II 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3200 

To require the Small Business Administration to submit a regular National 

Small Business Climate Index to Congress to assess how policies provide 

incentives or impediments to small business development. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 17, 2012 

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

referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship 

A BILL 

To require the Small Business Administration to submit 

a regular National Small Business Climate Index to Congress to assess how policies provide incentives or impediments to small business development. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS CLIMATE INDEX. 

4 Title II of Public Law 94–305 (15 U.S.C. 634a et 

5 seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 209. NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS CLIMATE INDEX. 

7 ‘‘(a) PERIODIC REPORTS.—Subject to the availability 

8 of appropriations, not later than 2 years after the date 


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•S 3200 IS

1 of the enactment of this section and not less frequently 

2 than once every 735 days thereafter, the Chief Counsel 

3 for Advocacy, in coordination with the regional advocates 

4 of the Small Business Administration, shall submit to the 

5 Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of 

6 the Senate and the Committee on Small Business of the 

7 House of Representatives a report that— 

8 ‘‘(1) ranks each of the States of the United 

9 States, the District of Columbia, and each of the 

10 territories of the United States according to how 

11 well the regulations and policies of the States, the 

12 District, and the territories create optimal environ13 ments for the creation and development of small 

14 business concerns; and 

15 ‘‘(2) ranks each of the 50 largest metropolitan 

16 statistical areas of the United States (as defined by 

17 the Director of the Office of Management and Budg18 et) according to how well the regulations and policies 

19 of such areas create optimal environments for the 

20 creation and development of small business concerns. 

21 ‘‘(b) DESIGNATION.—Each report required by sub22 section (a) shall be known as the ‘National Small Business 

23 Climate Index’ for the period covered by the report. 

24 ‘‘(c) FACTORS.—Each report submitted under sub25 section (a) shall, for each applicable State, territory, and 


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1 metropolitan statistical area and the District of Columbia, 

2 assess how policies provide incentives or impediments to 

3 small business development by considering the following: 

4 ‘‘(1) The conduciveness of State and local regu5 lations and policies to small business formation and 

6 small business growth. 

7 ‘‘(2) The accessibility and availability of credit 

8 and other forms of financing. 

9 ‘‘(3) The availability of Federal, State, and 

10 local contracting opportunities for small business 

11 concerns. 

12 ‘‘(4) Whether entrepreneurs are able to start 

13 small business concerns in a timely manner. 

14 ‘‘(5) The difficulty of obtaining permits nec15 essary to establish or expand small business con16 cerns. 

17 ‘‘(6) The accessibility and price of utilities. 

18 ‘‘(7) The availability and price of real estate. 

19 ‘‘(8) The rates and structure of taxes and fees. 

20 ‘‘(9) Such other factors as the Chief Counsel 

21 for Advocacy considers appropriate. 

22 ‘‘(d) PROGRESS REPORT.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

24 the date of the enactment of this section, the Chief 

25 Counsel for Advocacy shall submit to the committees 


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1 described in subsection (a) a report on the progress 

2 of the Chief Counsel for Advocacy in preparing the 

3 first report required by such subsection. 

4 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—The report required by para5 graph (1) shall include the following: 

6 ‘‘(A) A description of the progress the 

7 Chief Counsel for Advocacy has made in pre8 paring the first report required by subsection 

9 (a). 

10 ‘‘(B) A description of the best practices, 

11 models, or other reports the Chief Counsel for 

12 Advocacy is using, if any, to prepare the first 

13 report required by subsection (a).’’. 

Æ 


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