IIB 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4407 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 22, 2019 

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

Entrepreneurship 

AN ACT 

To amend the Small Business Act to reauthorize 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘SCORE for Small 

3 Business Act of 2019’’. 

4 SEC. 2. SCORE PROGRAM PROVISIONS AND REQUIRE5 MENTS. 

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

7 is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (b)(1)(B)— 

9 (A) by striking ‘‘a Service Corps of Retired 

10 Executives (SCORE)’’ and inserting ‘‘the 

11 SCORE program described in subsection (c)’’; 

12 and 

13 (B) by striking ‘‘SCORE may’’ and insert14 ing ‘‘the SCORE Association (as defined in 

15 subsection (c)) may’’; and 

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

17 following: 

18 ‘‘(c) SCORE PROGRAM.— 

19 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

20 ‘‘(A) SCORE ASSOCIATION.—The term 

21 ‘SCORE Association’ means the Service Corps 

22 of Retired Executives Association or any suc23 cessor or other organization that enters into a 

24 cooperative agreement (as described under 

25 paragraph (2)) with the Administrator to oper26 ate the SCORE program. 


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1 ‘‘(B) SCORE FOUNDATION.—The term 

2 ‘SCORE Foundation’ means an organization 

3 with a mission to support the SCORE Associa4 tion and volunteers of the SCORE program. 

5 ‘‘(C) SCORE PROGRAM.—The term 

6 ‘SCORE program’ means the SCORE program 

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

8 ‘‘(2) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.—The Admin9 istrator shall enter into a cooperative agreement 

10 with the SCORE Association to carry out the 

11 SCORE program, which shall include the following 

12 requirements: 

13 ‘‘(A) ADMINISTRATOR DUTIES.—The Ad14 ministrator shall— 

15 ‘‘(i) conduct an annual financial ex16 amination of the SCORE Association to 

17 ensure that any costs paid for with Federal 

18 funds are allowable, allocable, and reason19 able; 

20 ‘‘(ii) for contracts entered into by the 

21 SCORE Association to provide goods or 

22 services for the SCORE program of a 

23 value greater than an amount determined 

24 by the Administrator, review and approve 

25 such contracts; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) establish a system through 

2 which the SCORE Association can provide 

3 documentation relating to such contracts; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(iv) within 30 days of the receipt of 

6 a quarterly report on the achievements of 

7 the SCORE program submitted by the 

8 SCORE Association, reconcile and dif9 ferences between such report and the per10 formance results of the SCORE program 

11 reported in a management information sys12 tem of the Office of Entrepreneurial Devel13 opment. 

14 ‘‘(B) SCORE ASSOCIATION DUTIES.—The 

15 SCORE Association shall— 

16 ‘‘(i) manage nationwide chapters of 

17 the SCORE program; 

18 ‘‘(ii) develop guidance and provide an19 nual training to employees of the SCORE 

20 Association on generating and using pro21 gram income from the SCORE program; 

22 ‘‘(iii) submit documentation to the 

23 Administrator verifying such annual train24 ing is completed; 


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1 ‘‘(iv) separate funds donated to the 

2 SCORE Association from program income 

3 and funds received pursuant to a coopera4 tive agreement; and 

5 ‘‘(v) establish requirements for volun6 teers participating in the SCORE program, 

7 including requirements that each such vol8 unteer shall— 

9 ‘‘(I) based on the business expe10 rience and knowledge of the volun11 teer— 

12 ‘‘(aa) provide personal coun13 seling, mentoring, and coaching 

14 on the process of starting, ex15 panding, managing, buying, and 

16 selling a business at no cost to 

17 individuals who own, or aspire to 

18 own, small business concerns; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(bb) facilitate free or low21 cost education workshops for in22 dividuals who own, or aspire to 

23 own, small business concerns; 

24 and 


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1 ‘‘(II) as appropriate, use tools, 

2 resources, and expertise of other orga3 nizations to carry out the SCORE 

4 program. 

5 ‘‘(C) JOINT DUTIES.—The Administrator, 

6 in consultation with the SCORE Association, 

7 shall ensure that the SCORE program and each 

8 chapter of the SCORE program— 

9 ‘‘(i) develop and implement plans and 

10 goals to more effectively and efficiently 

11 provide services to individuals in rural 

12 areas, economically disadvantaged commu13 nities, or other traditionally underserved 

14 communities, including plans for electronic 

15 initiatives, web-based initiatives, chapter 

16 expansion, partnerships, and the develop17 ment of new skills by volunteers partici18 pating in the SCORE program; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) reinforce an inclusive culture by 

20 recruiting diverse volunteers for the chap21 ters of the SCORE program. 

22 ‘‘(3) ONLINE COMPONENT.—In carrying out 

23 this subsection, the SCORE Association shall make 

24 use of online counseling, including by developing and 

25 implementing webinars and an electronic mentoring 


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1 platform to expand access to services provided under 

2 this subsection and to further support entre3 preneurs. 

4 ‘‘(4) ACCOUNTING.—Not later than 6 months 

5 after the date of the enactment of this subsection, 

6 the SCORE Association shall— 

7 ‘‘(A) centralize all accounting and finance 

8 systems of each chapter of the SCORE pro9 gram and develop a uniform policy and proce10 dures to manage Federal funds; and 

11 ‘‘(B) designate an employee of the SCORE 

12 Association to serve as a compliance officer to 

13 ensure expenditures of the SCORE program are 

14 fully compliant with any law, regulation, or co15 operative agreement relating to the SCORE 

16 program. 

17 ‘‘(5) COMPENSATION.— 

18 ‘‘(A) SALARIES.—The salary of an em19 ployee of the SCORE Association may not ex20 ceed the equivalent of the maximum rate of pay 

21 allowable for an individual in the career Senior 

22 Executive Service employed at the Small Busi23 ness Administration. 

24 ‘‘(B) PERFORMANCE AWARDS.—The 

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1 cent of the aggregate salaries of employees of 

2 the SCORE Association on individual perform3 ance awards to employees of the SCORE Asso4 ciation, to be disbursed before the last day of 

5 the fiscal year, if not later than 60 days before 

6 disbursement the SCORE Association submits 

7 to the Administrator a report on the number 

8 and amount of such awards to be disbursed. 

9 ‘‘(C) SCORE FOUNDATION.—A member of 

10 the Board of Directors of the SCORE Associa11 tion or an employee of the SCORE Association 

12 may not simultaneously serve on the Board of 

13 Directors of, or receive compensation from, the 

14 SCORE Foundation without written approval 

15 from the Administrator. 

16 ‘‘(6) WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION REQUIRE17 MENTS.—The SCORE Association shall— 

18 ‘‘(A) annually update all manuals or other 

19 documents applicable to employees and volun20 teers of the SCORE Association or the SCORE 

21 program to include requirements relating to re22 porting procedures and protectors for whistle23 blowers; and 

24 ‘‘(B) conduct an annual training for em25 ployees and volunteers of the SCORE AssociaVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Oct 22, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4407.RFS H4407

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1 tion or the SCORE program on the require2 ments described in paragraph (1) and empha3 size the use of the hotline established by the Of4 fice of the Inspector General of the Small Busi5 ness Administration to submit whistleblower re6 ports. 

7 ‘‘(7) PUBLISHED MATERIALS.—The SCORE 

8 Association shall ensure all published materials in9 clude written acknowledgment of Small Business Ad10 ministration support of the SCORE program if such 

11 materials are paid for in whole or in part by Federal 

12 funds. 

13 ‘‘(8) PRIVACY REQUIREMENTS.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Neither the Adminis15 trator nor the SCORE Association may disclose 

16 the name, address, or telephone number of any 

17 individual or small business concern receiving 

18 assistance from the SCORE Association with19 out the consent of such individual or small busi20 ness concern, unless— 

21 ‘‘(i) the Administrator is ordered to 

22 make such a disclosure by a court in any 

23 civil or criminal enforcement action initi24 ated by a Federal or State agency; or 


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1 ‘‘(ii) the Administrator determines 

2 such a disclosure to be necessary for the 

3 purpose of conducting a financial audit of 

4 the SCORE program, in which case disclo5 sure shall be limited to the information 

6 necessary for the audit. 

7 ‘‘(B) ADMINISTRATOR USE OF INFORMA8 TION.—This paragraph shall not— 

9 ‘‘(i) restrict the access of the Adminis10 trator to SCORE program activity data; or 

11 ‘‘(ii) prevent the Administrator from 

12 using SCORE program client information 

13 to conduct client surveys. 

14 ‘‘(C) STANDARDS.— 

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

16 shall, after the opportunity for notice and 

17 comment, establish standards for— 

18 ‘‘(I) disclosures with respect to 

19 financial audits under subparagraph 

20 (A)(ii); and 

21 ‘‘(II) conducting client surveys, 

22 including standards for oversight of 

23 the surveys and for dissemination and 

24 use of client information. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) MAXIMUM PRIVACY PROTEC2 TION.—The standards issued under this 

3 subparagraph shall, to the extent prac4 ticable, provide for the maximum amount 

5 of privacy protection. 

6 ‘‘(9) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 

7 days after the date of the enactment of this sub8 section and annually thereafter, the Administrator 

9 shall submit to the Committee on Small Business 

10 and Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Com11 mittee on Small Business of the House of Rep12 resentatives a report on the performance and effec13 tiveness of the SCORE program, which may be in14 cluded as part of another report submitted to such 

15 Committees by the Administrator, and which shall 

16 include— 

17 ‘‘(A) the number of individuals counseled 

18 or trained under the SCORE program; 

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

20 provided under the SCORE program; 

21 ‘‘(C) the number of local workshops; 

22 ‘‘(D) the number of clients attending on23 line and local workshops; 

24 ‘‘(E) the number of unique clients served; 


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1 ‘‘(F) to the extent practicable, the demo2 graphics of SCORE program participants and 

3 volunteers, which shall include the gender, race, 

4 and age of each such participant or volunteer; 

5 ‘‘(G) the cost to create a job, the cost to 

6 create a business, and return on investment; 

7 ‘‘(H) the number of referrals to other re8 sources and programs of the Administration; 

9 ‘‘(I) the number of participants in the 

10 SCORE program receiving financial assistance, 

11 including the type and dollar amount, under 

12 loan programs of the Administration; 

13 ‘‘(J) the results of SCORE program par14 ticipant satisfactory surveys, including a sum15 mary of any comments received from such par16 ticipants; 

17 ‘‘(K) the number of new businesses started 

18 up by SCORE program participants; 

19 ‘‘(L) the number of such new businesses 

20 realizing revenue growth; 

21 ‘‘(M) to the extent practicable, the number 

22 of jobs created with assistance from the 

23 SCORE program; 

24 ‘‘(N) the total cost of the SCORE pro25 gram; 


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1 ‘‘(O) any recommendations of the Adminis2 trator to improve the SCORE program; and 

3 ‘‘(P) an explanation of how the SCORE 

4 program has been integrated with other re5 source partners and related resources of the 

6 Administration.’’. 

7 SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE 

8 SCORE PROGRAM. 

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

10 note) is amended by adding at the end the following new 

11 subsection: 

12 ‘‘(h) SCORE PROGRAM.—There are authorized to be 

13 appropriated to the Administrator to carry out the 

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

15 as are necessary for the Administrator to make grants or 

16 enter into cooperative agreements in a total amount that 

17 does not exceed $11,700,000 in each of fiscal years 2020, 

18 2021, and 2022.’’. 

19 SEC. 4. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 

20 (a) STUDY AND REPORT ON THE FUTURE ROLE OF

21 THE SCORE PROGRAM.— 

22 (1) STUDY.—The SCORE Association shall 

23 carry out a study on the future role of the SCORE 

24 program and develop a strategic plan for how the 

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1 ness concerns during the 5-year period beginning on 

2 the date of the enactment of this Act, with specific 

3 objectives for the first, third, and fifth years of the 

4 5-year period. 

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

6 month period beginning on the date of the enact7 ment of this Act, the SCORE Association shall sub8 mit to the Committee on Small Business of the 

9 House of Representatives and the Committee on 

10 Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate 

11 a report containing— 

12 (A) all findings and determination made in 

13 carrying out the study required under para14 graph (1); 

15 (B) the strategic plan developed under 

16 paragraph (1); and 

17 (C) an explanation of how the SCORE As18 sociation plans to achieve the strategic plan, as19 suming both stagnant and increased funding 

20 levels. 

21 (b) ADMINISTRATOR REPORT ON LEASED SPACE.— 

22 The Administrator of the Small Business Administration 

23 shall submit to the Committee on Small Business of the 

24 House of Representatives and the Committee on Small 

25 Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate a report 


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1 containing an assessment of the cost of leased space that 

2 is donated to the SCORE Association. 

3 (c) ONLINE COMPONENT REPORT.—Before the last 

4 day of fiscal year 2020, the SCORE Association shall sub5 mit to the Committee on Small Business of the House of 

6 Representatives and the Committee on Small Business 

7 and Entrepreneurship of the Senate a report on the effec8 tiveness of the online counseling and webinars required 

9 under paragraph (3) of section 8(c) of the Small Business 

10 Act, as added by section 2 of this Act, including a descrip11 tion of— 

12 (1) how the SCORE Association determines 

13 electronic mentoring and webinar needs, develops 

14 training for electronic mentoring, establishes 

15 webinar criteria curricula, and evaluates webinar 

16 and electronic mentoring results; 

17 (2) the internal controls that are used and a 

18 summary of the topics covered by the webinars; and 

19 (3) performance metrics, including the number 

20 of small business concerns counseled by, the number 

21 of small business concerns created by, the number of 

22 jobs created and retained by, and the funding 

23 amounts directed towards such online counseling 

24 and webinars. 


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1 SEC. 5. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

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

3 (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.) is amended— 

4 (1) in section 7 (15 U.S.C. 636)— 

5 (A) in subsection (b)(12)— 

6 (i) in the paragraph heading, by in7 serting ‘‘PROGRAM’’ after ‘‘SCORE’’; and 

8 (ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

9 ‘‘Service Corps of Retired Executives’’ and 

10 inserting ‘‘SCORE program’’; and 

11 (B) in subsection (m)(3)(A)(i)(VIII), by 

12 striking ‘‘Service Corps of Retired Executives’’ 

13 and inserting ‘‘SCORE program’’; and 

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

15 (A) in subsection (b)— 

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

17 ‘‘Service Corps of Retired Executives’’ and 

18 inserting ‘‘SCORE program’’; and 

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

20 ‘‘Service Corps of Retired Executives’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘SCORE program’’; and 

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

23 ‘‘Service Corps of Retired Executives’’ and in24 serting ‘‘SCORE program’’. 

25 (b) OTHER LAWS.— 


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1 (1) SMALL BUSINESS REAUTHORIZATION ACT

2 OF 1997.—Section 707 of the Small Business Reau3 thorization Act of 1997 (15 U.S.C. 631 note) is 

4 amended by striking ‘‘Service Corps of Retired Ex5 ecutives (SCORE) program’’ and inserting ‘‘SCORE 

6 program (as defined in section 8(c)(1) of the Small 

7 Business Act)’’. 

8 (2) VETERANS ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND

9 SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 1999.—Sec10 tion 301 of the Veterans Entrepreneurship and 

11 Small Business Development Act of 1999 (15 U.S.C. 

12 657b note) is amended by striking ‘‘Service Core of 

13 Retired Executives’’ and inserting ‘‘SCORE pro14 gram’’. 

15 (3) MILITARY RESERVIST AND VETERAN SMALL

16 BUSINESS REAUTHORIZATION AND OPPORTUNITY

17 ACT OF 2008.—Section 3(5) of the Military Reservist 

18 and Veteran Small Business Reauthorization and 

19 Opportunity Act of 2008 (15 U.S.C. 636 note) is 

20 amended by striking ‘‘the Service Corps of Retired 

21 Executives’’ and inserting ‘‘the SCORE program’’. 

22 (4) 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 (5) 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’’. 

16 SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 

17 In this Act: 

18 (1) ADMINISTRATION; ADMINISTRATOR.—The 

19 terms ‘‘Administration’’ and ‘‘Administrator’’ mean, 

20 respectively, the Small Business Administration and 

21 the Administrator thereof. 

22 (2) SCORE ASSOCIATION; SCORE PROGRAM.— 

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1 tively, under section 8(c)(1) of the Small Business 

2 Act, as added by section 2 of this Act. 

Passed the House of Representatives October 21, 

2019. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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