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Union Calendar No. 341 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4121 

[Report No. 113–461] 

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

business development centers. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 28, 2014 

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

Committee on Small Business 

MAY 21, 2014 

Additional sponsor: Mr. MURPHY of Florida 

MAY 21, 2014 

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 February 28, 2014] 


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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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Small Business Develop5 ment Centers Improvement Act of 2014’’. 

6 SEC. 2. USE OF AUTHORIZED ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOP7 MENT PROGRAMS. 

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

9 amended by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 48. USE OF AUTHORIZED ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVEL11 OPMENT PROGRAMS. 

12 ‘‘(a) EXPANDED SUPPORT FOR ENTRERPRENEURS.— 

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

14 provision of law, the Administrator shall only use the 

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

16 8(b)(1), 21, 22, 29, and 32 of this Act, and sections 

17 358 and 389 of the Small Business Investment Act to 

18 deliver entrepreneurial development services, entrepre19 neurial education, business incubation services, 

20 growth acceleration services, support for the develop21 ment and maintenance of clusters, or business train22 ing. 

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

24 to services provided to assist small business concerns 

25 owned by an Indian tribe. 


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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. 3. 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 businesses.’’. 

5 SEC. 4. CONFIDENTIALITY REQUIREMENTS. 

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

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

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

9 agency or third party’’. 

10 SEC. 5. DATA COLLECTION. 

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

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

13 (1) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘as provided in 

14 this section and’’ and inserting ‘‘as provided in this 

15 section,’’; and 

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

17 following: ‘‘, and (iv) governing data collection activi18 ties related to applicants receiving grants under this 

19 section’’. 

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

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

22 by section 3 of this Act, is further amended by adding at 

23 the end the following: 

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

25 Administrator shall report annually to the Committee on 


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1 Small Business of the House of Representatives and the 

2 Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the 

3 Senate on data collection activities related to the Small 

4 Business Development Center program.’’. 

5 SEC. 6. MATCHMAKING AND OTHER EVENTS. 

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

7 U.S.C. 648(a)(3)(C)) is amended to read as follows: 

8 ‘‘(C) Such participation in private partnerships 

9 and cosponsorships with the Administration shall not 

10 limit Small Business Development Centers from col11 lecting fees or other income related to the operation 

12 of such partnerships and cosponsorships.’’. 

13 SEC. 7. EQUITY FOR SBDCS. 

14 Section 21(a)(4)(C)(v)(I) of the Small Business Act 

15 (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(4)(C)(v)(I)) is amended— 

16 (1) in item (aa), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and insert17 ing a period; and 

18 (2) by striking item (bb). 

19 SEC. 8. AWARD OF GRANTS TO SBDCS. 

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

21 as amended by sections 3 and 5 of this Act, is further 

22 amended by adding at the end the following: 

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

24 not-for-profit institutions of higher education, notwith25 standing any provision of law, the Administrator shall not 


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1 award grants (including contracts and cooperative agree2 ments) under this section to any entity other than those 

3 that received grants (including contracts and cooperative 

4 agreements) under this section prior to September 30, 2014, 

5 and that seek to renew such grants (including contracts and 

6 cooperative agreements) after such date.’’. 

7 SEC. 9. DISASTER REFORMS. 

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

9 648(b)(3)) is amended— 

10 (1) by striking ‘‘(3) At the discretion’’ and in11 serting the following: 

12 ‘‘(3) ASSISTANCE TO OUT-OF-STATE SMALL BUSI13 NESSES.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—At the discretion’’; and 

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

16 ‘‘(B) DISASTER RECOVERY ASSISTANCE.— 

17 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—At the discretion of 

18 the Administrator, the Administrator may 

19 authorize a small business development cen20 ter to provide assistance, as described in 

21 subsection (c), to a small business concern 

22 located outside of the State, without regard 

23 to geographic proximity, if the small busi24 ness concern is located in an area for which 

25 the President has declared a major disaster 


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1 under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford 

2 Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 

3 Act (42 U.S.C. 5170), during the period of 

4 the declaration. 

5 ‘‘(ii) CONTINUITY OF SERVICES.—A 

6 small business development center that pro7 vides counselors to an area described in 

8 clause (i) shall, to the maximum extent 

9 practicable, ensure continuity of services in 

10 any State in which the small business devel11 opment center otherwise provides services. 

12 ‘‘(iii) ACCESS TO DISASTER RECOVERY

13 FACILITIES.—For purposes of this subpara14 graph, the Administrator shall, to the max15 imum extent practicable, permit the per16 sonnel of a small business development cen17 ter to use any site or facility designated by 

18 the Administrator for use to provide dis19 aster recovery assistance.’’. 

20 SEC. 10. INCLUSIONS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP TRAINING 

21 FOR UNEMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS. 

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

23 U.S.C. 648(c)(3)(A)) is amended— 

24 (1) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 


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1 (2) in clause (iv), by inserting ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

2 and 

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

4 ‘‘(v) educating unemployed individuals on 

5 entrepreneurship and working with such individ6 uals to start new businesses;’’. 


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Union Calendar No. 341 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4121 

[Report No. 113–461] 

A BILL 

To amend the Small Business Act to provide for 

ters. improvements to small business development cenMAY 21, 2014 

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 

State of the Union and ordered to be printed 


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