I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4405 

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

program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 

Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas (for herself and Mr. HAGEDORN) introduced the 

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

A BILL 

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

business center program, and for other purposes. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Women’s Business 

5 Centers Improvements Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER 

7 PROGRAM. 

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

9 is amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 29. WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM. 

2 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

3 ‘‘(1) ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR.—The term 

4 ‘Assistant Administrator’ means the Assistant Ad5 ministrator of the Office of Women’s Business Own6 ership established under subsection (k). 

7 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en8 tity’ means— 

9 ‘‘(A) an organization described in section 

10 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 

11 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) 

12 of such Code; 

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

14 development organization, so long as the orga15 nization certifies that grant funds received 

16 under this section will not be commingled with 

17 other funds; 

18 ‘‘(C) an institution of higher education (as 

19 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 

20 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)), unless such in21 stitution is currently receiving a grant under 

22 section 21; 

23 ‘‘(D) a development, credit, or finance cor24 poration chartered by a State, so long as the 

25 corporation certifies that grant funds received 


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1 under this section will not be commingled with 

2 other funds; or 

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

4 subparagraphs (A) through (D). 

5 ‘‘(3) SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN OWNED AND

6 CONTROLLED BY WOMEN.—The term ‘small business 

7 concern owned and controlled by women’ has the 

8 meaning given under section 3(n). 

9 ‘‘(4) WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER.—The term 

10 ‘women’s business center’ means the location at 

11 which counseling and training on the management, 

12 operations (including manufacturing, services, and 

13 retail), access to capital, international trade, Govern14 ment procurement opportunities, and any other mat15 ter that is needed to start, maintain, or expand a 

16 small business concern owned and controlled by 

17 women. 

18 ‘‘(5) WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER ASSOCIA19 TION.—The term ‘Women’s Business Center Asso20 ciation’ means a membership organization formed by 

21 women’s business centers to pursue matters of com22 mon concern. 

23 ‘‘(b) AUTHORITY.— 

24 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a 

25 Women’s Business Center Program under which the 


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1 Administrator may provide a grant to any eligible 

2 entity to operate one or more women’s business cen3 ters for the benefit of small business concerns owned 

4 and controlled by women. 

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

6 centers shall be designed to provide counseling and 

7 training that meets the needs of the small business 

8 concerns owned and controlled by women, especially 

9 socially or economically disadvantaged women, and 

10 shall provide— 

11 ‘‘(A) financial assistance, including train12 ing and counseling in how to apply for and se13 cure business credit and investment capital, 

14 preparing and presenting financial statements, 

15 and managing cash flow and other financial op16 erations of a small business concern; 

17 ‘‘(B) management assistance, including 

18 training and counseling in how to plan, orga19 nize, staff, direct, and control each major activ20 ity and function of a small business concern; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(C) marketing assistance, including train23 ing and counseling in identifying and seg24 menting domestic and international market op25 portunities, preparing and executing marketing 


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1 plans, developing pricing strategies, locating 

2 contract opportunities, negotiating contracts, 

3 and utilizing varying public relations and adver4 tising techniques. 

5 ‘‘(3) TYPES OF GRANTS.— 

6 ‘‘(A) INITIAL GRANT.—The amount of an 

7 initial grant, which shall be for a 5-year term, 

8 provided under this subsection to an eligible en9 tity shall be not more than $300,000 annually 

10 (as such amount is annually adjusted by the 

11 Administrator to reflect the change in infla12 tion). 

13 ‘‘(B) CONTINUATION GRANTS.—The Ad14 ministrator may award a continuation grant, 

15 which shall be for a 5-year term, of not more 

16 than $300,000 annually (as such amount is an17 nually adjusted by the Administrator to reflect 

18 the change in inflation) to an eligible entity 

19 that received an initial grant under subpara20 graph (A). There shall be no limitation on the 

21 number of continuation grants an eligible entity 

22 may receive under this section. 

23 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.— 

24 ‘‘(1) INITIAL GRANTS AND CONTINUATION

25 GRANTS.—To receive an initial grant or continuation 


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1 grant under this section, an eligible entity shall sub2 mit an application to the Administrator in such 

3 form, in such manner, and containing such informa4 tion as the Administrator may require, including— 

5 ‘‘(A) a certification that the eligible enti6 ty— 

7 ‘‘(i) has designated an executive direc8 tor or program manager, who may be com9 pensated using grant funds awarded under 

10 this section or other sources, to manage 

11 the women’s business center for which a 

12 grant under subsection (b) is sought; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) meets accounting and reporting 

14 requirements established by the Director of 

15 the Office of Management and Budget; 

16 ‘‘(B) information demonstrating the expe17 rience and effectiveness of the eligible entity 

18 in— 

19 ‘‘(i) providing counseling and training 

20 described under subsection (b)(2); 

21 ‘‘(ii) providing training and services to 

22 a representative number of women who are 

23 socially or economically disadvantaged; and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) working with resource partners 

2 of the Administration and other entities; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(C) a 5-year plan that— 

5 ‘‘(i) includes information relating to 

6 the assistance to be provided by the wom7 en’s business center in the area in which 

8 the women’s business center is located; 

9 ‘‘(ii) describes the ability of the eligi10 ble entity to meet the needs of the market 

11 to be served by the women’s business cen12 ter, including the ability to obtain the 

13 matching funds required under subsection 

14 (e); and 

15 ‘‘(iii) describes the ability of the eligi16 ble entity to provide counseling and train17 ing described under subsection (b)(2), in18 cluding to a representative number of 

19 women who are socially or economically 

20 disadvantaged. 

21 ‘‘(2) RECORD RETENTION.— 

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

23 shall maintain a copy of each application sub24 mitted under this subsection for not less than 

25 5 years. 


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1 ‘‘(B) PAPERWORK REDUCTION.—The Ad2 ministrator shall take steps to reduce, to the 

3 maximum extent practicable, the paperwork 

4 burden associated with carrying out subpara5 graph (A). 

6 ‘‘(d) SELECTION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In selecting recipients of 

8 initial grants, the Administrator shall consider— 

9 ‘‘(A) the experience of the applicant in pro10 viding entrepreneurial training; 

11 ‘‘(B) the amount of time needed for the 

12 applicant to commence operation of a women’s 

13 business center; 

14 ‘‘(C) in consultation with a Women’s Busi15 ness Center Association, the capacity of the ap16 plicant to meet the accreditation standards es17 tablished under subsection (k)(4) in a timely 

18 manner; 

19 ‘‘(D) the ability of the applicant to sustain 

20 operations, including the applicant’s ability to 

21 obtain sufficient non-Federal funds, for a 5- 

22 year period; 

23 ‘‘(E) the proposed location of a women’s 

24 business center to be operated by the applicant 

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1 ness Outreach Centers and to recipients of 

2 grants under section 8(b)(1) or 21; 

3 ‘‘(F) the population density of the area to 

4 be served by the women’s business center oper5 ated by the applicant; and 

6 ‘‘(G) the advice and counsel of a Women’s 

7 Business Center Association to determine areas 

8 with unmet needs and the likelihood that the 

9 recipient will become accredited. 

10 ‘‘(2) SELECTION CRITERIA.— 

11 ‘‘(A) RULEMAKING.—The Administrator 

12 shall issue regulations to specify the criteria for 

13 review and selection of applicants under this 

14 subsection. 

15 ‘‘(B) MODIFICATIONS PROHIBITED AFTER

16 ANNOUNCEMENT.—With respect to a public an17 nouncement of any opportunity to be awarded 

18 a grant under this section made by the Admin19 istrator pursuant to subsection (l)(1), the Ad20 ministrator may not modify regulations issued 

21 pursuant to subparagraph (A) with respect to 

22 such opportunity unless required to do so by an 

23 Act of Congress or an order of a Federal court. 

24 ‘‘(C) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing 

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1 iting the Administrator from modifying the reg2 ulations issued pursuant to subparagraph (A) 

3 (after providing an opportunity for notice and 

4 comment) as such regulations apply to an op5 portunity to be awarded a grant under this sec6 tion that the Administrator has not yet publicly 

7 announced pursuant to subsection (l)(1). 

8 ‘‘(e) MATCHING REQUIREMENTS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (5), 

10 upon approval of an application submitted under 

11 subsection (c), the eligible entity shall agree to ob12 tain contributions from non-Federal sources— 

13 ‘‘(A) in the first and second year of the 

14 term of an initial grant, if applicable, 1 non15 Federal dollar for each 2 Federal dollars; and 

16 ‘‘(B) in each subsequent year of the term 

17 of an initial grant, if applicable, or for the term 

18 of a continuation grant, 1 non-Federal dollar 

19 for each Federal dollar. 

20 ‘‘(2) FORM OF MATCHING FUNDS.—Not more 

21 than one-half of non-Federal matching funds de22 scribed under paragraph (1) may be in the form of 

23 in-kind contributions that are budget line items only, 

24 including office equipment and office space. 


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1 ‘‘(3) SOLICITATION.—Notwithstanding any 

2 other provision of law, an eligible entity may— 

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

4 from private individuals and entities to be used 

5 to operate a women’s business center; and 

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

7 Administrator under this section for the cost of 

8 such solicitation and management of the con9 tributions received. 

10 ‘‘(4) DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS.—The Admin11 istrator may disburse an amount not greater than 

12 25 percent of the total amount of a grant awarded 

13 to an eligible entity before such eligible entity ob14 tains the non-Federal matching funds described 

15 under paragraph (1). 

16 ‘‘(5) FAILURE TO OBTAIN MATCHING FUNDS.— 

17 If an eligible entity fails to obtain the required 

18 matching funds described under paragraph (1), the 

19 eligible entity may not be eligible to receive advance 

20 disbursements pursuant to paragraph (4) during the 

21 remainder of the term, if applicable, of an initial 

22 grant awarded under this section. Before approving 

23 such eligible entity for a continuation grant under 

24 this section, the Administrator shall make a written 

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1 mination, of whether the Administrator believes that 

2 the eligible entity will be able to obtain the requisite 

3 funding under paragraph (1) for such continuation 

4 grant. 

5 ‘‘(6) WAIVER OF NON-FEDERAL SHARE.— 

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

7 eligible entity, and in accordance with this para8 graph, the Administrator may waive, in whole 

9 or in part, the requirement to obtain non-Fed10 eral matching funds for a grant awarded under 

11 this section for the eligible entity for a one-year 

12 term of the grant. The Administrator may not 

13 issue such a waiver for more than a total of 2 

14 consecutive one-year terms. 

15 ‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining 

16 whether to issue a waiver under this paragraph, 

17 the Administrator shall consider— 

18 ‘‘(i) the economic conditions affecting 

19 the eligible entity; 

20 ‘‘(ii) the demonstrated ability of the 

21 eligible entity to raise non-Federal funds; 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(iii) the performance of the eligible 

24 entity under the initial grant. 


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1 ‘‘(C) LIMITATION.—The Administrator 

2 may not issue a waiver under this paragraph if 

3 the Administrator determines that granting the 

4 waiver would undermine the credibility of the 

5 Women’s Business Center Program. 

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

7 amount of non-Federal dollars obtained by an eligi8 ble entity that is above the amount that is required 

9 to be obtained by the eligible entity under this sub10 section shall not be subject to the requirements of 

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

12 any successor thereto, if such amount of non-Fed13 eral dollars— 

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

15 purposes of implementing the Women’s Busi16 ness Center Program; and 

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

18 the Women’s Business Center Program. 

19 ‘‘(8) CARRYOVER.—Excess non-Federal dollars 

20 described in paragraph (7) may be used to satisfy 

21 the matching funds requirement under paragraph 

22 (1) for the subsequent one-year grant term, if appli23 cable, except that such amounts shall be subject to 

24 the requirements of part 200 of title 2, Code of Fed25 eral Regulations, or any successor thereto. 


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1 ‘‘(f) OTHER REQUIREMENTS.— 

2 ‘‘(1) SEPARATION OF FUNDS.—An eligible enti3 ty shall— 

4 ‘‘(A) operate a women’s business center 

5 under this section separately from other 

6 projects, if any, of the eligible entity; and 

7 ‘‘(B) separately maintain and account for 

8 any grants received under this section. 

9 ‘‘(2) EXAMINATION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 

10 ‘‘(A) REQUIRED SITE VISIT.—Before re11 ceiving an initial grant under this section, each 

12 applicant shall have a site visit by an employee 

13 of the Administration, in order to ensure that 

14 the applicant has sufficient resources to provide 

15 the services for which the grant is being pro16 vided. 

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

18 the Administration shall— 

19 ‘‘(i) conduct an annual programmatic 

20 and financial examination of each eligible 

21 entity, as described in subsection (g); and 

22 ‘‘(ii) provide the results of such exam23 ination to the eligible entity. 

24 ‘‘(3) REMEDIATION OF PROBLEMS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) PLAN OF ACTION.—If an examination 

2 of an eligible entity conducted under paragraph 

3 (2)(B) identifies any problems, the eligible enti4 ty shall, within 45 calendar days of receiving a 

5 copy of the results of such examination, provide 

6 the Assistant Administrator with a plan of ac7 tion, including specific milestones, for cor8 recting such problems. 

9 ‘‘(B) PLAN OF ACTION REVIEW BY THE AS10 SISTANT ADMINISTRATOR.—The Assistant Ad11 ministrator shall review each plan of action sub12 mitted under subparagraph (A) within 30 cal13 endar days of receiving such plan. If the Assist14 ant Administrator determines that such plan— 

15 ‘‘(i) will bring the eligible entity into 

16 compliance with all the terms of the grant 

17 agreement, the Assistant Administrator 

18 shall approve such plan; or 

19 ‘‘(ii) is inadequate to remedy the 

20 problems identified in the annual examina21 tion to which the plan of action relates, the 

22 Assistant Administrator shall set forth 

23 such reasons in writing and provide such 

24 determination to the eligible entity within 

25 15 calendar days of such determination. 


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

2 An eligible entity receiving a determination 

3 under subparagraph (B)(ii) shall have 30 cal4 endar days from the receipt of the determina5 tion to amend the plan of action to satisfy the 

6 problems identified by the Assistant Adminis7 trator and resubmit such plan to the Assistant 

8 Administrator. 

9 ‘‘(D) AMENDED PLAN REVIEW BY THE AS10 SISTANT ADMINISTRATOR.—Within 15 calendar 

11 days of the receipt of an amended plan of ac12 tion under subparagraph (C), the Assistant Ad13 ministrator shall either approve or reject such 

14 plan and provide such approval or rejection in 

15 writing to the eligible entity. 

16 ‘‘(E) APPEAL OF ASSISTANT ADMINIS17 TRATOR DETERMINATION.— 

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

19 Administrator rejects an amended plan 

20 under subparagraph (D), the eligible entity 

21 shall have the opportunity to appeal such 

22 decision to the Administrator, who may 

23 delegate such appeal to an appropriate of24 ficer of the Administration. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) OPPORTUNITY FOR EXPLA2 NATION.—Any appeal described under 

3 clause (i) shall provide an opportunity for 

4 the eligible entity to provide, in writing, an 

5 explanation of why the eligible entity’s 

6 amended plan remedies the problems iden7 tified in the annual examination conducted 

8 under paragraph (2)(B). 

9 ‘‘(iii) NOTICE OF DETERMINATION.— 

10 The Administrator shall provide to the eli11 gible entity a determination of the appeal, 

12 in writing, not later than 15 calendar days 

13 after the eligible entity files an appeal 

14 under this subparagraph. 

15 ‘‘(iv) EFFECT OF FAILURE TO ACT.— 

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

18 the 15-day period specified under clause 

19 (iii), the eligible entity’s amended plan of 

20 action submitted under subparagraph (C) 

21 shall be deemed to be approved. 

22 ‘‘(4) TERMINATION OF GRANT.— 

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

24 shall terminate a grant to an eligible entity 


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1 under this section if the eligible entity fails to 

2 comply with— 

3 ‘‘(i) a plan of action approved by the 

4 Assistant Administrator under paragraph 

5 (3)(B)(i); or 

6 ‘‘(ii) an amended plan of action ap7 proved by the Assistant Administrator 

8 under paragraph (3)(D) or approved on 

9 appeal under paragraph (3)(E). 

10 ‘‘(B) APPEAL OF TERMINATION.—An eligi11 ble entity shall have the opportunity to chal12 lenge the termination of a grant under subpara13 graph (A) on the record and after an oppor14 tunity for a hearing. 

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

17 shall be considered final agency action for the 

18 purposes of chapter 7 of title 5, United States 

19 Code. 

20 ‘‘(5) CONSULTATION WITH MAJORITY WOMEN’S

21 BUSINESS CENTER ASSOCIATION.—If a majority of 

22 women’s business centers that are operating pursu23 ant to agreements with the Administration are mem24 bers of an individual Women’s Business Center As25 sociation, the Administrator shall— 


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1 ‘‘(A) recognize the existence and activities 

2 of such Association; and 

3 ‘‘(B) consult with the Association on, and 

4 negotiate with the Association in the develop5 ment of documents with respect to— 

6 ‘‘(i) announcing the annual scope of 

7 activities pursuant to this section; 

8 ‘‘(ii) requesting proposals to deliver 

9 assistance as provided in this section; and 

10 ‘‘(iii) governing the general operations 

11 and administration of women’s business 

12 centers, specifically including the develop13 ment of regulations and a uniform nego14 tiated cooperative agreement for use on an 

15 annual basis when entering into individual 

16 negotiated agreements with women’s busi17 ness centers. 

18 ‘‘(g) PROGRAM EXAMINATION.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administration shall— 

20 ‘‘(A) develop and implement an annual 

21 programmatic and financial examination of 

22 each eligible entity receiving a grant under this 

23 section, under which each such eligible entity 

24 shall provide to the Administration— 


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1 ‘‘(i) an itemized cost breakdown of ac2 tual expenditures for costs incurred during 

3 the preceding year; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) documentation regarding the 

5 amount of matching assistance from non6 Federal sources obtained and expended by 

7 the eligible entity during the preceding 

8 year in order to meet the requirements of 

9 subsection (e) and, with respect to any in10 kind contributions described in subsection 

11 (e)(2) that were used to satisfy the re12 quirements of subsection (e), verification of 

13 the existence and valuation of those con14 tributions; and 

15 ‘‘(B) analyze the results of each such ex16 amination and, based on that analysis, make a 

17 determination regarding the programmatic and 

18 financial viability of each women’s business cen19 ter operated by the eligible entity. 

20 ‘‘(2) CONDITIONS FOR CONTINUED FUNDING.— 

21 In determining whether to award a continuation 

22 grant to an eligible entity, the Administrator— 

23 ‘‘(A) shall consider the results of the most 

24 recent examination of the eligible entity under 

25 paragraph (1); 


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1 ‘‘(B) shall determine if— 

2 ‘‘(i) the eligible entity has failed to 

3 provide, or provided inadequate, informa4 tion under paragraph (1)(A); or 

5 ‘‘(ii) the eligible entity has failed to 

6 provide any information required to be pro7 vided by the women’s business center for 

8 purposes of the management report under 

9 subsection (m)(1), or the information pro10 vided by the center is inadequate; and 

11 ‘‘(C) shall consider the accreditation status 

12 as described in subsection (k)(4). 

13 ‘‘(h) NOTICE AND COMMENT REQUIRED.—The Ad14 ministrator may only make a change to the standards by 

15 which an eligible entity obtains or maintains grants under 

16 this section, the standards for accreditation, or any other 

17 requirement for the operation of a women’s business cen18 ter if the Administrator first provides notice and the op19 portunity for public comment, as set forth in section 

20 553(b) of title 5, United States Code, without regard to 

21 any exceptions provided for under such section. 

22 ‘‘(i) CONTRACT AUTHORITY.— 

23 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—An eligible entity that 

24 receives a grant under this section may enter into a 

25 contract with a Federal department or agency to 


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1 provide specific assistance to small business concerns 

2 owned and controlled by women and other under3 served small business concerns, if performance of 

4 such a contract does not hinder the ability of the eli5 gible entity to carry out the terms of a grant re6 ceived under this section. 

7 ‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATOR.—The authority of the 

8 Administrator to enter into contracts shall be in ef9 fect for each fiscal year only to the extent and in the 

10 amounts as are provided in advance in appropria11 tions Acts. After the Administrator has entered into 

12 a contract, either as a grant or a cooperative agree13 ment, with any applicant under this section, the Ad14 ministrator shall not suspend, terminate, or fail to 

15 renew or extend any such contract unless the Ad16 ministrator provides the applicant with written noti17 fication setting forth the reasons therefore and af18 fords the applicant an opportunity for a hearing, ap19 peal, or other administrative proceeding under chap20 ter 5 of title 5, United States Code. 

21 ‘‘(j) PRIVACY REQUIREMENTS.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A women’s business center 

23 may not disclose the name, address, or telephone 

24 number of any individual or small business concern 

25 receiving assistance under this section without the 


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1 consent of such individual or small business concern, 

2 unless— 

3 ‘‘(A) the Administrator orders such disclo4 sure after the Administrator is ordered to make 

5 such a disclosure by a court in any civil or 

6 criminal enforcement action initiated by a Fed7 eral or State agency; or 

8 ‘‘(B) the Administrator considers such a 

9 disclosure to be necessary for the purpose of 

10 conducting a financial audit of a women’s busi11 ness center, except that such a disclosure shall 

12 be limited to the information necessary for such 

13 audit. 

14 ‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATION USE OF INFORMATION.— 

15 This subsection shall not— 

16 ‘‘(A) restrict Administration access to 

17 women’s business center data; or 

18 ‘‘(B) prevent the Administration from 

19 using information about individuals who use 

20 women’s business centers to conduct surveys of 

21 such individuals. 

22 ‘‘(3) REGULATIONS.—The Administrator shall 

23 issue regulations to establish standards for disclo24 sures for purposes of a financial audit described 

25 under paragraph (1)(B). 


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1 ‘‘(k) OFFICE OF WOMEN’S BUSINESS OWNERSHIP.— 

2 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established 

3 within the Administration an Office of Women’s 

4 Business Ownership, which shall be responsible for 

5 the administration of the Administration’s programs 

6 for the development of women’s business enterprises 

7 (as defined in section 408 of the Women’s Business 

8 Ownership Act of 1988). The Office of Women’s 

9 Business Ownership shall be administered by an As10 sistant Administrator, who shall be appointed by the 

11 Administrator. 

12 ‘‘(2) ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR OF THE OF13 FICE OF WOMEN’S BUSINESS OWNERSHIP.— 

14 ‘‘(A) QUALIFICATION.—The position of As15 sistant Administrator shall be a Senior Execu16 tive Service position under section 3132(a)(2) 

17 of title 5, United States Code. The Assistant 

18 Administrator shall serve as a noncareer ap19 pointee (as defined in section 3132(a)(7) of 

20 that title). 

21 ‘‘(B) DUTIES.—The Assistant Adminis22 trator shall administer the programs and serv23 ices of the Office of Women’s Business Owner24 ship and perform the following functions: 


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1 ‘‘(i) Recommend the annual adminis2 trative and program budgets of the Office 

3 and eligible entities receiving a grant 

4 under the Women’s Business Center Pro5 gram. 

6 ‘‘(ii) Review the annual budgets sub7 mitted by each eligible entity receiving a 

8 grant under the Women’s Business Center 

9 Program. 

10 ‘‘(iii) Collaborate with other Federal 

11 departments and agencies, State and local 

12 governments, not-for-profit organizations, 

13 and for-profit organizations to maximize 

14 utilization of taxpayer dollars and reduce 

15 (or eliminate) any duplication among the 

16 programs overseen by the Office of Wom17 en’s Business Ownership and those of 

18 other entities that provide similar services 

19 to women entrepreneurs. 

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

22 information between women’s business cen23 ters. 

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

4 Women’s Business Ownership shall be to assist 

5 women entrepreneurs to start, grow, and compete in 

6 global markets by providing quality support with ac7 cess to capital, access to markets, job creation, 

8 growth, and counseling by— 

9 ‘‘(A) fostering participation of women en10 trepreneurs in the economy by overseeing a net11 work of women’s business centers throughout 

12 States and territories; 

13 ‘‘(B) creating public-private partnerships 

14 to support women entrepreneurs and conduct 

15 outreach and education to small business con16 cerns owned and controlled by women; and 

17 ‘‘(C) working with other programs of the 

18 Administrator to— 

19 ‘‘(i) ensure women are well-rep20 resented in those programs and being 

21 served by those programs; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) identify gaps where participation 

23 by women in those programs could be in24 creased. 

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 publish 

4 standards for a program to accredit eligible en5 tities that receive a grant under this section. 

6 ‘‘(B) PUBLIC COMMENT; TRANSITION.— 

7 Before publishing the standards under subpara8 graph (A), the Administrator— 

9 ‘‘(i) shall provide a period of not less 

10 than 60 days for public comment on such 

11 standards; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) may not terminate a grant under 

13 this section absent evidence of fraud or 

14 other criminal misconduct by the recipient. 

15 ‘‘(C) CONTRACTING AUTHORITY.—The Ad16 ministrator may provide financial support, by 

17 contract or otherwise, to a Women’s Business 

18 Center Association to provide assistance in es19 tablishing the standards required under sub20 paragraph (A) or for carrying out an accredita21 tion program pursuant to such standards. 

22 ‘‘(5) CONTINUATION GRANT CONSIDER23 ATIONS.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In determining wheth25 er to award a continuation grant under this secVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:04 Sep 21, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4405.IH H4405

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1 tion, the Administrator shall consider the re2 sults of the annual programmatic and financial 

3 examination conducted under subsection (g) 

4 and the accreditation program. 

5 ‘‘(B) ACCREDITATION REQUIREMENT.— 

6 After the end of the 2-year period beginning on 

7 the date of enactment of this subsection, the 

8 Administration may not award a continuation 

9 grant under this section unless the applicable 

10 eligible entity has been approved under the ac11 creditation program conducted pursuant to this 

12 subsection, except that the Assistant Adminis13 trator for the Office of Women’s Business Own14 ership may waive such accreditation require15 ment, in the discretion of the Assistant Admin16 istrator, upon a showing that the eligible entity 

17 is making a good faith effort to obtain accredi18 tation. 

19 ‘‘(6) ANNUAL CONFERENCE.—Each women’s 

20 business center shall participate in annual profes21 sional development at an annual conference facili22 tated by a Women’s Business Center Association. 

23 ‘‘(l) NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE

24 WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM.—The Adminis25 trator shall provide the following: 


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1 ‘‘(1) A public announcement of any opportunity 

2 to be awarded grants under this section, to include 

3 the selection criteria under subsection (d) and any 

4 applicable regulations. 

5 ‘‘(2) To any applicant for a grant under this 

6 section that failed to obtain such a grant, an oppor7 tunity to debrief with the Administrator to review 

8 the reasons for the applicant’s failure. 

9 ‘‘(3) To an eligible entity that receives an initial 

10 grant under this section, if a site visit or review of 

11 the eligible entity is carried out by an officer or em12 ployee of the Administration (other than the Inspec13 tor General), a copy of the site visit report or eval14 uation, as applicable, within 30 calendar days of the 

15 completion of such visit or evaluation. 

16 ‘‘(m) ANNUAL MANAGEMENT REPORT.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall 

18 prepare and submit to the Committee on Small 

19 Business of the House of Representatives and the 

20 Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship 

21 of the Senate an annual report on the effectiveness 

22 of women’s business centers operated through a 

23 grant awarded under this section. 

24 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each report submitted under 

25 paragraph (1) shall include— 


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1 ‘‘(A) information concerning, with respect 

2 to each women’s business center established 

3 pursuant to a grant awarded under this section, 

4 the most recent analysis of the annual pro5 grammatic and financial examination of the ap6 plicable eligible entity, as required under sub7 section (g)(1)(B), and the subsequent deter8 mination made by the Administration under 

9 that subsection; 

10 ‘‘(B) the number of persons advised and 

11 trained through the Women’s Business Center 

12 Program; 

13 ‘‘(C) the total number of hours of advising 

14 and training through the Program; 

15 ‘‘(D) the demographics of Program partici16 pants to include gender, race, and age of each 

17 such participant; 

18 ‘‘(E) the number of Program participants 

19 who are veterans; 

20 ‘‘(F) the number of new businesses started 

21 by participants in the Program; 

22 ‘‘(G) to the extent practicable, the number 

23 of jobs supported, created or retained with as24 sistance from women’s business centers; 


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1 ‘‘(H) the amount of capital secured by par2 ticipants in the Program, including through 

3 loans and equity investment; 

4 ‘‘(I) the number of participants in the Pro5 gram receiving financial assistance, including 

6 the type and dollar amount, under the loan pro7 grams of the Administration; 

8 ‘‘(J) an estimate of gross receipts, includ9 ing to the extent practicable a description of 

10 any change in revenue of small business con11 cerns assisted through the Program; 

12 ‘‘(K) to the maximum extent practicable, 

13 increases or decreases in revenues for the as14 sisted small business concerns; 

15 ‘‘(L) the number of referrals made to other 

16 resources and programs of the Administration; 

17 ‘‘(M) the results of satisfaction surveys of 

18 participants, including a summary of any com19 ments received from such participants; and 

20 ‘‘(N) any recommendations by the Admin21 istrator to improve the delivery of services by 

22 women’s business centers. 

23 ‘‘(n) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

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

25 appropriated to the Administration to carry out this 


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1 section, to remain available until expended, 

2 $31,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 

3 2023. 

4 ‘‘(2) USE OF AMOUNTS.— 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

6 subparagraph (B), amounts made available 

7 under this subsection for fiscal year 2020, and 

8 each fiscal year thereafter, may only be used for 

9 grant awards and may not be used for costs in10 curred by the Administration in connection with 

11 the management and administration of the pro12 gram under this section. 

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

14 available under this subsection for a fiscal year, 

15 the following amounts shall be available for 

16 costs incurred by the Administration in connec17 tion with the management and administration 

18 of the program under this section: 

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

20 after the date of the enactment of this sub21 paragraph, 2.65 percent. 

22 ‘‘(ii) For the second fiscal year begin23 ning after the date of the enactment of 

24 this subparagraph and each fiscal year 


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1 thereafter through fiscal year 2023, 2.5 

2 percent. 

3 ‘‘(3) EXPEDITED ACQUISITION.—Notwith4 standing any other provision of law, the Adminis5 trator may use such expedited acquisition methods 

6 as the Administrator determines to be appropriate to 

7 carry out this section, except that the Administrator 

8 shall ensure that all small business sources are pro9 vided a reasonable opportunity to submit proposals. 

10 ‘‘(4) ACCREDITATION AND ANNUAL CON11 FERENCE.—Not less than $500,000 of the amounts 

12 appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) for a fiscal 

13 year shall be available for purposes of carrying out 

14 subsection (k), of which no less than $50,000 shall 

15 be available to support an annual conference de16 scribed under subsection (k)(6).’’. 

17 SEC. 3. EFFECT ON EXISTING GRANTS. 

18 (a) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—A nonprofit organiza19 tion receiving a grant under section 29(m) of the Small 

20 Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(m)), as in effect on the day 

21 before the date of enactment of this Act, shall continue 

22 to receive the grant under the terms and conditions in ef23 fect for the grant on the day before the date of enactment 

24 of this Act, except that the nonprofit organization may 

25 not apply for a continuation of the grant under section 


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1 29(m)(5) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

2 656(m)(5)), as in effect on the day before the date of en3 actment of this Act. 

4 (b) LENGTH OF CONTINUATION GRANT.—The Ad5 ministrator of the Small Business Administration may 

6 award a grant under section 29 of the Small Business Act, 

7 as amended by this Act, to a nonprofit organization receiv8 ing a grant under section 29(m) of the Small Business 

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

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

11 (1) beginning on the day after the last day of 

12 the grant agreement under such section 29(m); and 

13 (2) ending at the end of the third fiscal year be14 ginning after the date of enactment of this Act. 

15 SEC. 4. REGULATIONS. 

16 Not later than 270 days after the date of the enact17 ment of this Act, the Administrator of Small Business Ad18 ministration shall issue such rules as are necessary to 

19 carry out section 29 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

20 656), as amended by this Act, and ensure that a period 

21 of public comment for such rules is not less than 60 days. 

Æ 


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