I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5361 

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

program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023 

Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas (for herself and Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ) 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 Improvement Act of 2023’’. 

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, if the organization 

15 certifies that grant funds received under this 

16 section will not be commingled with other 

17 funds; 

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

19 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 

20 Act of 1965), unless such institution has re21 ceived a grant under section 21; 

22 ‘‘(D) a development, credit, or finance cor23 poration chartered by a State, if such corpora24 tion certifies that grant funds received under 

25 this section will not be commingled with other 

26 funds; or 


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1 ‘‘(E) an entity that is a combination of en2 tities listed in subparagraphs (A) through (D). 

3 ‘‘(3) RESOURCE PARTNERS.—The term ‘re4 source partners’ means small business development 

5 centers, chapters of the Service Corps of Retired Ex6 ecutives (established under section 8(b)(1)(B)), and 

7 Veteran Business Outreach Centers (described under 

8 section 32). 

9 ‘‘(4) SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN OWNED AND

10 CONTROLLED BY WOMEN.—The term ‘small business 

11 concern owned and controlled by women’ has the 

12 meaning given under section 3(n). 

13 ‘‘(5) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means each 

14 State of the United States, the District of Columbia, 

15 and each commonwealth, territory, or possession of 

16 the United States. 

17 ‘‘(6) WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER.—The term 

18 ‘women’s business center’ means an entity operated 

19 by an eligible entity that provides entrepreneurial 

20 counseling and training to small business concerns 

21 owned and controlled by women and to women en22 trepreneurs. 

23 ‘‘(7) WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER ASSOCIA24 TION.—The term ‘Women’s Business Center Asso25 ciation’ means a membership organization formed by 


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1 women’s business centers to pursue matters of com2 mon concern. 

3 ‘‘(b) AUTHORITY.— 

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

5 program to be known as the ‘Women’s Business 

6 Center Program’ under which the Administrator 

7 may enter into a cooperative agreement with an eli8 gible entity to provide a grant to such eligible entity 

9 to operate one or more women’s business centers. 

10 ‘‘(2) WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER REQUIRE11 MENTS.—A women’s business center established 

12 using funds made available under this section shall 

13 be designed to provide entrepreneurial counseling 

14 and training that meets the particular needs of small 

15 business concerns owned and controlled by women, 

16 especially such concerns owned and controlled by 

17 women who are socially and economically disadvan18 taged, and of women entrepreneurs, and shall pro19 vide— 

20 ‘‘(A) counseling and training on how to 

21 form and develop a business; 

22 ‘‘(B) financial assistance, including coun23 seling and training on how to— 

24 ‘‘(i) apply for and secure business 

25 credit and investment capital; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) prepare and present financial 

2 statements; and 

3 ‘‘(iii) manage cash flow and other fi4 nancial operations of a small business con5 cern; 

6 ‘‘(C) management assistance, including 

7 counseling and training on how to plan, orga8 nize, staff, direct, and control each major activ9 ity and function of a small business concern; 

10 ‘‘(D) marketing assistance, including coun11 seling and training on how to— 

12 ‘‘(i) identify and segment domestic 

13 and international market opportunities; 

14 ‘‘(ii) prepare and execute marketing 

15 plans; 

16 ‘‘(iii) develop pricing strategies; 

17 ‘‘(iv) locate contract opportunities; 

18 ‘‘(v) negotiate contracts; and 

19 ‘‘(vi) use various public relations and 

20 advertising techniques; and 

21 ‘‘(E) other services, as determined by the 

22 Administrator. 

23 ‘‘(3) TYPES OF GRANTS.— 

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

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


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1 provided under this subsection to an eligible en2 tity shall be not more than $300,000 annually 

3 (as such amount is annually adjusted by the 

4 Administrator to reflect the change in infla5 tion). 

6 ‘‘(B) CONTINUATION GRANTS.—The Ad7 ministrator may award a continuation grant, 

8 which shall be for a 5-year term beginning on 

9 the day after the last date of the initial grant 

10 term, of not more than $300,000 annually (as 

11 such amount is annually adjusted by the Ad12 ministrator to reflect the change in inflation) to 

13 an eligible entity that received an initial grant 

14 under subparagraph (A). There shall be no lim15 itation on the number of continuation grants an 

16 eligible entity may receive under this section. 

17 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.— 

18 ‘‘(1) INITIAL GRANTS AND CONTINUATION

19 GRANTS.—To receive an initial grant or continuation 

20 grant under this section, an eligible entity shall sub21 mit an application to the Administrator in such 

22 form, in such manner, and containing such informa23 tion as the Administrator may require, including— 

24 ‘‘(A) a certification that the eligible enti25 ty— 


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1 ‘‘(i) has designated an executive direc2 tor or program manager, who may be com3 pensated using grant funds awarded under 

4 this section or other sources, to manage 

5 each women’s business center for which a 

6 grant under subsection (b) is sought; and 

7 ‘‘(ii) meets accounting and reporting 

8 requirements established by the Director of 

9 the Office of Management and Budget; 

10 ‘‘(B) information demonstrating the expe11 rience and effectiveness of the eligible entity 

12 in— 

13 ‘‘(i) providing entrepreneurial coun14 seling and training described under sub15 section (b)(2); 

16 ‘‘(ii) providing training and services to 

17 a representative number of women who are 

18 socially and economically disadvantaged; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(iii) working with resource partners, 

21 offices of the Administration, and other en22 tities; and 

23 ‘‘(C) a 5-year plan that— 

24 ‘‘(i) includes information relating to 

25 the assistance to be provided by each womVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:35 Sep 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5361.IH H5361

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1 en’s business center in the area in which 

2 each such center is located; 

3 ‘‘(ii) describes the ability of the eligi4 ble entity to meet the needs of the market 

5 to be served by a women’s business center; 

6 ‘‘(iii) describes the ability of the eligi7 ble entity to obtain the matching funds re8 quired under subsection (e); and 

9 ‘‘(iv) describes the ability of the eligi10 ble entity to provide entrepreneurial coun11 seling and training described under sub12 section (b)(2), including to a representative 

13 number of women who are socially and eco14 nomically disadvantaged. 

15 ‘‘(2) RECORD RETENTION.— 

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

17 shall maintain a copy of each application sub18 mitted under this subsection for not less than 

19 5 years. 

20 ‘‘(B) PAPERWORK REDUCTION.—The Ad21 ministrator shall take steps to reduce, to the 

22 maximum extent practicable, the paperwork 

23 burden associated with carrying out subpara24 graph (A). 


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1 ‘‘(d) SELECTION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—In select2 ing recipients of initial grants, the Administrator shall 

3 consider— 

4 ‘‘(1) the experience of the applicant in pro5 viding entrepreneurial counseling and training; 

6 ‘‘(2) the amount of time needed for the appli7 cant to commence operation of a women’s business 

8 center (if applicable); 

9 ‘‘(3) in consultation with a Women’s Business 

10 Center Association, the capacity of the applicant to 

11 meet the accreditation standards established under 

12 subsection (k)(4) in a timely manner; 

13 ‘‘(4) the ability of the applicant to sustain oper14 ations, including the applicant’s ability to obtain 

15 matching funds under subsection (e), for the 5-year 

16 period of such initial grant; 

17 ‘‘(5) the location of a women’s business center 

18 to be operated by the applicant and the location’s 

19 proximity to resource partners; 

20 ‘‘(6) the population density of the area to be 

21 served by the women’s business center operated by 

22 the applicant; and 

23 ‘‘(7) the advice and counsel of a Women’s Busi24 ness Center Association to determine areas with a 

25 lack of services for small business concerns owned 


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1 and controlled by women who are socially and eco2 nomically disadvantaged. 

3 ‘‘(e) MATCHING REQUIREMENTS.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (6), 

5 upon approval of an application submitted under 

6 subsection (c), the eligible entity shall agree to ob7 tain contributions from non-Federal sources— 

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

9 term of an initial grant, if applicable, 1 non10 Federal dollar for every 2 Federal dollars; and 

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

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

13 of a continuation grant, 1 non-Federal dollar 

14 for each Federal dollar. 

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

16 than one-half of non-Federal matching funds de17 scribed under paragraph (1) may be in the form of 

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

19 including office equipment and office space. 

20 ‘‘(3) SOLICITATION.—Notwithstanding any 

21 other provision of law, an eligible entity may— 

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

23 from private individuals and entities to be used 

24 to operate a women’s business center; and 


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

2 Administrator under this section for the cost of 

3 such solicitation and management of the con4 tributions received. 

5 ‘‘(4) ADVANCE DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS.— 

6 The Administrator may disburse an amount not 

7 greater than 25 percent of the total amount of a 

8 grant awarded to an eligible entity before such eligi9 ble entity obtains the matching funds described 

10 under paragraph (1). 

11 ‘‘(5) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.— 

12 ‘‘(A) INITIAL GRANTS.—If an eligible enti13 ty fails to obtain the required matching funds 

14 described under paragraph (1), the eligible enti15 ty may not be eligible to receive advance dis16 bursements pursuant to paragraph (4) during 

17 the remainder of the term, if applicable, of an 

18 initial grant awarded under this section. 

19 ‘‘(B) CONTINUATION GRANTS.—Before ap20 proving such eligible entity for a continuation 

21 grant under this section, the Administrator 

22 shall make a written determination, including 

23 the reasons for such determination, of whether 

24 the Administrator believes that the eligible enti25 ty will be able to obtain the requisite matching 


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1 funding under paragraph (1) for such continu2 ation grant. 

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

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

5 eligible entity and in accordance with this para6 graph, the Administrator may waive, in whole 

7 or in part, the requirement to obtain matching 

8 funds under paragraph (1) for a grant awarded 

9 under this section for the eligible entity for a 1- 

10 year term of the grant. 

11 ‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining 

12 whether to issue a waiver under this paragraph, 

13 the Administrator shall consider— 

14 ‘‘(i) the economic conditions affecting 

15 the eligible entity; 

16 ‘‘(ii) the demonstrated ability of the 

17 eligible entity to obtain non-Federal funds; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(iii) the performance of the eligible 

20 entity under the initial grant. 

21 ‘‘(C) LIMITATION.—The Administrator 

22 may not issue a waiver under this paragraph if 

23 the Administrator determines that granting the 

24 waiver would undermine the credibility of the 

25 Women’s Business Center Program. 


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

2 amount of non-Federal dollars obtained by an eligi3 ble entity that is greater than the amount that is re4 quired to be obtained by the eligible entity under 

5 this subsection shall not be subject to the require6 ments of part 200 of title 2, Code of Federal Regu7 lations, or any successor thereto, if such amount of 

8 non-Federal dollars— 

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

10 purposes of implementing the Women’s Busi11 ness Center Program; and 

12 ‘‘(B) was not obtained by using funds 

13 granted under the Women’s Business Center 

14 Program. 

15 ‘‘(8) CARRYOVER.—An eligible entity may use 

16 excess non-Federal dollars described in paragraph 

17 (7) to satisfy the matching funds requirement under 

18 paragraph (1) for a subsequent 1-year grant term, 

19 if applicable, except that such excess non-Federal 

20 dollars shall be subject to the requirements of part 

21 200 of title 2, Code of Federal Regulations, or any 

22 successor thereto. 

23 ‘‘(f) OTHER REQUIREMENTS.— 

24 ‘‘(1) SEPARATION OF FUNDS.—An eligible enti25 ty that receives a grant under this section shall— 


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

2 under this section separately from other 

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

4 ‘‘(B) separately maintain and account for 

5 any grant funds received under this section. 

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

7 ‘‘(A) REQUIRED SITE VISIT.—Before re8 ceiving an initial grant under this section, each 

9 applicant shall have a site visit by an employee 

10 of the Administration, in order to ensure that 

11 the applicant has sufficient resources to provide 

12 the services for which the grant is being pro13 vided. 

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

15 the Administration shall— 

16 ‘‘(i) conduct an annual programmatic 

17 and financial examination of each eligible 

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

19 ‘‘(ii) provide the results of such exam20 ination to the eligible entity. 

21 ‘‘(3) REMEDIATION OF PROBLEMS.— 

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

23 of an eligible entity conducted under paragraph 

24 (2)(B) identifies any problems, the eligible enti25 ty shall, within 45 calendar days of receiving a 


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1 copy of the results of such examination, provide 

2 the Assistant Administrator with a plan of ac3 tion, including specific milestones, for cor4 recting such problems. 

5 ‘‘(B) PLAN OF ACTION REVIEW BY THE AS6 SISTANT ADMINISTRATOR.—The Assistant Ad7 ministrator shall review each plan of action sub8 mitted under subparagraph (A) within 30 cal9 endar days after receipt of such plan. If the As10 sistant Administrator determines that such 

11 plan— 

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

13 compliance with all the terms of a coopera14 tive agreement described in subsection (b), 

15 the Assistant Administrator shall approve 

16 such plan; or 

17 ‘‘(ii) is inadequate to remedy the 

18 problems identified in the annual examina19 tion to which the plan of action relates, the 

20 Assistant Administrator shall set forth 

21 such reasons in writing and provide such 

22 determination to the eligible entity within 

23 15 calendar days of such determination. 

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

25 An eligible entity receiving a determination 


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1 under subparagraph (B)(ii) shall have 30 cal2 endar days from the receipt of the determina3 tion to amend the plan of action to remedy the 

4 problems identified by the Assistant Adminis5 trator and resubmit such plan to the Assistant 

6 Administrator. 

7 ‘‘(D) AMENDED PLAN REVIEW BY THE AS8 SISTANT ADMINISTRATOR.—Within 15 calendar 

9 days of the receipt of an amended plan of ac10 tion under subparagraph (C), the Assistant Ad11 ministrator shall either approve or reject such 

12 plan and provide such approval or rejection in 

13 writing to the eligible entity. 

14 ‘‘(E) APPEAL OF ASSISTANT ADMINIS15 TRATOR DETERMINATION.— 

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

17 Administrator rejects an amended plan 

18 under subparagraph (D), the eligible entity 

19 shall have the opportunity to appeal such 

20 decision to the Administrator, who may 

21 delegate such appeal to an appropriate of22 ficer of the Administration. 

23 ‘‘(ii) OPPORTUNITY FOR EXPLA24 NATION.—Any appeal described under 

25 clause (i) shall provide an opportunity for 


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1 the eligible entity to provide, in writing, an 

2 explanation of why the eligible entity’s 

3 amended plan remedies the problems iden4 tified in the annual examination conducted 

5 under paragraph (2)(B). 

6 ‘‘(iii) NOTICE OF DETERMINATION.— 

7 The Administrator shall provide to the eli8 gible entity a determination of the appeal, 

9 in writing, not later than 15 calendar days 

10 after the eligible entity files an appeal 

11 under this subparagraph. 

12 ‘‘(iv) EFFECT OF FAILURE TO ACT.— 

13 If the Administrator fails to act on an ap14 peal made under this subparagraph within 

15 the 15-day period specified under clause 

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

17 action submitted under subparagraph (C) 

18 shall be deemed to be approved. 

19 ‘‘(4) TERMINATION OF GRANT.— 

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

21 shall terminate a grant to an eligible entity 

22 under this section if the eligible entity fails to 

23 comply with— 


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

2 Assistant Administrator under paragraph 

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

4 ‘‘(ii) an amended plan of action ap5 proved by the Assistant Administrator 

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

7 appeal under paragraph (3)(E). 

8 ‘‘(B) APPEAL OF TERMINATION.—An eligi9 ble entity shall have the opportunity to chal10 lenge the termination of a grant under subpara11 graph (A) on the record and after an oppor12 tunity for a hearing. 

13 ‘‘(C) FINAL AGENCY ACTION.—A deter14 mination made pursuant to subparagraph (B) 

15 shall be considered final agency action for the 

16 purposes of chapter 7 of title 5, United States 

17 Code. 

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

19 BUSINESS CENTER ASSOCIATION.—If on the date of 

20 the enactment of this subsection, a majority of wom21 en’s business centers that are operating pursuant to 

22 agreements with the Administration are members of 

23 an individual Women’s Business Center Association, 

24 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 the 

4 development of documents with respect to— 

5 ‘‘(i) announcing the annual scope of 

6 activities pursuant to this section; 

7 ‘‘(ii) requesting proposals to deliver 

8 assistance as provided in this section; and 

9 ‘‘(iii) governing the general operations 

10 and administration of women’s business 

11 centers, specifically including the develop12 ment of regulations and a uniform nego13 tiated cooperative agreement for use on an 

14 annual basis when entering into individual 

15 cooperative agreements with women’s busi16 ness centers. 

17 ‘‘(6) ENFORCEMENT.— 

18 ‘‘(A) GRANTS.—The Assistant Adminis19 trator shall develop policies and procedures to 

20 minimize the possibility of awarding a grant to 

21 an eligible entity that will operate a women’s 

22 business center that likely will not remain in 

23 compliance with program and financial require24 ments. 


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1 ‘‘(B) INDIVIDUAL COOPERATIVE AGREE2 MENTS.—The Assistant Administrator shall en3 force the terms of any individual cooperative 

4 agreement described in paragraph (5)(B)(iii). 

5 ‘‘(g) PROGRAM EXAMINATION.— 

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

7 ‘‘(A) develop and implement an annual 

8 programmatic and financial examination of 

9 each eligible entity receiving a grant under this 

10 section, under which each such eligible entity 

11 shall provide to the Administration— 

12 ‘‘(i) an itemized cost breakdown of ac13 tual expenditures for costs incurred during 

14 the preceding year relating to activities 

15 funded by a grant under this section; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) documentation regarding the 

17 amount of matching assistance from non18 Federal sources obtained and expended by 

19 the eligible entity during the preceding 

20 year in order to meet the requirements of 

21 subsection (e) and, with respect to any in22 kind contributions described in subsection 

23 (e)(2) that were used to satisfy the re24 quirements of subsection (e), verification of 


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1 the existence and valuation of those con2 tributions; and 

3 ‘‘(B) analyze the results of each such ex4 amination and, based on that analysis, make a 

5 determination regarding the programmatic and 

6 financial viability of each women’s business cen7 ter operated by the eligible entity. 

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

9 In determining whether to award a continuation 

10 grant to an eligible entity, the Administrator— 

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

12 recent examination of the eligible entity under 

13 paragraph (1); 

14 ‘‘(B) shall determine if— 

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

16 provide, or provided inadequate, informa17 tion under paragraph (1)(A); or 

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

19 provide any information required to be pro20 vided for purposes of the report required 

21 under subsection (m)(1), or the informa22 tion provided is inadequate; and 

23 ‘‘(C) shall consider the accreditation status 

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


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1 ‘‘(3) ACCREDITATION REQUIREMENT.—After 

2 the end of the 2-year period beginning on the date 

3 of the enactment of this subsection, the Administra4 tion may not award a continuation grant under this 

5 section unless the applicable eligible entity has been 

6 approved under the accreditation program conducted 

7 pursuant to subsection (k), except that the Assistant 

8 Administrator for the Office of Women’s Business 

9 Ownership may waive such accreditation require10 ment upon a showing that the eligible entity is mak11 ing a good faith effort to obtain accreditation. 

12 ‘‘(4) ADDITIONAL OVERSIGHT.—The Assistant 

13 Administrator shall work with the Women’s Busi14 ness Center Association recognized under subsection 

15 (f)(5) (as applicable) to develop, implement, and 

16 maintain policies and procedures for conducting fi17 nancial examinations under this subsection and to 

18 maintain internal controls that ensure that such fi19 nancial examinations are conducted properly. 

20 ‘‘(h) RULEMAKING.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may 

22 only make a change to the rules or standards of the 

23 Women’s Business Center Program, including such 

24 rules or standards relating to how an eligible entity 

25 obtains or maintains grants under this section, the 


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1 standards for accreditation, or any other require2 ment for the operation of a women’s business center, 

3 if the Administrator first provides notice and the op4 portunity for public comment, as set forth in section 

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

6 to any exceptions provided for under such section. 

7 ‘‘(2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 

8 this paragraph may be construed to prohibit the Ad9 ministrator from modifying the rules or standards of 

10 the Women’s Business Center Program, after pro11 viding an opportunity for notice and comment, as 

12 such rules and standards apply to an opportunity 

13 under the Women’s Business Center Program that 

14 the Administrator has not yet publicly announced 

15 pursuant to subsection (l)(1). 

16 ‘‘(i) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.— 

17 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBILITY FOR OTHER FEDERAL

18 AWARDS.—An eligible entity that receives a grant 

19 under this section may enter into a contract with a 

20 Federal department or agency to provide specific as21 sistance to small business concerns owned and con22 trolled by women, if performance of such a contract 

23 does not hinder the ability of the eligible entity to 

24 carry out the terms of a grant received under this 

25 section. 


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1 ‘‘(2) WRITTEN NOTICE.—The Administrator 

2 shall not suspend, terminate, or fail to renew or ex3 tend any cooperative agreement entered into under 

4 this section unless the Administrator provides the 

5 applicant with written notification setting forth the 

6 reasons therefore and affords the applicant an op7 portunity for a hearing, appeal, or other administra8 tive proceeding under chapter 5 of title 5, United 

9 States Code. 

10 ‘‘(j) PRIVACY REQUIREMENTS.— 

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

12 or an eligible entity may not disclose the name, ad13 dress, telephone number, or email address of any in14 dividual or small business concern receiving assist15 ance under this section, or the nature of content of 

16 such assistance, to any State, local, or Federal agen17 cy, or to any third party, without the consent of 

18 such individual or small business concern, unless— 

19 ‘‘(A) the Administrator orders such disclo20 sure after the Administrator is ordered to make 

21 such a disclosure by a court in any civil or 

22 criminal enforcement action initiated by a Fed23 eral or State agency; or 

24 ‘‘(B) the Administrator considers such a 

25 disclosure to be necessary for the purpose of 


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1 conducting a financial audit of a women’s busi2 ness center, except that such a disclosure shall 

3 be limited to the information necessary for such 

4 audit. 

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

6 This subsection shall not— 

7 ‘‘(A) restrict Administration access to 

8 deidentified data on women’s business centers; 

9 or 

10 ‘‘(B) prevent the Administration from 

11 using information about individuals who, or 

12 concerns that, use women’s business centers to 

13 conduct surveys of such individuals or concerns. 

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

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

16 within the Administration an Office of Women’s 

17 Business Ownership, which shall be responsible for 

18 the administration of the Administration’s programs 

19 for the development of women’s business enterprises 

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

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

22 Business Ownership shall be administered by an As23 sistant Administrator, who shall be appointed by the 

24 Administrator. 


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1 ‘‘(2) ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR OF THE OF2 FICE OF WOMEN’S BUSINESS OWNERSHIP.— 

3 ‘‘(A) QUALIFICATION.—The position of As4 sistant Administrator shall be a Senior Execu5 tive Service position under section 3132(a)(2) 

6 of title 5, United States Code. The Assistant 

7 Administrator shall serve as a noncareer ap8 pointee (as defined in section 3132(a)(7) of 

9 that title). 

10 ‘‘(B) DUTIES.—The Assistant Adminis11 trator shall administer the programs and serv12 ices of the Office of Women’s Business Owner13 ship and perform the following functions: 

14 ‘‘(i) Recommend the annual adminis15 trative and program budgets of the Office 

16 and eligible entities receiving a grant 

17 under the Women’s Business Center Pro18 gram. 

19 ‘‘(ii) Review the annual budgets sub20 mitted by each eligible entity receiving a 

21 grant under the Women’s Business Center 

22 Program, as required under standard oper23 ating procedures of the Administration. 

24 ‘‘(iii) Collaborate with other Federal 

25 departments and agencies, State and local 


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1 governments, not-for-profit organizations, 

2 and for-profit organizations to maximize 

3 utilization of taxpayer dollars and reduce 

4 (or eliminate) any duplication among the 

5 programs administered by the Office of 

6 Women’s Business Ownership and those of 

7 other entities that provide similar services 

8 to women entrepreneurs. 

9 ‘‘(iv) Maintain a clearinghouse to pro10 vide for the dissemination and exchange of 

11 information between women’s business cen12 ters. 

13 ‘‘(v) Serve as the vice chairperson of 

14 the Interagency Committee on Women’s 

15 Business Enterprise and as the liaison for 

16 the National Women’s Business Council. 

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

18 Women’s Business Ownership shall be to assist 

19 women entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses 

20 and compete in global markets by providing quality 

21 support with access to capital, access to markets, job 

22 creation, growth, and counseling by— 

23 ‘‘(A) fostering participation of women en24 trepreneurs in the economy by overseeing a netVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:35 Sep 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5361.IH H5361

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1 work of women’s business centers throughout 

2 the States; 

3 ‘‘(B) creating public-private partnerships 

4 to support women entrepreneurs and conduct 

5 outreach and education to small business con6 cerns owned and controlled by women; and 

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

8 Administration to— 

9 ‘‘(i) ensure women are well-rep10 resented in those programs and being 

11 served by those programs; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) identify gaps where participation 

13 by women in those programs could be in14 creased. 

15 ‘‘(4) ACCREDITATION PROGRAM.— 

16 ‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 

17 270 days after the date of enactment of this 

18 paragraph, the Administrator shall publish 

19 standards for a program to accredit eligible en20 tities that receive a grant under this section. 

21 ‘‘(B) PUBLIC COMMENT; TRANSITION.— 

22 Before publishing the standards under subpara23 graph (A), the Administrator— 


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

2 than 60 days for public comment on such 

3 standards; and 

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

5 this section absent evidence of fraud or 

6 other criminal misconduct by the recipient. 

7 ‘‘(C) CONTRACTING AUTHORITY.—The Ad8 ministrator may provide financial support, by 

9 contract or otherwise, to a Women’s Business 

10 Center Association to provide assistance in es11 tablishing the standards required under sub12 paragraph (A) or for carrying out an accredita13 tion program pursuant to such standards. 

14 ‘‘(5) ANNUAL CONFERENCE.—Each women’s 

15 business center shall participate in annual profes16 sional development at an annual conference facili17 tated by the Administrator, in consultation with a 

18 Women’s Business Center Association. 

19 ‘‘(l) NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE

20 WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM.—The Adminis21 trator shall provide the following: 

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

23 for the award of a grant under this section, to in24 clude the selection criteria under subsection (d) and 

25 any applicable rules or standards. 


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

2 section that failed to obtain such a grant, an oppor3 tunity to debrief with the Administrator to review 

4 the reasons for the applicant’s failure. 

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

6 grant under this section, if a site visit under sub7 section (f)(2) or review of the eligible entity is car8 ried out by an officer or employee of the Administra9 tion (other than the Inspector General), a copy of 

10 the site visit report or evaluation, as applicable, 

11 within 30 calendar days of the completion of such 

12 visit or evaluation. 

13 ‘‘(m) ANNUAL MANAGEMENT REPORT.— 

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

15 prepare and submit to the Committee on Small 

16 Business of the House of Representatives and the 

17 Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship 

18 of the Senate an annual report on the effectiveness 

19 of women’s business centers operated through a 

20 grant awarded under this section. 

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

22 paragraph (1) shall include— 

23 ‘‘(A) information concerning, with respect 

24 to each women’s business center established 

25 pursuant to a grant awarded under this section, 


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1 the most recent analysis of the annual pro2 grammatic and financial examination of the ap3 plicable women’s business center, as required 

4 under subsection (g)(1)(B), and the subsequent 

5 determination made by the Administration 

6 under that subsection; 

7 ‘‘(B) the number of persons counseled and 

8 trained through the Women’s Business Center 

9 Program (referred to in this paragraph as ‘par10 ticipants’); 

11 ‘‘(C) the total number of hours of coun12 seling and training provided through such Pro13 gram; 

14 ‘‘(D) the demographics of participants of 

15 such Program, including the gender, race, and 

16 age of each such participant; 

17 ‘‘(E) the number of such participants who 

18 are veterans; 

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

20 by such participants; 

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

22 of jobs created or retained with assistance from 

23 women’s business centers; 

24 ‘‘(H) the amount of capital, including 

25 loans and equity investments, secured by each 


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1 women’s business center to carry out the re2 quirements of this section; 

3 ‘‘(I) the number of participants in the Pro4 gram receiving financial assistance, including 

5 the type and dollar amount, under the loan pro6 grams of the Administration; 

7 ‘‘(J) an estimate of gross receipts, includ8 ing to the extent practicable a description of 

9 any change in revenue of small business con10 cerns assisted through the Program; 

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

12 increases or decreases in revenues for the as13 sisted small business concerns; 

14 ‘‘(L) the number of referrals made to re15 source partners; 

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

17 participants, including a summary of any com18 ments received from such participants; and 

19 ‘‘(N) any recommendations by the Admin20 istrator to improve the delivery of services by 

21 women’s business centers. 

22 ‘‘(n) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

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

24 appropriated to the Administration to carry out this 

25 section, to remain available until expended, 


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1 $31,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 

2 2027. 

3 ‘‘(2) USE OF AMOUNTS.— 

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

5 subparagraph (B), amounts made available 

6 under this subsection for fiscal year 2024, and 

7 each fiscal year thereafter, may only be used for 

8 grant awards and may not be used for costs in9 curred by the Administration in connection with 

10 the management and administration of the pro11 gram under this section. 

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

13 available under this subsection for a fiscal year, 

14 the following amounts shall be available for 

15 costs incurred by the Administration in connec16 tion with the management and administration 

17 of the program under this section: 

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

19 after the date of the enactment of this sub20 paragraph, 2.65 percent. 

21 ‘‘(ii) For the second fiscal year begin22 ning after the date of the enactment of 

23 this subparagraph and each fiscal year 

24 thereafter through fiscal year 2027, 2.5 

25 percent. 


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1 ‘‘(3) EXPEDITED ACQUISITION.—Notwith2 standing any other provision of law, the Adminis3 trator may use such expedited acquisition methods 

4 as the Administrator determines to be appropriate to 

5 carry out this section, except that the Administrator 

6 shall ensure that all small business concerns are pro7 vided a reasonable opportunity to submit proposals. 

8 ‘‘(4) ACCREDITATION AND ANNUAL CON9 FERENCE.—Not less than $500,000 of the amounts 

10 appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) for a fiscal 

11 year shall be available for purposes of carrying out 

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

13 be available to support an annual conference de14 scribed under subsection (k)(5).’’. 

15 SEC. 3. EFFECT ON EXISTING GRANTS. 

16 (a) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—A nonprofit organiza17 tion receiving a grant under section 29(m) of the Small 

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

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

20 to receive the grant under the terms and conditions in ef21 fect for the grant on the day before the date of the enact22 ment of this Act, except that the nonprofit organization 

23 may not apply for a continuation of the grant under sec24 tion 29(m)(5) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 


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1 656(m)(5)), as in effect on the day before the date of the 

2 enactment of this Act. 

3 (b) LENGTH OF CONTINUATION GRANT.—The Ad4 ministrator of the Small Business Administration may 

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

6 as amended by this Act, to a nonprofit organization receiv7 ing a grant under section 29(m) of the Small Business 

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

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

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

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

12 (2) ending at the end of the third fiscal year be13 ginning after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

14 SEC. 4. REGULATIONS. 

15 Not later than 270 days after the date of the enact16 ment of this Act, the Administrator of Small Business Ad17 ministration shall issue such rules as are necessary to 

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

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

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

Æ 


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