I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1774 

To amend the Small Business Act to provide for improvements to small 

business development centers, the women’s business center program, the 

SCORE program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 29, 2017 

Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ (for herself and Mr. CHABOT) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Small Business 

A BILL 

To amend the Small Business Act to provide for improvements to small business development centers, the women’s business center program, the SCORE 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Developing the Next Generation of Small Businesses Act 

6 of 2017’’. 

7 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

8 this Act are as follows: 


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Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS 

IMPROVEMENTS 

Sec. 101. Short title. 

Sec. 102. Use of authorized entrepreneurial development programs. 

Sec. 103. Marketing of services. 

Sec. 104. Data collection. 

Sec. 105. Fees from private partnerships and cosponsorships. 

Sec. 106. Equity for small business development centers. 

Sec. 107. Confidentiality requirements. 

Sec. 108. Limitation on award of grants to small business development centers. 

TITLE II—WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTERS PROGRAM 

IMPROVEMENTS 

Sec. 201. Short title. 

Sec. 202. Office of Women’s Business Ownership. 

Sec. 203. Women’s Business Center Program. 

Sec. 204. Matching requirements under Women’s Business Center Program. 

TITLE III—SCORE PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION 

Sec. 301. Short title. 

Sec. 302. SCORE reauthorization. 

Sec. 303. SCORE program. 

Sec. 304. Online component. 

Sec. 305. Study and report on the future role of the score program. 

Sec. 306. Technical and conforming amendments. 

1 TITLE I—SMALL BUSINESS DE2 VELOPMENT CENTERS IM3 PROVEMENTS 

4 SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE. 

5 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Small Business Devel6 opment Centers Improvement Act of 2017’’. 

7 SEC. 102. USE OF AUTHORIZED ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVEL8 OPMENT PROGRAMS. 

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

10 amended— 

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

12 and 


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1 (2) by inserting after section 46 the following 

2 new section: 

3 ‘‘SEC. 47. USE OF AUTHORIZED ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVEL4 OPMENT PROGRAMS. 

5 ‘‘(a) EXPANDED SUPPORT FOR ENTREPRENEURS.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

7 provision of law, the Administrator shall only use 

8 the programs authorized in sections 7(j), 7(m), 8(a), 

9 8(b)(1), 21, 22, 29, and 32 of this Act, and sections 

10 358 and 389 of the Small Business Investment Act 

11 to deliver entrepreneurial development services, en12 trepreneurial education, support for the development 

13 and maintenance of clusters, or business training. 

14 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—This section shall not apply 

15 to services provided to assist small business concerns 

16 owned by an Indian tribe (as such term is defined 

17 in section 8(a)(13)). 

18 ‘‘(b) ANNUAL REPORT.—Beginning on the first De19 cember 1 after the date of enactment of this subsection, 

20 the Administrator shall annually report to the Committee 

21 on Small Business of the House of Representatives and 

22 the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship 

23 of the Senate on all entrepreneurial development activities 

24 undertaken in the current fiscal year. This report shall 

25 include— 


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1 ‘‘(1) a description and operating details for 

2 each program and activity; 

3 ‘‘(2) operating circulars, manuals, and standard 

4 operating procedures for each program and activity; 

5 ‘‘(3) a description of the process used to award 

6 grants under each program and activity; 

7 ‘‘(4) a list of all awardees, contractors, and ven8 dors (including organization name and location) and 

9 the amount of awards for the current fiscal year for 

10 each program and activity; 

11 ‘‘(5) the amount of funding obligated for the 

12 current fiscal year for each program and activity; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(6) the names and titles for those individuals 

15 responsible for each program and activity.’’. 

16 SEC. 103. MARKETING OF SERVICES. 

17 Section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648) 

18 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(o) NO PROHIBITION OF MARKETING OF SERV20 ICES.—The Administrator shall not prohibit applicants re21 ceiving grants under this section from marketing and ad22 vertising their services to individuals and small business 

23 concerns.’’. 


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1 SEC. 104. DATA COLLECTION. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 21(a)(3)(A) of the Small 

3 Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(3)(A)) is amended— 

4 (1) by striking ‘‘as provided in this section 

5 and’’ and inserting ‘‘as provided in this section,’’; 

6 and 

7 (2) by inserting before the period at the end the 

8 following: ‘‘, and (iv) governing data collection ac9 tivities related to applicants receiving grants under 

10 this section’’. 

11 (b) ANNUAL REPORT ON DATA COLLECTION.—Sec12 tion 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648), as 

13 amended by section 103 of this Act, is further amended 

14 by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(p) ANNUAL REPORT ON DATA COLLECTION.—The 

16 Administrator shall report annually to the Committee on 

17 Small Business of the House of Representatives and the 

18 Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of 

19 the Senate on any data collection activities related to the 

20 Small Business Development Center program.’’. 

21 (c) WORKING GROUP TO IMPROVE DATA COLLEC22 TION.— 

23 (1) ESTABLISHMENT AND STUDY.—The Admin24 istrator of the Small Business Administration shall 

25 establish a Data Collection Working Group con26 sisting of members from entrepreneurial developVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:32 Mar 31, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1774.IH H1774

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1 ment grant recipients associations and organizations 

2 and Administration officials, to carry out a study to 

3 determine the best way to capture data collection 

4 and create or revise existing systems dedicated to 

5 data collection. 

6 (2) REPORT.—Not later than the end of the 

7 180-day period beginning on the date of the enact8 ment of this Act, the Data Collection Working 

9 Group shall issue a report to the Committee on 

10 Small Business of the House of Representatives and 

11 the Committee on Small Business and Entrepre12 neurship of the Senate containing the findings and 

13 determinations made in carrying out the study re14 quired under paragraph (1), including— 

15 (A) recommendations for revising existing 

16 data collection practices; and 

17 (B) a proposed plan for the Small Busi18 ness Administration to implement such rec19 ommendations. 

20 SEC. 105. FEES FROM PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AND CO21 SPONSORSHIPS. 

22 Section 21(a)(3) of the Small Business Act (15 

23 U.S.C. 648(a)(3)(C)), as amended by section 104, is fur24 ther amended by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(D) FEES FROM PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AND CO2 SPONSORSHIPS.—Participation in private partnerships 

3 and cosponsorships with the Administration shall not limit 

4 small business development centers from collecting fees or 

5 other income related to the operation of such private part6 nerships and cosponsorships.’’. 

7 SEC. 106. EQUITY FOR SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 

8 CENTERS. 

9 Subclause (I) of section 21(a)(4)(C)(v) of the Small 

10 Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(4)(C)(v)) is amended to 

11 read as follows: 

12 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—Of the 

13 amounts made available in any fiscal 

14 year to carry out this section not 

15 more than $600,000 may be used by 

16 the Administration to pay expenses 

17 enumerated in subparagraphs (B) 

18 through (D) of section 20(a)(1).’’. 

19 SEC. 107. CONFIDENTIALITY REQUIREMENTS. 

20 Section 21(a)(7)(A) of the Small Business Act (15 

21 U.S.C. 648(a)(7)(A)) is amended by inserting after 

22 ‘‘under this section’’ the following: ‘‘to any State, local or 

23 Federal agency, or third party’’. 


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1 SEC. 108. LIMITATION ON AWARD OF GRANTS TO SMALL 

2 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 21 of the Small Business 

4 Act (15 U.S.C. 648), as amended by section 4, is further 

5 amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘any wom7 en’s business center operating pursuant to section 

8 29,’’; 

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

10 ‘‘(q) LIMITATION ON AWARD OF GRANTS.—Except 

11 for not-for-profit institutions of higher education, and not12 withstanding any other provision of law, the Administrator 

13 may not award grants (including contracts and coopera14 tive agreements) under this section to any entity other 

15 than those that received grants (including contracts and 

16 cooperative agreements) under this section prior to the 

17 date of the enactment of this subsection, and that seek 

18 to renew such grants (including contracts and cooperative 

19 agreements) after such date.’’. 

20 (b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—The amendments 

21 made by this section may not be construed as prohibiting 

22 a women’s business center from receiving a subgrant from 

23 an entity receiving a grant under section 21 of the Small 

24 Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648). 


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1 TITLE II—WOMEN’S BUSINESS 

2 CENTERS PROGRAM IM3 PROVEMENTS 

4 SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE. 

5 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Women’s Business 

6 Centers Improvements Act of 2017’’. 

7 SEC. 202. OFFICE OF WOMEN’S BUSINESS OWNERSHIP. 

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

9 656(g)) is amended— 

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

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

12 ‘‘(B) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The responsibil13 ities of the Assistant Administrator shall be to 

14 administer the programs and services of the Of15 fice of Women’s Business Ownership. 

16 ‘‘(C) DUTIES.—The Assistant Adminis17 trator shall perform the following functions 

18 with respect to the Office of Women’s Business 

19 Ownership: 

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) Select applicants to receive 

6 grants to operate a women’s business cen7 ter after reviewing information required by 

8 this section, including the budget of each 

9 applicant. 

10 ‘‘(iv) Collaborate with other Federal 

11 departments and agencies, State and local 

12 governments, not-for-profit organizations, 

13 and for-profit enterprises to maximize uti14 lization of taxpayer dollars and reduce (or 

15 eliminate) any duplication among the pro16 grams overseen by the Office of Women’s 

17 Business Ownership and those of other en18 tities that provide similar services to 

19 women entrepreneurs. 

20 ‘‘(v) Maintain a clearinghouse to pro21 vide for the dissemination and exchange of 

22 information between women’s business cen23 ters. 

24 ‘‘(vi) Serve as the vice chairperson of 

25 the Interagency Committee on Women’s 


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1 Business Enterprise and as the liaison for 

2 the National Women’s Business Council.’’; 

3 and 

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

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

6 Women’s Business Ownership shall be to assist 

7 women entrepreneurs to start, grow, and compete in 

8 global markets by providing quality support with ac9 cess to capital, access to markets, job creation, 

10 growth, and counseling by— 

11 ‘‘(A) fostering participation of women en12 trepreneurs in the economy by overseeing a net13 work of women’s business centers throughout 

14 States and territories; 

15 ‘‘(B) creating public-private partnerships 

16 to support women entrepreneurs and conduct 

17 outreach and education to startup and existing 

18 small business concerns owned and controlled 

19 by women; and 

20 ‘‘(C) working with other programs over21 seen by the Administrator to ensure women are 

22 well-represented and being served and to iden23 tify gaps where participation by women could 

24 be increased. 

25 ‘‘(4) ACCREDITATION PROGRAM.— 


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

2 270 days after the date of enactment of this 

3 paragraph, the Administrator shall establish 

4 standards for an accreditation program for ac5 crediting eligible entities receiving a grant 

6 under this section. 

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

8 date on which standards are established under 

9 subparagraph (A), the Administrator may not 

10 terminate a grant under this section absent evi11 dence of fraud or other criminal misconduct by 

12 the recipient. 

13 ‘‘(C) CONTRACTING AUTHORITY.—The Ad14 ministrator may provide financial assistance, by 

15 contract or otherwise, to a relevant national 

16 women’s business center representative associa17 tion to provide assistance in establishing the 

18 standards required under subparagraph (A) or 

19 for carrying out an accreditation program pur20 suant to such standards.’’. 

21 SEC. 203. WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM. 

22 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 29(a) of the Small Busi23 ness Act (15 U.S.C. 656(a)) is amended— 

24 (1) by striking paragraph (4); 


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

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

3 (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol4 lowing: 

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

6 ‘‘(A) an organization described in section 

7 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 

8 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) 

9 of such Code; 

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

11 development organization, so long as the orga12 nization certifies that grant funds received 

13 under this section will not be commingled with 

14 other funds; 

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

16 unless such institution is currently receiving a 

17 grant under section 21; 

18 ‘‘(D) a development, credit, or finance cor19 poration chartered by a State, so long as the 

20 corporation certifies that grant funds received 

21 under this section will not be commingled with 

22 other funds; or 

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

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

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


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

2 the location at which counseling and training on the 

3 management, operations (including manufacturing, 

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

5 trade, Government procurement opportunities, and 

6 any other matter is needed to start, maintain, or ex7 pand a small business concern owned and controlled 

8 by women.’’. 

9 (b) AUTHORITY.—Section 29(b) of the Small Busi10 ness Act (15 U.S.C. 656(b)) is amended— 

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

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

13 and adjusting the margins accordingly; 

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

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

16 the following: 

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

18 Women’s Business Center Program under which the 

19 Administrator may provide a grant to any eligible 

20 entity to operate one or more women’s business cen21 ters’’; 

22 (3) by striking ‘‘The projects shall’’ and insert23 ing the following: 

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

25 centers shall be designed to provide counseling and 


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1 training that meets the needs of women, especially 

2 socially or economically disadvantaged women, and 

3 shall’’; and 

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

5 ‘‘(3) AMOUNT OF GRANTS.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The amount of a 

7 grant provided under this subsection to an eligi8 ble entity per project year shall be not more 

9 than $185,000 (as such amount is annually ad10 justed by the Administrator to reflect the 

11 change in inflation). 

12 ‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL GRANTS.— 

13 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding 

14 subparagraph (A), with respect to an eligi15 ble entity that has received $185,000 in 

16 grants under this subsection in a project 

17 year, the Administrator may award an ad18 ditional grant under this subsection of up 

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

20 Administrator determines that the eligible 

21 entity— 

22 ‘‘(I) agrees to obtain, after its 

23 application has been approved and no24 tice of award has been issued, cash 

25 contributions from non-Federal 


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1 sources of 1 non-Federal dollar for 

2 each Federal dollar; 

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

4 Women’s Business Center Program; 

5 and 

6 ‘‘(III) has met performance goals 

7 for the previous project year, if appli8 cable. 

9 ‘‘(ii) LIMITATIONS.—The Adminis10 trator may only award additional grants 

11 under clause (i)— 

12 ‘‘(I) during the 3rd and 4th 

13 quarters of the fiscal year; and 

14 ‘‘(II) from unobligated amounts 

15 made available to the Administrator 

16 to carry out this section. 

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

18 Administrator may only make a change to the stand19 ards by which an eligible entity obtains or maintains 

20 grants under this section, the standards for accredi21 tation, or any other requirement for the operation of 

22 a women’s business center if the Administrator first 

23 provides notice and the opportunity for public com24 ment, as set forth in section 553(b) of title 5, 


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1 United States Code, without regard to any excep2 tions provided for under such section.’’. 

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

4 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(c)) is amend5 ed— 

6 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

7 (A) by striking ‘‘the recipient organiza8 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘an eligible entity’’; and 

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

10 inserting ‘‘a grant’’; 

11 (2) in paragraph (3)— 

12 (A) by striking ‘‘financial assistance au13 thorized pursuant to this section may be made 

14 by grant, contract, or cooperative agreement 

15 and’’ and inserting ‘‘grants authorized pursuant 

16 to this section’’; and 

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

18 recipient organization’’ and inserting ‘‘an eligi19 ble entity’’; 

20 (3) in paragraph (4)— 

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

22 and inserting ‘‘eligible entity’’; 

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

24 shall not be eligible thereafter’’ and inserting 

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


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1 eligible entity shall not be eligible at any time 

2 after that 2-year period’’; 

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

4 inserting ‘‘the eligible entity’’; and 

5 (D) by striking ‘‘the recipient’’ and insert6 ing ‘‘the eligible entity’’; and 

7 (4) by adding at end the following: 

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

9 An eligible entity shall— 

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

11 separately from other projects, if any, of the eli12 gible entity; and 

13 ‘‘(B) separately maintain and account for 

14 any grants under this section. 

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

16 ‘‘(A) REQUIRED SITE VISIT.—Each appli17 cant, prior to receiving a grant under this sec18 tion, shall have a site visit by an employee of 

19 the Administration, in order to ensure that the 

20 applicant has sufficient resources to provide the 

21 services for which the grant is being provided. 

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

23 the Administration shall— 

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

25 compliance of each eligible entity receiving 


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1 a grant under this section with the grant 

2 agreement, including a financial examina3 tion; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) provide such review to the eligi5 ble entity as required under subsection (l). 

6 ‘‘(7) REMEDIATION OF PROBLEMS.— 

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

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

9 any problems, the eligible entity shall, within 45 

10 calendar days of receiving such review, provide 

11 the Assistant Administrator with a plan of ac12 tion, including specific milestones, for cor13 recting such problems. 

14 ‘‘(B) PLAN OF ACTION REVIEW BY THE AS15 SISTANT ADMINISTRATOR.—The Assistant Ad16 ministrator shall review each plan of action sub17 mitted under subparagraph (A) within 30 cal18 endar days of receiving such plan and— 

19 ‘‘(i) if the Assistant Administrator de20 termines that such plan will bring the eligi21 ble entity into compliance with all the 

22 terms of the grant agreement, approve 

23 such plan; 

24 ‘‘(ii) if the Assistant Administrator 

25 determines that such plan is inadequate to 


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1 remedy the problems identified in the an2 nual review to which the plan of action re3 lates, the Assistant Administrator shall set 

4 forth such reasons in writing and provide 

5 such determination to the eligible entity 

6 within 15 calendar days of such determina7 tion. 

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

9 An eligible entity receiving a determination 

10 under subparagraph (B)(ii) shall have 30 cal11 endar days from the receipt of the determina12 tion to amend the plan of action to satisfy the 

13 problems identified by the Assistant Adminis14 trator and resubmit such plan to the Assistant 

15 Administrator. 

16 ‘‘(D) AMENDED PLAN REVIEW BY THE AS17 SISTANT ADMINISTRATOR.—Within 15 calendar 

18 days of the receipt of an amended plan of ac19 tion under subparagraph (C), the Assistant Ad20 ministrator shall either approve or reject such 

21 plan and provide such approval or rejection in 

22 writing to the eligible entity. 

23 ‘‘(E) APPEAL OF ASSISTANT ADMINIS24 TRATOR DETERMINATION.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—If the Assistant 

2 Administrator rejects an amended plan 

3 under subparagraph (D), the eligible entity 

4 shall have the opportunity to appeal such 

5 decision to the Administrator, who may 

6 delegate such appeal to an appropriate of7 ficer of the Administration. 

8 ‘‘(ii) OPPORTUNITY FOR EXPLA9 NATION.—Any appeal described under 

10 clause (i) shall provide an opportunity for 

11 the eligible entity to provide, in writing, an 

12 explanation of why the eligible entity’s plan 

13 remedies the problems identified in the an14 nual review. 

15 ‘‘(iii) NOTICE OF DETERMINATION.— 

16 The determination of the appeal shall be 

17 provided to the eligible entity, in writing, 

18 within 15 calendar days from the eligible 

19 entity’s filing of the appeal. 

20 ‘‘(iv) EFFECT OF FAILURE TO ACT.— 

21 If the Administrator fails to act on an ap22 peal made under this subparagraph within 

23 the 15 calendar day period specified under 

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


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1 plan of action submitted under subpara2 graph (C) shall be deemed to be approved. 

3 ‘‘(8) TERMINATION OF GRANT.— 

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

5 shall require that, if an eligible entity fails to 

6 comply with a plan of action approved by the 

7 Assistant Administrator under paragraph 

8 (7)(B)(i) or an amended plan of action ap9 proved by the Assistant Administrator under 

10 paragraph (7)(D) or approved on appeal under 

11 paragraph (7)(E), the Assistant Administrator 

12 shall terminate the grant provided to the eligi13 ble entity under this section. 

14 ‘‘(B) APPEAL OF TERMINATION.—An eligi15 ble entity that has a grant terminated under 

16 subparagraph (A) shall have the opportunity to 

17 challenge the termination on the record and 

18 after an opportunity for a hearing. 

19 ‘‘(C) FINAL AGENCY ACTION.—The deter20 mination made pursuant to subparagraph (B) 

21 shall be considered final agency action for the 

22 purposes of chapter 7, title 5, United States 

23 Code.’’. 

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

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


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘applicant organization’’ and in2 serting ‘‘eligible entity’’; 

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

4 inserting ‘‘an eligible entity’’; 

5 (3) by striking ‘‘financial assistance’’ and in6 serting ‘‘grants’’; and 

7 (4) by striking ‘‘site’’. 

8 (e) APPLICATIONS AND CRITERIA FOR INITIAL

9 GRANT.—Subsection (f) of section 29 of the Small Busi10 ness Act (15 U.S.C. 656) is amended to read as follows: 

11 ‘‘(f) APPLICATIONS AND CRITERIA FOR INITIAL

12 GRANT.— 

13 ‘‘(1) APPLICATION.—Each eligible entity desir14 ing a grant under subsection (b) shall submit to the 

15 Administrator an application that contains— 

16 ‘‘(A) a certification that the eligible enti17 ty— 

18 ‘‘(i) has designated an executive direc19 tor or program manager, who may be com20 pensated using grant funds under sub21 section (b) or other sources, to manage the 

22 women’s business center for which a grant 

23 under subsection (b) is sought; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) meets the accounting and report25 ing requirements established by the DirecVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:32 Mar 31, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1774.IH H1774

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1 tor of the Office of Management and 

2 Budget; 

3 ‘‘(B) information demonstrating that the 

4 eligible entity has the ability and resources to 

5 meet the needs of the market to be served by 

6 the women’s business center, including the abil7 ity to obtain the non-Federal contribution re8 quired under subsection (c); 

9 ‘‘(C) information relating to the assistance 

10 to be provided by the women’s business center 

11 in the area in which the women’s business cen12 ter is located; 

13 ‘‘(D) information demonstrating the expe14 rience and effectiveness of the eligible entity 

15 in— 

16 ‘‘(i) conducting the services described 

17 under subsection (a)(5); 

18 ‘‘(ii) providing training and services to 

19 a representative number of women who are 

20 socially or economically disadvantaged; and 

21 ‘‘(iii) working with resource partners 

22 of the Administration and other entities, 

23 such as universities; and 

24 ‘‘(E) a 5-year plan that describes the abil25 ity of the eligible entity to provide the services 


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

2 a representative number of women who are so3 cially or economically disadvantaged. 

4 ‘‘(2) REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS

5 FOR INITIAL GRANTS.— 

6 ‘‘(A) REVIEW AND SELECTION OF ELIGI7 BLE ENTITIES.— 

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

9 shall review applications to determine 

10 whether the applicant can meet obligations 

11 to perform the activities required by a 

12 grant under this section, including— 

13 ‘‘(I) the experience of the appli14 cant in conducting activities required 

15 by this section; 

16 ‘‘(II) the amount of time needed 

17 for the applicant to commence oper18 ations should it be awarded a grant; 

19 ‘‘(III) the capacity of the appli20 cant to meet the accreditation stand21 ards established by the Administrator 

22 in a timely manner; 

23 ‘‘(IV) the ability of the applicant 

24 to sustain operations for more than 5 

25 years (including its ability to obtain 


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1 sufficient non-Federal funds for that 

2 period); 

3 ‘‘(V) the location of the women’s 

4 business center and its proximity to 

5 other grant recipients under this sec6 tion; and 

7 ‘‘(VI) the population density of 

8 the area to be served by the women’s 

9 business center. 

10 ‘‘(ii) SELECTION CRITERIA.— 

11 ‘‘(I) GUIDANCE.—The Adminis12 trator shall issue guidance (after pro13 viding an opportunity for notice and 

14 comment) to specify the criteria for 

15 review and selection of applicants 

16 under this subsection. 

17 ‘‘(II) MODIFICATIONS PROHIB18 ITED AFTER ANNOUNCEMENT.—With 

19 respect to a public announcement of 

20 any opportunity to be awarded a 

21 grant under this section made by the 

22 Administrator pursuant to subsection 

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

24 modify guidance issued pursuant to 

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1 portunity unless required to do so by 

2 an Act of Congress or an order of a 

3 Federal court. 

4 ‘‘(III) RULE OF CONSTRUC5 TION.—Nothing in this clause may be 

6 construed as prohibiting the Adminis7 trator from modifying the guidance 

8 issued pursuant to subclause (I) (after 

9 providing an opportunity for notice 

10 and comment) as such guidance ap11 plies to an opportunity to be awarded 

12 a grant under this section that the 

13 Administrator has not yet publicly an14 nounced pursuant to subsection (l)(1). 

15 ‘‘(B) RECORD RETENTION.— 

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

17 shall maintain a copy of each application 

18 submitted under this subsection for not 

19 less than 5 years. 

20 ‘‘(ii) PAPERWORK REDUCTION.—The 

21 Administrator shall take steps to reduce, 

22 to the maximum extent practicable, the pa23 perwork burden associated with carrying 

24 out clause (i).’’. 


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1 (f) NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE

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

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

4 inserting after subsection (k) the following: 

5 ‘‘(l) NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE

6 WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM.—The Adminis7 trator shall provide— 

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

9 to be awarded grants under this section, and such 

10 announcement shall include the standards by which 

11 such award will be made, including the guidance 

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

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

14 grant under this section that failed to obtain such 

15 a grant a debriefing with the Assistant Adminis16 trator to review the reasons for the applicant’s fail17 ure; and 

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

19 of an eligible entity receiving a grant under this sec20 tion that is carried out by an officer or employee of 

21 the Administration (other than the Inspector Gen22 eral), a copy of the site visit report or evaluation, as 

23 applicable, within 30 calendar days of the completion 

24 of such vision or evaluation.’’. 


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1 (g) CONTINUED FUNDING FOR CENTERS.—Section 

2 29(m) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(m)) is 

3 amended— 

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

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(3) APPLICATION AND APPROVAL FOR CON7 TINUATION GRANTS.— 

8 ‘‘(A) SOLICITATION OF APPLICATIONS.— 

9 The Administrator shall solicit applications and 

10 award continuation grants under this subsection 

11 for the first fiscal year beginning after the date 

12 of enactment of this paragraph, and every third 

13 fiscal year thereafter. 

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

15 eligible entity desiring a grant under this sub16 section shall submit to the Administrator an ap17 plication that contains— 

18 ‘‘(i) a certification that the appli19 cant— 

20 ‘‘(I) is an eligible entity; 

21 ‘‘(II) has designated an executive 

22 director or program manager to man23 age the women’s business center oper24 ated by the applicant; and 


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1 ‘‘(III) as a condition of receiving 

2 a grant under this subsection, 

3 agrees— 

4 ‘‘(aa) to receive a site visit 

5 as part of the final selection 

6 process, at the discretion of the 

7 Administrator; and 

8 ‘‘(bb) to remedy any prob9 lem identified pursuant to the 

10 site visit under item (aa); 

11 ‘‘(ii) information demonstrating that 

12 the applicant has the ability and resources 

13 to meet the needs of the market to be 

14 served by the women’s business center for 

15 which a grant under this subsection is 

16 sought, including the ability to obtain the 

17 non-Federal contribution required under 

18 paragraph (4)(C); 

19 ‘‘(iii) information relating to assist20 ance to be provided by the women’s busi21 ness center in the geographic area served 

22 by the women’s business center for which 

23 a grant under this subsection is sought; 

24 ‘‘(iv) information demonstrating that 

25 the applicant has worked with resource 


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1 partners of the Administration and other 

2 entities; 

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

4 services provided by the women’s business 

5 center for which a grant under this sub6 section is sought— 

7 ‘‘(I) to serve women who are 

8 business owners or potential business 

9 owners by conducting training and 

10 counseling activities; and 

11 ‘‘(II) to provide training and 

12 services to a representative number of 

13 women who are socially or economi14 cally disadvantaged; and 

15 ‘‘(vi) any additional information that 

16 the Administrator may reasonably require. 

17 ‘‘(C) REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF APPLICA18 TIONS FOR GRANTS.— 

19 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Adminis20 trator— 

21 ‘‘(I) shall review each application 

22 submitted under subparagraph (B), 

23 based on the information described in 

24 such subparagraph and the criteria 


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1 set forth under clause (ii) of this sub2 paragraph; and 

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

4 process, may, at the discretion of the 

5 Administrator, conduct a site visit to 

6 each women’s business center for 

7 which a grant under this subsection is 

8 sought, in particular to evaluate the 

9 women’s business center using the se10 lection criteria described in clause 

11 (ii)(II). 

12 ‘‘(ii) SELECTION CRITERIA.— 

13 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The Admin14 istrator shall evaluate applicants for 

15 grants under this subsection in ac16 cordance with selection criteria that 

17 are— 

18 ‘‘(aa) established before the 

19 date on which applicants are re20 quired to submit the applications; 

21 ‘‘(bb) stated in terms of rel22 ative importance; and 

23 ‘‘(cc) publicly available and 

24 stated in each solicitation for ap25 plications for grants under this 


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1 subsection made by the Adminis2 trator. 

3 ‘‘(II) REQUIRED CRITERIA.—The 

4 selection criteria for a grant under 

5 this subsection shall include— 

6 ‘‘(aa) the total number of 

7 entrepreneurs served by the ap8 plicant; 

9 ‘‘(bb) the total number of 

10 new startup companies assisted 

11 by the applicant; 

12 ‘‘(cc) the percentage of cli13 ents of the applicant that are so14 cially or economically disadvan15 taged; 

16 ‘‘(dd) the percentage of indi17 viduals in the community served 

18 by the applicant who are socially 

19 or economically disadvantaged; 

20 ‘‘(ee) the successful accredi21 tation of the applicant under the 

22 accreditation program developed 

23 under subsection (g)(5); and 


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1 ‘‘(ff) any additional criteria 

2 that the Administrator may rea3 sonably require. 

4 ‘‘(iii) CONDITIONS FOR CONTINUED

5 FUNDING.—In determining whether to 

6 make a grant under this subsection, the 

7 Administrator— 

8 ‘‘(I) shall consider the results of 

9 the most recent evaluation of the 

10 women’s business center for which a 

11 grant under this subsection is sought, 

12 and, to a lesser extent, previous eval13 uations; and 

14 ‘‘(II) may withhold a grant under 

15 this subsection, if the Administrator 

16 determines that the applicant has 

17 failed to provide the information re18 quired to be provided under this para19 graph, or the information provided by 

20 the applicant is inadequate. 

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

22 calendar days after the date of each deadline to 

23 submit applications under this paragraph, the 

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1 mitted application and notify the applicant for 

2 each such application of the approval or denial. 

3 ‘‘(E) RECORD RETENTION.— 

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

5 shall maintain a copy of each application 

6 submitted under this paragraph for not 

7 less than 5 years. 

8 ‘‘(ii) PAPERWORK REDUCTION.—The 

9 Administrator shall take steps to reduce, 

10 to the maximum extent practicable, the pa11 perwork burden associated with carrying 

12 out clause (i).’’; and 

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

14 following: 

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

16 shall be no limitation on the number of times the 

17 Administrator may award a grant to an applicant 

18 under this subsection.’’. 

19 (h) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

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

21 amended— 

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

23 a contract (as a sustainability grant) under sub24 section (l) or’’; 


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1 (2) in subsection (j)(1), by striking ‘‘The Ad2 ministration’’ and inserting ‘‘Not later than Novem3 ber 1 of each year, the Administrator’’; 

4 (3) in subsection (k)— 

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

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

7 following: 

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

9 appropriated to the Administration to carry out this 

10 section, to remain available until expended, 

11 $21,750,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 

12 2021.’’; and 

13 (C) in paragraph (2), by striking subpara14 graph (B) and inserting the following: 

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

16 available under this subsection for a fiscal year, 

17 the following amounts shall be available for se18 lection panel costs, costs associated with main19 taining an accreditation program, and post20 award conference costs: 

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

22 after the date of the enactment of this sub23 paragraph, 2.65 percent. 

24 ‘‘(ii) For the second fiscal year begin25 ning after the date of the enactment of 


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1 this subparagraph and each fiscal year 

2 thereafter through fiscal year 2021, 2.5 

3 percent.’’; and 

4 (4) in subsection (m)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘sub6 section (b) or (l)’’ and inserting ‘‘this sub7 section or subsection (b)’’; and 

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

9 subsection (l)’’. 

10 (i) EFFECT ON EXISTING GRANTS.— 

11 (1) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—A nonprofit or12 ganization receiving a grant under section 29(m) of 

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

14 effect on the day before the date of enactment of 

15 this Act, shall continue to receive the grant under 

16 the terms and conditions in effect for the grant on 

17 the day before the date of enactment of this Act, ex18 cept that the nonprofit organization may not apply 

19 for a continuation of the grant under section 

20 29(m)(5) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

21 656(m)(5)), as in effect on the day before the date 

22 of enactment of this Act. 

23 (2) LENGTH OF CONTINUATION GRANT.—The 

24 Administrator of the Small Business Administration 

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


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1 Business Act to a nonprofit organization receiving a 

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

3 Act (15 U.S.C. 656(m)), as in effect on the day be4 fore the date of enactment of this Act, for the pe5 riod— 

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

7 of the grant agreement under such section 

8 29(m); and 

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

10 year beginning after the date of enactment of 

11 this Act. 

12 SEC. 204. MATCHING REQUIREMENTS UNDER WOMEN’S 

13 BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM. 

14 Section 29(c) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

15 656(c)), as amended by this Act, is amended— 

16 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘As a condi17 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘Subject to paragraph (6), as a 

18 condition’’; and 

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

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

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

22 eligible entity, and in accordance with this para23 graph, the Administrator may waive, in whole 

24 or in part, the requirement to obtain non-Fed25 eral funds under this subsection for counseling 


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1 and training activities of the eligible entity car2 ried out using a grant under this section for a 

3 fiscal year. The Administrator may not waive 

4 the requirement for an eligible entity to obtain 

5 non-Federal funds under this paragraph for 

6 more than a total of 2 consecutive fiscal years. 

7 ‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining 

8 whether to waive the requirement to obtain 

9 non-Federal funds under this paragraph, the 

10 Administrator shall consider— 

11 ‘‘(i) the economic conditions affecting 

12 the eligible entity; 

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

14 paragraph would have on the credibility of 

15 the Women’s Business Center Program 

16 under this section; 

17 ‘‘(iii) the demonstrated ability of the 

18 eligible entity to raise non-Federal funds; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(iv) the performance of the eligible 

21 entity. 

22 ‘‘(C) LIMITATION.—The Administrator 

23 may not waive the requirement to obtain non24 Federal funds under this paragraph if granting 


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1 the waiver would undermine the credibility of 

2 the Women’s Business Center Program. 

3 ‘‘(10) SOLICITATION.—Notwithstanding any 

4 other provision of law, eligible entity may— 

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

6 from private individuals and entities to be used 

7 to carry out the activities of the eligible entity 

8 under the project conducted under this section; 

9 and 

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

11 Administrator under this section for the cost of 

12 such solicitation and management of the con13 tributions received. 

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

15 amount of non-Federal dollars obtained by an eligi16 ble entity that is above the amount that is required 

17 to be obtained by the eligible entity under this sub18 section shall not be subject to the requirements of 

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

20 any successor thereto, if such amount of non-Fed21 eral dollars— 

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

23 purposes of implementing the Women’s Busi24 ness Center Program; and 


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

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

3 TITLE III—SCORE PROGRAM 

4 REAUTHORIZATION 

5 SEC. 301. SHORT TITLE. 

6 This title may be cited as the ‘‘SCORE for Small 

7 Business Act of 2017’’. 

8 SEC. 302. SCORE REAUTHORIZATION. 

9 Section 20 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 

10 note) is amended— 

11 (1) by redesignating subsection (j) as sub12 section (f); and 

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

14 ‘‘(g) SCORE PROGRAM.—There are authorized to be 

15 appropriated to the Administrator to carry out the 

16 SCORE program authorized by section 8(b)(1) such sums 

17 as are necessary for the Administrator to make grants or 

18 enter into cooperative agreements in a total amount that 

19 does not exceed $10,500,000 in each of fiscal years 2018 

20 and 2019.’’. 

21 SEC. 303. SCORE PROGRAM. 

22 Section 8 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637) 

23 is amended— 

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1 serting ‘‘the SCORE program described in sub2 section (c)’’; and 

3 (2) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the 

4 following: 

5 ‘‘(c) SCORE PROGRAM.— 

6 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION.—In this subsection: 

7 ‘‘(A) SCORE ASSOCIATION.—The term 

8 ‘SCORE Association’ means the Service Corps 

9 of Retired Executives Association or any suc10 cessor or other organization who receives a 

11 grant from the Administrator to operate the 

12 SCORE program under paragraph (2)(A). 

13 ‘‘(B) SCORE PROGRAM.—The term 

14 ‘SCORE program’ means the SCORE program 

15 authorized by subsection (b)(1)(B). 

16 ‘‘(2) MANAGEMENT AND VOLUNTEERS.— 

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

18 shall provide a grant to the SCORE Association 

19 to manage the SCORE program. 

20 ‘‘(B) VOLUNTEERS.—A volunteer partici21 pating in the SCORE program shall— 

22 ‘‘(i) based on the business experience 

23 and knowledge of the volunteer— 

24 ‘‘(I) provide at no cost to individ25 uals who own, or aspire to own, small 


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1 business concerns personal counseling, 

2 mentoring, and coaching relating to 

3 the process of starting, expanding, 

4 managing, buying, and selling a busi5 ness; and 

6 ‘‘(II) facilitate low-cost education 

7 workshops for individuals who own, or 

8 aspire to own, small business con9 cerns; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) as appropriate, use tools, re11 sources, and expertise of other organiza12 tions to carry out the SCORE program. 

13 ‘‘(3) PLANS AND GOALS.—The Administrator, 

14 in consultation with the SCORE Association, shall 

15 ensure that the SCORE program and each chapter 

16 of the SCORE program develop and implement 

17 plans and goals to more effectively and efficiently 

18 provide services to individuals in rural areas, eco19 nomically disadvantaged communities, and other tra20 ditionally underserved communities, including plans 

21 for electronic initiatives, web-based initiatives, chap22 ter expansion, partnerships, and the development of 

23 new skills by volunteers participating in the SCORE 

24 program. 


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1 ‘‘(4) ANNUAL REPORT.—The SCORE Associa2 tion shall submit to the Administrator an annual re3 port that contains— 

4 ‘‘(A) the number of individuals counseled 

5 or trained under the SCORE program; 

6 ‘‘(B) the number of hours of counseling 

7 provided under the SCORE program; and 

8 ‘‘(C) to the extent possible— 

9 ‘‘(i) the number of small business con10 cerns formed with assistance from the 

11 SCORE program; 

12 ‘‘(ii) the number of small business 

13 concerns expanded with assistance from 

14 the SCORE program; and 

15 ‘‘(iii) the number of jobs created with 

16 assistance from the SCORE program. 

17 ‘‘(5) PRIVACY REQUIREMENTS.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Neither the Adminis19 trator nor the SCORE Association may disclose 

20 the name, address, or telephone number of any 

21 individual or small business concern receiving 

22 assistance from the SCORE Association with23 out the consent of such individual or small busi24 ness concern, unless— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the Administrator is ordered to 

2 make such a disclosure by a court in any 

3 civil or criminal enforcement action initi4 ated by a Federal or State agency; or 

5 ‘‘(ii) the Administrator determines 

6 such a disclosure to be necessary for the 

7 purpose of conducting a financial audit of 

8 the SCORE program, in which case disclo9 sure shall be limited to the information 

10 necessary for the audit. 

11 ‘‘(B) ADMINISTRATOR USE OF INFORMA12 TION.—This paragraph shall not— 

13 ‘‘(i) restrict the access of the Adminis14 trator to program activity data; or 

15 ‘‘(ii) prevent the Administrator from 

16 using client information to conduct client 

17 surveys. 

18 ‘‘(C) STANDARDS.— 

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

20 shall, after the opportunity for notice and 

21 comment, establish standards for— 

22 ‘‘(I) disclosures with respect to 

23 financial audits under subparagraph 

24 (A)(ii); and 


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1 ‘‘(II) conducting client surveys, 

2 including standards for oversight of 

3 the surveys and for dissemination and 

4 use of client information. 

5 ‘‘(ii) MAXIMUM PRIVACY PROTEC6 TION.—The standards issued under this 

7 subparagraph shall, to the extent prac8 ticable, provide for the maximum amount 

9 of privacy protection.’’. 

10 SEC. 304. ONLINE COMPONENT. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 8(c) of the Small Busi12 ness Act (15 U.S.C. 637(c)), as amended by section 3, 

13 is further amended by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(6) ONLINE COMPONENT.—In carrying out 

15 this subsection, the SCORE Association shall make 

16 use of online counseling, including by developing and 

17 implementing webinars and an electronic mentoring 

18 platform to expand access to services provided under 

19 this subsection and to further support entre20 preneurs.’’. 

21 (b) ONLINE COMPONENT REPORT.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—At the end of fiscal year 

23 2018, the SCORE Association shall issue a report to 

24 the Committee on Small Business of the House of 

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1 ness and Entrepreneurship of the Senate on the ef2 fectiveness of the online counseling and webinars re3 quired as part of the SCORE program, including— 

4 (A) how the SCORE Association deter5 mines electronic mentoring and webinar needs, 

6 develops training for electronic mentoring, es7 tablishes webinar criteria curricula, and evalu8 ates webinar and electronic mentoring results; 

9 (B) describing the internal controls that 

10 are used and a summary of the topics covered 

11 by the webinars; and 

12 (C) performance metrics, including the 

13 number of small business concerns counseled 

14 by, the number of small business concerns cre15 ated by, the number of jobs created and re16 tained by, and the funding amounts directed to17 wards such online counseling and webinars. 

18 (2) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this sub19 section, the terms ‘‘SCORE Association’’ and 

20 ‘‘SCORE program’’ have the meaning given those 

21 terms, respectively, under section 8(c)(1) of the 

22 Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(c)(1)). 


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1 SEC. 305. STUDY AND REPORT ON THE FUTURE ROLE OF 

2 THE SCORE PROGRAM. 

3 (a) STUDY.—The SCORE Association shall carry out 

4 a study on the future role of the SCORE program and 

5 develop a strategic plan for how the SCORE program will 

6 evolve to meet the needs of small business concerns and 

7 potential future small business concerns over the course 

8 of the 5 years following the date of enactment of this Act, 

9 with markers and specific objectives for year 1, year 3, 

10 and year 5. 

11 (b) REPORT.—Not later than the end of the 6-month 

12 period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, 

13 the SCORE Association shall issue a report to the Com14 mittee on Small Business of the House of Representatives 

15 and the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneur16 ship of the Senate containing— 

17 (1) all findings and determination made in car18 rying out the study required under subsection (a); 

19 (2) the strategic plan developed under sub20 section (a); 

21 (3) an explanation of how the SCORE Associa22 tion plans to achieve the strategic plan, assuming 

23 both stagnant and increased funding levels. 

24 (c) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section, the 

25 terms ‘‘SCORE Association’’ and ‘‘SCORE program’’ 

26 have the meaning given those terms, respectively, under 


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1 section 8(c)(1) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

2 637(c)(1)). 

3 SEC. 306. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

4 (a) SMALL BUSINESS ACT.—The Small Business Act 

5 (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.) is amended— 

6 (1) in section 7(m)(3)(A)(i)(VIII) (15 U.S.C. 

7 636(m)(3)(A)(i)(VIII)), by striking ‘‘Service Corps 

8 of Retired Executives’’ and inserting ‘‘SCORE pro9 gram’’; and 

10 (2) in section 22 (15 U.S.C. 649)— 

11 (A) in subsection (b)— 

12 (i) in paragraph (1), by striking 

13 ‘‘Service Corps of Retired Executives’’ and 

14 inserting ‘‘SCORE program’’; and 

15 (ii) in paragraph (3), by striking 

16 ‘‘Service Corps of Retired Executives’’ and 

17 inserting ‘‘SCORE program’’; and 

18 (B) in subsection (c)(12), by striking 

19 ‘‘Service Corps of Retired Executives’’ and in20 serting ‘‘SCORE program’’. 

21 (b) OTHER LAWS.— 

22 (1) CHILDREN’S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM

23 REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2009.—Section 621 of the 

24 Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthoriza25 tion Act of 2009 (15 U.S.C. 657p) is amended— 


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1 (A) in subsection (a), by striking para2 graph (4) and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(4) the term ‘SCORE program’ means the 

4 SCORE program authorized by section 8(b)(1)(B) 

5 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

6 637(b)(1)(B));’’; and 

7 (B) in subsection (b)(4)(A)(iv), by striking 

8 ‘‘Service Corps of Retired Executives’’ and in9 serting ‘‘SCORE program’’. 

10 (2) ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION

11 ACT.—Section 337(d)(2)(A) of the Energy Policy 

12 and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6307(d)(2)(A)) is 

13 amended by striking ‘‘Service Corps of Retired Ex14 ecutives (SCORE)’’ and inserting ‘‘SCORE pro15 gram’’. 

Æ 


lotter on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS