IB 

Union Calendar No. 406 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 207 

[Report No. 114–526] 

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

business development centers. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 8, 2015 

Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Small Business 

APRIL 26, 2016 

Additional sponsors: Mr. JEFFRIES, Mrs. KIRKPATRICK, and Mrs. 

NAPOLITANO

APRIL 26, 2016 

Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House 

on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on January 8, 2015] 


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A BILL 

To amend the Small Business Act to provide for 

improvements to small business development centers. 


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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 ‘‘De5 veloping the Next Generation of Small Businesses Act of 

6 2016’’. 

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

8 this Act is as follows: 

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. 


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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 2016’’. 

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 by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 48. USE OF AUTHORIZED ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVEL12 OPMENT PROGRAMS. 

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

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

15 provision of law, the Administrator shall only use the 

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

17 8(b)(1), 21, 22, 29, and 32 of this Act, and sections 

18 358 and 389 of the Small Business Investment Act to 

19 deliver entrepreneurial development services, entrepre20 neurial education, support for the development and 

21 maintenance of clusters, or business training. 

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

23 to services provided to assist small business concerns 

24 owned by an Indian tribe (as such term is defined in 

25 section 8(a)(13)). 


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1 ‘‘(b) ANNUAL REPORT.—Beginning on the first Decem2 ber 1 after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Ad3 ministrator shall annually report to the Committee on 

4 Small Business of the House of Representatives and the 

5 Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the 

6 Senate on all entrepreneurial development activities under7 taken in the current fiscal year. This report shall include— 

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

9 program and activity; 

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

11 operating procedures for each program and activity; 

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

13 grants under each program and activity; 

14 ‘‘(4) a list of all awardees, contractors, and ven15 dors (including organization name and location) and 

16 the amount of awards for the current fiscal year for 

17 each program and activity; 

18 ‘‘(5) the amount of funding obligated for the cur19 rent fiscal year for each program and activity; and 

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

21 responsible for each program and activity.’’. 

22 SEC. 103. MARKETING OF SERVICES. 

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

24 is amended by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(o) NO PROHIBITION OF MARKETING OF SERVICES.— 

2 The Administrator shall not prohibit applicants receiving 

3 grants under this section from marketing and advertising 

4 their services to individuals and small business concerns.’’. 

5 SEC. 104. DATA COLLECTION. 

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

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

8 (1) by striking ‘‘as provided in this section and’’ 

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

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

11 following: ‘‘, and (iv) governing data collection activi12 ties related to applicants receiving grants under this 

13 section’’. 

14 (b) ANNUAL REPORT ON DATA COLLECTION.—Section 

15 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648), as amended 

16 by section 103 of this Act, is further amended by adding 

17 at the end the following: 

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

19 Administrator shall report annually to the Committee on 

20 Small Business of the House of Representatives and the 

21 Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the 

22 Senate on any data collection activities related to the Small 

23 Business Development Center program.’’. 

24 (c) WORKING GROUP TO IMPROVE DATA COLLEC25 TION.— 


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1 (1) ESTABLISHMENT AND STUDY.—The Adminis2 trator of the Small Business Administration shall es3 tablish a Data Collection Working Group consisting 

4 of members from entrepreneurial development grant 

5 recipients associations and organizations and Admin6 istration officials, to carry out a study to determine 

7 the best way to capture data collection and create or 

8 revise existing systems dedicated to data collection. 

9 (2) REPORT.—Not later than the end of the 180- 

10 day period beginning on the date of the enactment of 

11 this Act, the Data Collection Working Group shall 

12 issue a report to the Committee on Small Business of 

13 the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

14 Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate 

15 containing the findings and determinations made in 

16 carrying out the study required under paragraph (1), 

17 including— 

18 (A) recommendations for revising existing 

19 data collection practices; and 

20 (B) a proposed plan for the Small Business 

21 Administration to implement such recommenda22 tions. 


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1 SEC. 105. FEES FROM PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AND CO2 SPONSORSHIPS. 

3 Section 21(a)(3) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

4 648(a)(3)(C)), as amended by section 104, is further amend5 ed by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(D) FEES FROM PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AND CO7 SPONSORSHIPS.—Participation in private partnerships 

8 and cosponsorships with the Administration shall not limit 

9 small business development centers from collecting fees or 

10 other income related to the operation of such private part11 nerships and cosponsorships.’’. 

12 SEC. 106. EQUITY FOR SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 

13 CENTERS. 

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

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

16 read as follows: 

17 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—Of the amounts 

18 made available in any fiscal year to carry 

19 out this section not more than $600,000 

20 may be used by the Administration to pay 

21 expenses enumerated in subparagraphs (B) 

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

23 SEC. 107. CONFIDENTIALITY REQUIREMENTS. 

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

25 U.S.C. 648(a)(7)(A)) is amended by inserting after ‘‘under 


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1 this section’’ the following: ‘‘to any State, local or Federal 

2 agency, or third party’’. 

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

4 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS. 

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

6 Act (15 U.S.C. 648), as amended by section 104, is further 

7 amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘any wom9 en’s business center operating pursuant to section 

10 29,’’; 

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

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

13 not-for-profit institutions of higher education, and notwith14 standing any other provision of law, the Administrator 

15 may not award grants (including contracts and cooperative 

16 agreements) under this section to any entity other than 

17 those that received grants (including contracts and coopera18 tive agreements) under this section prior to the date of the 

19 enactment of this subsection, and that seek to renew such 

20 grants (including contracts and cooperative agreements) 

21 after such date.’’. 

22 (b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—The amendments made 

23 by this section may not be construed as prohibiting a wom24 en’s business center from receiving a subgrant from an entiVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:55 Apr 26, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H207.RH H207

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1 ty receiving a grant under section 21 of the Small Business 

2 Act (15 U.S.C. 648). 

3 TITLE II—WOMEN’S BUSINESS 

4 CENTERS PROGRAM IM5 PROVEMENTS 

6 SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE. 

7 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Women’s Business Cen8 ters Improvements Act of 2016’’. 

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

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

11 656(g)) is amended— 

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

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

14 ‘‘(B) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The responsibil15 ities of the Assistant Administrator shall be to 

16 administer the programs and services of the Of17 fice of Women’s Business Ownership. 

18 ‘‘(C) DUTIES.—The Assistant Adminis19 trator shall perform the following functions with 

20 respect to the Office of Women’s Business Owner21 ship: 

22 ‘‘(i) Recommend the annual adminis23 trative and program budgets of the Office 

24 and eligible entities receiving a grant under 

25 the Women’s Business Center Program. 


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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 center 

7 after reviewing information required by this 

8 section, including the budget of each appli9 cant. 

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 utili14 zation 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 enti18 ties that provide similar services to women 

19 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 women 

7 entrepreneurs to start, grow, and compete in global 

8 markets by providing quality support with access to 

9 capital, access to markets, job creation, growth, and 

10 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 to 

16 support women entrepreneurs and conduct out17 reach and education to startup and existing 

18 small business concerns owned and controlled by 

19 women; and 

20 ‘‘(C) working with other programs overseen 

21 by the Administrator to ensure women are well22 represented and being served and to identify 

23 gaps where participation by women could be in24 creased. 

25 ‘‘(4) ACCREDITATION PROGRAM.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 270 

2 days after the date of enactment of this para3 graph, the Administrator shall establish stand4 ards for an accreditation program for accred5 iting eligible entities receiving a grant under 

6 this section, after notice and the opportunity for 

7 public comment of no less than 60 days. 

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

9 date on which standards are established under 

10 subparagraph (A), the Administrator may not 

11 terminate a grant under this section absent evi12 dence of fraud or other criminal misconduct by 

13 the recipient. 

14 ‘‘(C) CONTRACTING AUTHORITY.—The Ad15 ministrator may provide financial assistance, by 

16 contract or otherwise, to a relevant national 

17 women’s business center representative associa18 tion to provide assistance in establishing the 

19 standards required under subparagraph (A) or 

20 for carrying out an accreditation program pur21 suant to such standards.’’. 

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

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

25 (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 and 

8 exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of 

9 such Code; 

10 ‘‘(B) a State, regional, or local economic de11 velopment organization, so long as the organiza12 tion certifies that grant funds received under this 

13 section will not be co-mingled with other funds; 

14 ‘‘(C) an institution of higher education, un15 less such institution is currently receiving a 

16 grant under section 21; 

17 ‘‘(D) a development, credit, or finance cor18 poration chartered by a State, so long as the cor19 poration certifies that grant funds received under 

20 this section will not be co-mingled with other 

21 funds; or 

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

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

24 (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 Business 

10 Act (15 U.S.C. 656(b)) is amended— 

11 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) 

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

13 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 Wom18 en’s Business Center Program under which the Ad19 ministrator may provide a grant to any eligible enti20 ty to operate one or more women’s business centers’’; 

21 (3) by striking ‘‘The projects shall’’ and insert22 ing the following: 

23 ‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—The women’s business cen24 ters shall be designed to provide counseling and train25 ing that meets the needs of women, especially socially 


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1 or economically disadvantaged women, and shall’’; 

2 and 

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

4 ‘‘(3) AMOUNT OF GRANTS.— 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The amount of a grant 

6 provided under this subsection to an eligible en7 tity per project year shall be not more than 

8 $185,000 (as such amount is annually adjusted 

9 by the Administrator to reflect the change in in10 flation). 

11 ‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL GRANTS.— 

12 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding 

13 subparagraph (A), with respect to an eligi14 ble entity that has received $185,000 in 

15 grants under this subsection in a project 

16 year, the Administrator may award an ad17 ditional grant under this subsection of up to 

18 $65,000 during such project year if the Ad19 ministrator determines that the eligible en20 tity— 

21 ‘‘(I) agrees to obtain, after its ap22 plication has been approved and notice 

23 of award has been issued, cash con24 tributions from non-Federal sources of 


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1 1 non-Federal dollar for each Federal 

2 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 quar13 ters of the fiscal year; and 

14 ‘‘(II) from unobligated amounts 

15 made available to the Administrator to 

16 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 accredita21 tion, or any other requirement for the operation of a 

22 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, United 


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1 States Code, without regard to any exceptions pro2 vided for under such section.’’. 

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

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

5 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

6 (A) by striking ‘‘the recipient organization’’ 

7 and inserting ‘‘an eligible entity’’; and 

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

9 inserting ‘‘a grant’’; 

10 (2) in paragraph (3)— 

11 (A) by striking ‘‘financial assistance au12 thorized pursuant to this section may be made 

13 by grant, contract, or cooperative agreement 

14 and’’ and inserting ‘‘grants authorized pursuant 

15 to this section’’; and 

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

17 recipient organization’’ and inserting ‘‘an eligi18 ble entity’’; 

19 (3) in paragraph (4)— 

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

21 and inserting ‘‘eligible entity’’; 

22 (B) by striking ‘‘during any project, it shall 

23 not be eligible thereafter’’ and inserting ‘‘during 

24 any project for 2 consecutive years, the eligible 


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1 entity shall not be eligible at any time after that 

2 2-year period’’; 

3 (C) by striking ‘‘such organization’’ and in4 serting ‘‘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.—An 

9 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 the 

19 Administration, in order to ensure that the ap20 plicant has sufficient resources to provide the 

21 services for which the grant is being provided. 

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

23 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 eligible 

5 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 correcting 

13 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 such 

23 plan; 

24 ‘‘(ii) if the Assistant Administrator de25 termines 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.—An 

9 eligible entity receiving a determination under 

10 subparagraph (B)(ii) shall have 30 calendar 

11 days from the receipt of the determination to 

12 amend the plan of action to satisfy the problems 

13 identified by the Assistant Administrator and re14 submit such plan to the Assistant Administrator. 

15 ‘‘(D) AMENDED PLAN REVIEW BY THE AS16 SISTANT ADMINISTRATOR.—Within 15 calendar 

17 days of the receipt of an amended plan of action 

18 under subparagraph (C), the Assistant Adminis19 trator shall either approve or reject such plan 

20 and provide such approval or rejection in writ21 ing to the eligible entity. 

22 ‘‘(E) APPEAL OF ASSISTANT ADMINIS23 TRATOR DETERMINATION.— 

24 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—If the Assistant Ad25 ministrator rejects an amended plan under 


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1 subparagraph (D), the eligible entity shall 

2 have the opportunity to appeal such deci3 sion to the Administrator, who may dele4 gate such appeal to an appropriate officer 

5 of the Administration. 

6 ‘‘(ii) OPPORTUNITY FOR EXPLA7 NATION.—Any appeal described under 

8 clause (i) shall provide an opportunity for 

9 the eligible entity to provide, in writing, an 

10 explanation of why the eligible entity’s plan 

11 remedies the problems identified in the an12 nual review. 

13 ‘‘(iii) NOTICE OF DETERMINATION.— 

14 The determination of the appeal shall be 

15 provided to the eligible entity, in writing, 

16 within 15 calendar days from the eligible 

17 entity’s filing of the appeal. 

18 ‘‘(iv) EFFECT OF FAILURE TO ACT.—If 

19 the Administrator fails to act on an appeal 

20 made under this subparagraph within the 

21 15 calendar day period specified under 

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

23 plan of action submitted under subpara24 graph (C) shall be deemed to be approved. 

25 ‘‘(8) TERMINATION OF GRANT.— 


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

2 shall issue regulations (after providing an oppor3 tunity for notice and comment) to provide that, 

4 if an eligible entity fails to comply with a plan 

5 of action approved by the Assistant Adminis6 trator under paragraph (7)(B)(i) or an amended 

7 plan of action approved by the Assistant Admin8 istrator under paragraph (7)(D) or approved on 

9 appeal under paragraph (7)(E), the Assistant 

10 Administrator shall terminate the grant pro11 vided to the eligible entity under this section. 

12 ‘‘(B) APPEAL OF TERMINATION.—An eligi13 ble entity that has a grant terminated under 

14 subparagraph (A) shall have the opportunity to 

15 challenge the termination on the record and after 

16 an opportunity for a hearing. 

17 ‘‘(C) FINAL AGENCY ACTION.—The deter18 mination made pursuant to subparagraph (B) 

19 shall be considered final agency action for the 

20 purposes of chapter 7, title 5, United States 

21 Code.’’. 

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

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

24 (1) by striking ‘‘applicant organization’’ and in25 serting ‘‘eligible entity’’; 


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

2 inserting ‘‘an eligible entity’’; 

3 (3) by striking ‘‘financial assistance’’ and insert4 ing ‘‘grants’’; and 

5 (4) by striking ‘‘site’’. 

6 (e) APPLICATIONS AND CRITERIA FOR INITIAL

7 GRANT.—Subsection (f) of section 29 of the Small Business 

8 Act (15 U.S.C. 656) is amended to read as follows: 

9 ‘‘(f) APPLICATIONS AND CRITERIA FOR INITIAL

10 GRANT.— 

11 ‘‘(1) APPLICATION.—Each eligible entity desiring 

12 a grant under subsection (b) shall submit to the Ad13 ministrator an application that contains— 

14 ‘‘(A) a certification that the eligible enti15 ty— 

16 ‘‘(i) has designated an executive direc17 tor or program manager, who may be com18 pensated using grant funds under subsection 

19 (b) or other sources, to manage the women’s 

20 business center for which a grant under sub21 section (b) is sought; 

22 ‘‘(ii) meets the accounting and report23 ing requirements established by the Director 

24 of the Office of Management and Budget; 


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1 ‘‘(B) information demonstrating that the el2 igible entity has the ability and resources to meet 

3 the needs of the market to be served by the wom4 en’s business center, including the ability to ob5 tain the non-Federal contribution required under 

6 subsection (c); 

7 ‘‘(C) information relating to the assistance 

8 to be provided by the women’s business center in 

9 the area in which the women’s business center is 

10 located; 

11 ‘‘(D) information demonstrating the experi12 ence and effectiveness of the eligible entity in— 

13 ‘‘(i) conducting the services described 

14 under subsection (a)(5); 

15 ‘‘(ii) providing training and services 

16 to a representative number of women who 

17 are socially or economically disadvantaged; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(iii) working with resource partners 

20 of the Administration and other entities, 

21 such as universities; and 

22 ‘‘(E) a 5-year plan that describes the ability 

23 of the eligible entity to provide the services de24 scribed under subsection (a)(3), including to a 


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1 representative number of women who are socially 

2 or economically disadvantaged. 

3 ‘‘(2) REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS

4 FOR INITIAL GRANTS.— 

5 ‘‘(A) REVIEW AND SELECTION OF ELIGIBLE

6 ENTITIES.— 

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

8 shall review applications to determine 

9 whether the applicant can meet obligations 

10 to perform the activities required by a grant 

11 under this section, including— 

12 ‘‘(I) the experience of the appli13 cant in conducting activities required 

14 by this section; 

15 ‘‘(II) the amount of time needed 

16 for the applicant to commence oper17 ations should it be awarded a grant; 

18 ‘‘(III) the capacity of the appli19 cant to meet the accreditation stand20 ards established by the Administrator 

21 in a timely manner; 

22 ‘‘(IV) the ability of the applicant 

23 to sustain operations for more than 5 

24 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) RULEMAKING.—The Admin12 istrator shall issue regulations (after 

13 providing an opportunity for notice 

14 and comment) to specify the criteria 

15 for review and selection of applicants 

16 under this subsection. 

17 ‘‘(II) MODIFICATIONS PROHIBITED

18 AFTER ANNOUNCEMENT.—With respect 

19 to a public announcement of any op20 portunity to be awarded a grant under 

21 this section made by the Administrator 

22 pursuant to subsection (l)(1), the Ad23 ministrator may not modify regula24 tions issued pursuant to subclause (I) 

25 with respect to such opportunity unless 


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1 required to do so by an Act of Congress 

2 or an order of a Federal court. 

3 ‘‘(III) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.— 

4 Nothing in this clause may be con5 strued 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 Ad12 ministrator 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 less 

18 than 5 years. 

19 ‘‘(ii) PAPERWORK REDUCTION.—The 

20 Administrator shall take steps to reduce, to 

21 the maximum extent practicable, the paper22 work burden associated with carrying out 

23 clause (i).’’. 

24 (f) NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE

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


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1 Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656) is amended by insert2 ing 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 an8 nouncement shall include the standards by which such 

9 award will be made, including the regulations issued 

10 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 a 

13 grant a debriefing with the Assistant Administrator 

14 to review the reasons for the applicant’s failure; and 

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

16 of an eligible entity receiving a grant under this sec17 tion that is carried out by an officer or employee of 

18 the Administration (other than the Inspector Gen19 eral), a copy of the site visit report or evaluation, as 

20 applicable, within 30 calendar days of the completion 

21 of such vision or evaluation.’’. 

22 (g) CONTINUED FUNDING FOR CENTERS.—Section 

23 29(m) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(m)) is 

24 amended— 


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

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(3) APPLICATION AND APPROVAL FOR CONTINU4 ATION GRANTS.— 

5 ‘‘(A) SOLICITATION OF APPLICATIONS.—The 

6 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 el12 igible 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, agrees— 

24 ‘‘(aa) to receive a site visit as 

25 part of the final selection process, 


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1 at the discretion of the Adminis2 trator; and 

3 ‘‘(bb) to remedy any problem 

4 identified pursuant to the site 

5 visit under item (aa); 

6 ‘‘(ii) information demonstrating that 

7 the applicant has the ability and resources 

8 to meet the needs of the market to be served 

9 by the women’s business center for which a 

10 grant under this subsection is sought, in11 cluding the ability to obtain the non-Fed12 eral contribution required under paragraph 

13 (4)(C); 

14 ‘‘(iii) information relating to assist15 ance to be provided by the women’s business 

16 center in the geographic area served by the 

17 women’s business center for which a grant 

18 under this subsection is sought; 

19 ‘‘(iv) information demonstrating that 

20 the applicant has worked with resource 

21 partners of the Administration and other 

22 entities; 

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

24 services provided by the women’s business 


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1 center for which a grant under this sub2 section is sought— 

3 ‘‘(I) to serve women who are busi4 ness owners or potential business own5 ers by conducting training and coun6 seling activities; and 

7 ‘‘(II) to provide training and 

8 services to a representative number of 

9 women who are socially or economi10 cally disadvantaged; and 

11 ‘‘(vi) any additional information that 

12 the Administrator may reasonably require. 

13 ‘‘(C) REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF APPLICA14 TIONS FOR GRANTS.— 

15 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Adminis16 trator— 

17 ‘‘(I) shall review each application 

18 submitted under subparagraph (B), 

19 based on the information described in 

20 such subparagraph and the criteria set 

21 forth under clause (ii) of this subpara22 graph; and 

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

24 process, may, at the discretion of the 

25 Administrator, conduct a site visit to 


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1 each women’s business center for which 

2 a grant under this subsection is sought, 

3 in particular to evaluate the women’s 

4 business center using the selection cri5 teria described in clause (ii)(II). 

6 ‘‘(ii) SELECTION CRITERIA.— 

7 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The Adminis8 trator shall evaluate applicants for 

9 grants under this subsection in accord10 ance with selection criteria that are— 

11 ‘‘(aa) established before the 

12 date on which applicants are re13 quired to submit the applications; 

14 ‘‘(bb) stated in terms of rel15 ative importance; and 

16 ‘‘(cc) publicly available and 

17 stated in each solicitation for ap18 plications for grants under this 

19 subsection made by the Adminis20 trator. 

21 ‘‘(II) REQUIRED CRITERIA.—The 

22 selection criteria for a grant under this 

23 subsection shall include— 


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1 ‘‘(aa) the total number of en2 trepreneurs served by the appli3 cant; 

4 ‘‘(bb) the total number of 

5 new startup companies assisted by 

6 the applicant; 

7 ‘‘(cc) the percentage of clients 

8 of the applicant that are socially 

9 or economically disadvantaged; 

10 ‘‘(dd) the percentage of indi11 viduals in the community served 

12 by the applicant who are socially 

13 or economically disadvantaged; 

14 ‘‘(ee) the successful accredita15 tion of the applicant under the ac16 creditation program developed 

17 under subsection (g)(5); and 

18 ‘‘(ff) any additional criteria 

19 that the Administrator may rea20 sonably require. 

21 ‘‘(iii) CONDITIONS FOR CONTINUED

22 FUNDING.—In determining whether to make 

23 a grant under this subsection, the Adminis24 trator— 


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1 ‘‘(I) shall consider the results of 

2 the most recent evaluation of the wom3 en’s business center for which a grant 

4 under this subsection is sought, and, to 

5 a lesser extent, previous evaluations; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(II) may withhold a grant under 

8 this subsection, if the Administrator 

9 determines that the applicant has 

10 failed to provide the information re11 quired to be provided under this para12 graph, or the information provided by 

13 the applicant is inadequate. 

14 ‘‘(D) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 60 cal15 endar days after the date of each deadline to sub16 mit applications under this paragraph, the Ad17 ministrator shall approve or deny each sub18 mitted application and notify the applicant for 

19 each such application of the approval or denial. 

20 ‘‘(E) RECORD RETENTION.— 

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

22 shall maintain a copy of each application 

23 submitted under this paragraph for not less 

24 than 5 years. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) PAPERWORK REDUCTION.—The 

2 Administrator shall take steps to reduce, to 

3 the maximum extent practicable, the paper4 work burden associated with carrying out 

5 clause (i).’’; and 

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

7 following: 

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

9 shall be no limitation on the number of times the Ad10 ministrator may award a grant to an applicant 

11 under this subsection.’’. 

12 (h) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

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

14 amended— 

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

16 contract (as a sustainability grant) under subsection 

17 (l) or’’; 

18 (2) in subsection (j)(1), by striking ‘‘The Admin19 istration’’ and inserting ‘‘Not later than November 1 

20 of each year, the Administrator’’; 

21 (3) in subsection (k)— 

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

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

24 following: 


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

2 appropriated to the Administration to carry out this 

3 section, to remain available until expended, 

4 $21,750,000 for each of fiscal years 2017 through 

5 2020.’’; and 

6 (D) in paragraph (2), by striking subpara7 graph (B) and inserting the following: 

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

9 available under this subsection for a fiscal year, 

10 the following amounts shall be available for selec11 tion panel costs, costs associated with maintain12 ing an accreditation program, and post-award 

13 conference costs: 

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

15 after the date of the enactment of this sub16 paragraph, 2.65 percent. 

17 ‘‘(ii) For the second fiscal year begin18 ning after the date of the enactment of this 

19 subparagraph and each fiscal year there20 after through fiscal year 2020, 2.5 percent.’’; 

21 and 

22 (4) in subsection (m)— 

23 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘sub24 section (b) or (l)’’ and inserting ‘‘this subsection 

25 or subsection (b)’’; and 


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

2 subsection (l)’’. 

3 (i) EFFECT ON EXISTING GRANTS.— 

4 (1) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—A nonprofit orga5 nization receiving a grant under section 29(m) of the 

6 Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(m)), as in effect 

7 on the day before the date of enactment of this Act, 

8 shall continue to receive the grant under the terms 

9 and conditions in effect for the grant on the day be10 fore the date of enactment of this Act, except that the 

11 nonprofit organization may not apply for a continu12 ation of the grant under section 29(m)(5) of the 

13 Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(m)(5)), as in ef14 fect on the day before the date of enactment of this 

15 Act. 

16 (2) LENGTH OF CONTINUATION GRANT.—The Ad17 ministrator of the Small Business Administration 

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

19 Business Act to a nonprofit organization receiving a 

20 grant under section 29(m) of the Small Business Act 

21 (15 U.S.C. 656(m)), as in effect on the day before the 

22 date of enactment of this Act, for the period— 

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

24 of the grant agreement under such section 29(m); 

25 and 


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

2 year beginning after the date of enactment of 

3 this Act. 

4 SEC. 204. MATCHING REQUIREMENTS UNDER WOMEN’S 

5 BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 29(c) of the Small Business 

7 Act (15 U.S.C. 656(c)), as amended by section 204 of this 

8 Act, is amended— 

9 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘As a condi10 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘Subject to paragraph (6), as a 

11 condition’’; and 

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

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

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Upon request by an eli15 gible entity, and in accordance with this para16 graph, the Administrator may waive, in whole 

17 or in part, the requirement to obtain non-Fed18 eral funds under this subsection for counseling 

19 and training activities of the eligible entity car20 ried out using a grant under this section for a 

21 fiscal year. The Administrator may not waive 

22 the requirement for an eligible entity to obtain 

23 non-Federal funds under this paragraph for 

24 more than a total of 2 consecutive fiscal years. 


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1 ‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining 

2 whether to waive the requirement to obtain non3 Federal funds under this paragraph, the Admin4 istrator shall consider— 

5 ‘‘(i) the economic conditions affecting 

6 the eligible entity; 

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

8 paragraph would have on the credibility of 

9 the Women’s Business Center Program 

10 under this section; 

11 ‘‘(iii) the demonstrated ability of the 

12 eligible entity to raise non-Federal funds; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(iv) the performance of the eligible en15 tity. 

16 ‘‘(C) LIMITATION.—The Administrator may 

17 not waive the requirement to obtain non-Federal 

18 funds under this paragraph if granting the 

19 waiver would undermine the credibility of the 

20 Women’s Business Center Program. 

21 ‘‘(10) SOLICITATION.—Notwithstanding any 

22 other provision of law, eligible entity may— 

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

24 from private individuals and entities to be used 

25 to carry out the activities of the eligible entity 


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1 under the project conducted under this section; 

2 and 

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

4 Administrator under this section for the cost of 

5 such solicitation and management of the con6 tributions received. 

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

8 amount of non-Federal dollars obtained by an eligible 

9 entity that is above the amount that is required to be 

10 obtained by the eligible entity under this subsection 

11 shall not be subject to the requirements of part 200 

12 of title 2, Code of Federal Regulations, or any suc13 cessor thereto, if such amount of non-Federal dol14 lars— 

15 ‘‘(A) is not used as matching funds for pur16 poses of implementing the Women’s Business 

17 Center Program; and 

18 ‘‘(B) was not obtained using funds from the 

19 Women’s Business Center Program.’’. 

20 (b) REGULATIONS.— 

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

22 Business Administration shall— 

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

24 and not later than 270 days after the date of en25 actment of this Act, publish in the Federal RegVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:55 Apr 26, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00041 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H207.RH H207

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1 ister proposed regulations by the Administrator 

2 to carry out the amendments made to section 29 

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

4 this title; and 

5 (B) accept public comments on such pro6 posed regulations for not less than 60 days. 

7 (2) EXISTING PROPOSED REGULATIONS.—Para8 graph (1)(A) shall not apply to the extent proposed 

9 regulations by the Administrator have been published 

10 on the date of enactment of this Act that are sufficient 

11 to carry out the amendments made to section 29 of 

12 the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656) by this title. 

13 TITLE III—SCORE PROGRAM 

14 REAUTHORIZATION 

15 SEC. 301. SHORT TITLE. 

16 This title may be cited as the ‘‘SCORE for Small Busi17 ness Act of 2016’’. 

18 SEC. 302. SCORE REAUTHORIZATION. 

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

20 note) is amended— 

21 (1) by redesignating subsection (j) as subsection 

22 (f); and 

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

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

25 appropriated to the Administrator to carry out the SCORE 


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1 program authorized by section 8(b)(1) such sums as are nec2 essary for the Administrator to make grants or enter into 

3 cooperative agreements in a total amount that does not ex4 ceed $10,500,000 in each of fiscal years 2017 and 2018.’’. 

5 SEC. 303. SCORE PROGRAM. 

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

7 is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (b)(1)(B), by striking ‘‘a Serv9 ice Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)’’ and in10 serting ‘‘the SCORE program described in subsection 

11 (c)’’; and 

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

13 following: 

14 ‘‘(c) SCORE PROGRAM.— 

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

16 ‘‘(A) SCORE ASSOCIATION.—The term 

17 ‘SCORE Association’ means the Service Corps of 

18 Retired Executives Association or any successor 

19 or other organization who receives a grant from 

20 the Administrator to operate the SCORE pro21 gram under paragraph (2)(A). 

22 ‘‘(B) SCORE PROGRAM.—The term 

23 ‘SCORE program’ means the SCORE program 

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

25 ‘‘(2) MANAGEMENT AND VOLUNTEERS.— 


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

2 shall provide a grant to the SCORE Association 

3 to manage the SCORE program. 

4 ‘‘(B) VOLUNTEERS.—A volunteer partici5 pating in the SCORE program shall— 

6 ‘‘(i) based on the business experience 

7 and knowledge of the volunteer— 

8 ‘‘(I) provide at no cost to individ9 uals who own, or aspire to own, small 

10 business concerns personal counseling, 

11 mentoring, and coaching relating to 

12 the process of starting, expanding, 

13 managing, buying, and selling a busi14 ness; and 

15 ‘‘(II) facilitate low-cost education 

16 workshops for individuals who own, or 

17 aspire to own, small business concerns; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(ii) as appropriate, use tools, re20 sources, and expertise of other organizations 

21 to carry out the SCORE program. 

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

23 consultation with the SCORE Association, shall en24 sure that the SCORE program and each chapter of 

25 the SCORE program develop and implement plans 


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1 and goals to more effectively and efficiently provide 

2 services to individuals in rural areas, economically 

3 disadvantaged communities, and other traditionally 

4 underserved communities, including plans for elec5 tronic initiatives, web-based initiatives, chapter ex6 pansion, partnerships, and the development of new 

7 skills by volunteers participating in the SCORE pro8 gram. 

9 ‘‘(4) ANNUAL REPORT.—The SCORE Association 

10 shall submit to the Administrator an annual report 

11 that contains— 

12 ‘‘(A) the number of individuals counseled or 

13 trained under the SCORE program; 

14 ‘‘(B) the number of hours of counseling pro15 vided under the SCORE program; and 

16 ‘‘(C) to the extent possible— 

17 ‘‘(i) the number of small business con18 cerns formed with assistance from the 

19 SCORE program; 

20 ‘‘(ii) the number of small business con21 cerns expanded with assistance from the 

22 SCORE program; and 

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

24 assistance from the SCORE program. 

25 ‘‘(5) PRIVACY REQUIREMENTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Neither the Adminis2 trator nor the SCORE Association may disclose 

3 the name, address, or telephone number of any 

4 individual or small business concern receiving 

5 assistance from the SCORE Association without 

6 the consent of such individual or small business 

7 concern, unless— 

8 ‘‘(i) the Administrator is ordered to 

9 make such a disclosure by a court in any 

10 civil or criminal enforcement action initi11 ated by a Federal or State agency; or 

12 ‘‘(ii) the Administrator determines 

13 such a disclosure to be necessary for the 

14 purpose of conducting a financial audit of 

15 the SCORE program, in which case disclo16 sure shall be limited to the information nec17 essary for the audit. 

18 ‘‘(B) ADMINISTRATOR USE OF INFORMA19 TION.—This paragraph shall not— 

20 ‘‘(i) restrict the access of the Adminis21 trator to program activity data; or 

22 ‘‘(ii) prevent the Administrator from 

23 using client information to conduct client 

24 surveys. 

25 ‘‘(C) REGULATIONS.— 


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

2 shall issue regulations to establish standards 

3 for— 

4 ‘‘(I) disclosures with respect to fi5 nancial audits under subparagraph 

6 (A)(ii); and 

7 ‘‘(II) conducting client surveys, 

8 including standards for oversight of the 

9 surveys and for dissemination and use 

10 of client information. 

11 ‘‘(ii) MAXIMUM PRIVACY PROTEC12 TION.—The regulations issued under this 

13 subparagraph shall, to the extent prac14 ticable, provide for the maximum amount of 

15 privacy protection.’’. 

16 SEC. 304. ONLINE COMPONENT. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 8(c) of the Small Business 

18 Act, as added by section 303, is further amended by adding 

19 at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(6) ONLINE COMPONENT.—In carrying out this 

21 subsection, the SCORE Association shall make use of 

22 online counseling, including by developing and imple23 menting webinars and an electronic mentoring plat24 form to expand access to services provided under this 

25 subsection and to further support entrepreneurs.’’. 


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1 (b) ONLINE COMPONENT REPORT.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—At the end of fiscal year 2018, 

3 the SCORE Association shall issue a report to the 

4 Committee on Small Business of the House of Rep5 resentatives and the Committee on Small Business 

6 and Entrepreneurship of the Senate on the effective7 ness of the online counseling and webinars required as 

8 part of the SCORE program, including— 

9 (A) how the SCORE Association determines 

10 electronic mentoring and webinar needs, develops 

11 training for electronic mentoring, establishes 

12 webinar criteria curricula, and evaluates 

13 webinar and electronic mentoring results; 

14 (B) describing the internal controls that are 

15 used and a summary of the topics covered by the 

16 webinars; and 

17 (C) performance metrics, including the 

18 number of small business concerns counseled by, 

19 the number of small business concerns created by, 

20 the number of jobs created and retained by, and 

21 the funding amounts directed towards such on22 line counseling and webinars. 

23 (2) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this sub24 section, the terms ‘‘SCORE Association’’ and 

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


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

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

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

4 THE SCORE PROGRAM. 

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

6 a study on the future role of the SCORE program and de7 velop a strategic plan for how the SCORE program will 

8 evolve to meet the needs of America’s entrepreneurs over the 

9 course of the next 5 years, with markers and specific objec10 tives for year 1, year 3, 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 subsection 

20 (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’’ have 


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1 the meaning given those terms, respectively, under section 

2 8(c)(1) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 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 of 

8 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 ‘‘Serv19 ice Corps of Retired Executives’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘SCORE program’’. 

21 (b) OTHER LAWS.— 

22 (1) Section 621 of the Children’s Health Insur23 ance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (15 

24 U.S.C. 657p) is amended— 


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1 (A) in subsection (a), by striking paragraph 

2 (4) and inserting the following: 

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

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

5 the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(b)(1)(B));’’; 

6 and 

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

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

10 (2) Section 337(d)(2)(A) of the Energy Policy 

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

12 amended by striking ‘‘Service Corps of Retired Execu13 tives (SCORE)’’ and inserting ‘‘SCORE program’’. 

Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A bill to make improvements to Small Business Development Centers, to 

reauthorize the Women’s Business Center Program, to 

reauthorize the SCORE Program, and for other purposes.’’. 


srobinson on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 406 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 207 

[Report No. 114–526] 

A BILL 

To amend the Small Business Act to provide for 

ters. improvements to small business development cenAPRIL 26, 2016 

Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee 

dered to be printed of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and orVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:55 Apr 26, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00052 Fmt 6651 Sfmt 6651 E:\BILLS\H207.RH H207

srobinson on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS