adminis7 trator to carry out the amendments made to 

8 section 29 of the Small Business Act (15 

9 U.S.C. 656) by this Act; and 

10 (B) accept public comments on such pro11 posed regulations for not less than 60 days. 

12 (2) EXISTING PROPOSED REGULATIONS.—Para13 graph (1)(A) shall not apply to the extent proposed 

14 regulations by the Administrator have been pub15 lished on the date of enactment of this Act that are 

16 sufficient to carry out the amendments made to sec17 tion 29 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656) 

18 by this Act. 

Æ 


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