I 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6441 

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

program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 20, 2022 

Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas (for herself and Ms. TENNEY) 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 2022’’. 

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: 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 6441 IH

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 is cur21 rently receiving 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 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 6441 IH

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

2 subparagraphs (A) through (D). 

3 ‘‘(3) SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN OWNED AND

4 CONTROLLED BY WOMEN.—The term ‘small business 

5 concern owned and controlled by women’ has the 

6 meaning given under section 3(n). 

7 ‘‘(4) RESOURCE PARTNERS.—The term ‘re8 source partners’ means small business development 

9 centers, chapters of the Service Corps of Retired Ex10 ecutives (established under section 8(b)(1)(B)), and 

11 Veteran Business Outreach Centers (described under 

12 section 32). 

13 ‘‘(5) WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER.—The term 

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

15 which counseling and training on the management, 

16 operations (including manufacturing, services, and 

17 retail), access to capital, international trade, govern18 ment procurement opportunities, and any other mat19 ter that is needed to start, maintain, or expand a 

20 small business concern owned and controlled by 

21 women. 

22 ‘‘(6) WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER ASSOCIA23 TION.—The term ‘Women’s Business Center Asso24 ciation’ means a membership organization formed by 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 6441 IH

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

3 ‘‘(b) AUTHORITY.— 

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

5 Women’s Business Center Program under which the 

6 Administrator may enter into a cooperative agree7 ment with an eligible entity to provide a grant to 

8 such eligible entity to operate one or more women’s 

9 business centers for the benefit of small business 

10 concerns owned and controlled by women. 

11 ‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—A women’s business cen12 ter established using funds made available under 

13 this section shall be designed to provide entrepre14 neurial counseling and training that meets the needs 

15 of the small business concerns owned and controlled 

16 by women, especially such concerns owned and con17 trolled by women who are both socially and economi18 cally disadvantaged (as defined under section 8(a)), 

19 and shall provide— 

20 ‘‘(A) financial assistance, including coun21 seling and training on how to— 

22 ‘‘(i) apply for and secure business 

23 credit and investment capital; 

24 ‘‘(ii) prepare and present financial 

25 statements; and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 6441 IH

1 ‘‘(iii) manage cash flow and other fi2 nancial operations of a small business con3 cern; 

4 ‘‘(B) management assistance, including 

5 counseling and training on how to plan, orga6 nize, staff, direct, and control each major activ7 ity and function of a small business concern; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(C) marketing assistance, including coun10 seling and training on how to— 

11 ‘‘(i) identify and segment domestic 

12 and international market opportunities; 

13 ‘‘(ii) prepare and execute marketing 

14 plans; 

15 ‘‘(iii) develop pricing strategies; 

16 ‘‘(iv) locate contract opportunities; 

17 ‘‘(v) negotiate contracts; and 

18 ‘‘(vi) use various public relations and 

19 advertising techniques. 

20 ‘‘(3) TYPES OF GRANTS.— 

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

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

23 provided under this subsection to an eligible en24 tity shall be not more than $300,000 annually 

25 (as such amount is annually adjusted by the 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 6441 IH

1 Administrator to reflect the change in infla2 tion). 

3 ‘‘(B) CONTINUATION GRANTS.—The Ad4 ministrator may award a continuation grant, 

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

6 than $300,000 annually (as such amount is an7 nually adjusted by the Administrator to reflect 

8 the change in inflation) to an eligible entity 

9 that received an initial grant under subpara10 graph (A). There shall be no limitation on the 

11 number of continuation grants an eligible entity 

12 may receive under this section. 

13 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.— 

14 ‘‘(1) INITIAL GRANTS AND CONTINUATION

15 GRANTS.—To receive an initial grant or continuation 

16 grant under this section, an eligible entity shall sub17 mit an application to the Administrator in such 

18 form, in such manner, and containing such informa19 tion as the Administrator may require, including— 

20 ‘‘(A) a certification that the eligible enti21 ty— 

22 ‘‘(i) has designated an executive direc23 tor or program manager, who may be com24 pensated using grant funds awarded under 

25 this section or other sources, to manage 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 6441 IH

1 each women’s business center for which a 

2 grant under subsection (b) is sought; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) meets accounting and reporting 

4 requirements established by the Director of 

5 the Office of Management and Budget; 

6 ‘‘(B) information demonstrating the expe7 rience and effectiveness of the eligible entity 

8 in— 

9 ‘‘(i) providing entrepreneurial coun10 seling and training described under sub11 section (b)(2); 

12 ‘‘(ii) providing training and services to 

13 a representative number of women who are 

14 both socially and economically disadvan15 taged; and 

16 ‘‘(iii) working with resource partners, 

17 offices of the Administration, and other 

18 public and private entities engaging in en19 trepreneurial and small business develop20 ment; and 

21 ‘‘(C) a 5-year plan that— 

22 ‘‘(i) includes information relating to 

23 the assistance to be provided by each wom24 en’s business center in the area in which 

25 each such center is located; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 6441 IH

1 ‘‘(ii) describes the ability of the eligi2 ble entity to meet the needs of the market 

3 to be served by each women’s business cen4 ter; 

5 ‘‘(iii) describes the ability of the eligi6 ble entity to obtain the matching funds re7 quired under subsection (e); and 

8 ‘‘(iv) describes the ability of the eligi9 ble entity to provide entrepreneurial coun10 seling and training described under sub11 section (b)(2), including to a representative 

12 number of women who are both socially 

13 and economically disadvantaged. 

14 ‘‘(2) RECORD RETENTION.— 

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

16 shall maintain a copy of each application sub17 mitted under this subsection for not less than 

18 5 years. 

19 ‘‘(B) PAPERWORK REDUCTION.—The Ad20 ministrator shall take steps to reduce, to the 

21 maximum extent practicable, the paperwork 

22 burden associated with carrying out subpara23 graph (A). 

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


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 6441 IH

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

2 initial grants, the Administrator shall consider— 

3 ‘‘(A) the experience of the applicant in pro4 viding entrepreneurial counseling and training; 

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

6 applicant to commence operation of a women’s 

7 business center; 

8 ‘‘(C) in consultation with a Women’s Busi9 ness Center Association, the capacity of the ap10 plicant to meet the accreditation standards es11 tablished under subsection (k)(4) in a timely 

12 manner; 

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

14 operations, including the applicant’s ability to 

15 obtain matching funds under subsection (e), for 

16 a 5-year period; 

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

18 business center to be operated by the applicant 

19 and the location’s proximity to Veteran Busi20 ness Outreach Centers and to recipients of 

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

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

23 be served by the women’s business center oper24 ated by the applicant; and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 6441 IH

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

2 Business Center Association to determine areas 

3 with unmet needs and the likelihood that the 

4 recipient will become accredited. 

5 ‘‘(2) SELECTION CRITERIA.— 

6 ‘‘(A) RULEMAKING.—The Administrator 

7 shall issue regulations to specify the criteria for 

8 review and selection of applicants under this 

9 subsection. 

10 ‘‘(B) MODIFICATIONS PROHIBITED AFTER

11 ANNOUNCEMENT.—With respect to a public an12 nouncement of any opportunity to be awarded 

13 a grant under this section made by the Admin14 istrator pursuant to subsection (l)(1), the Ad15 ministrator may not modify regulations issued 

16 pursuant to subparagraph (A) with respect to 

17 such opportunity unless required to do so by an 

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

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

20 in this paragraph may be construed as prohib21 iting the Administrator from modifying the reg22 ulations issued pursuant to subparagraph (A) 

23 (after providing an opportunity for notice and 

24 comment) as such regulations apply to an op25 portunity to be awarded a grant under this secVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:40 Jan 22, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6441.IH H6441

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 6441 IH

1 tion that the Administrator has not yet publicly 

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

3 ‘‘(e) MATCHING REQUIREMENTS.— 

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

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 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
12 

•HR 6441 IH

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) DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS.—The Admin6 istrator may disburse an amount not greater than 

7 25 percent of the total amount of a grant awarded 

8 to an eligible entity before such eligible entity ob9 tains the matching funds described under paragraph 

10 (1). 

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

12 If an eligible entity fails to obtain the required 

13 matching funds described under paragraph (1), the 

14 eligible entity may not be eligible to receive advance 

15 disbursements pursuant to paragraph (4) during the 

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

17 grant awarded under this section. Before approving 

18 such eligible entity for a continuation grant under 

19 this section, the Administrator shall make a written 

20 determination, including the reasons for such deter21 mination, of whether the Administrator believes that 

22 the eligible entity will be able to obtain the requisite 

23 matching funding under paragraph (1) for such con24 tinuation grant. 

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


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
13 

•HR 6441 IH

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

2 eligible entity and in accordance with this para3 graph, the Administrator may waive, in whole 

4 or in part, the requirement to obtain matching 

5 funds under paragraph (1) for a grant awarded 

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

7 year term of the grant. 

8 ‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining 

9 whether to issue a waiver under this paragraph, 

10 the Administrator shall consider— 

11 ‘‘(i) the economic conditions affecting 

12 the eligible entity; 

13 ‘‘(ii) the demonstrated ability of the 

14 eligible entity to raise non-Federal funds; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(iii) the performance of the eligible 

17 entity under the initial grant. 

18 ‘‘(C) LIMITATION.—The Administrator 

19 may not issue a waiver under this paragraph if 

20 the Administrator determines that granting the 

21 waiver would undermine the credibility of the 

22 Women’s Business Center Program. 

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

24 amount of non-Federal dollars obtained by an eligi25 ble entity that is greater than the amount that is reVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:40 Jan 22, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6441.IH H6441

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
14 

•HR 6441 IH

1 quired to be obtained by the eligible entity under 

2 this subsection shall not be subject to the require3 ments of part 200 of title 2, Code of Federal Regu4 lations, or any successor thereto, if such amount of 

5 non-Federal dollars— 

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

7 purposes of implementing the Women’s Busi8 ness Center Program; and 

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

10 granted under the Women’s Business Center 

11 Program. 

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

13 excess non-Federal dollars described in paragraph 

14 (7) to satisfy the matching funds requirement under 

15 paragraph (1) for the subsequent 1-year grant term, 

16 if applicable, except that such amounts shall be sub17 ject to the requirements of part 200 of title 2, Code 

18 of Federal Regulations, or any successor thereto. 

19 ‘‘(f) OTHER REQUIREMENTS.— 

20 ‘‘(1) SEPARATION OF FUNDS.—An eligible enti21 ty shall— 

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

23 under this section separately from other 

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


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
15 

•HR 6441 IH

1 ‘‘(B) separately maintain and account for 

2 any grant funds received under this section. 

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

4 ‘‘(A) REQUIRED SITE VISIT.—Before re5 ceiving an initial grant under this section, each 

6 applicant shall have a site visit by an employee 

7 of the Administration, in order to ensure that 

8 the applicant has sufficient resources to provide 

9 the services for which the grant is being pro10 vided. 

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

12 the Administration shall— 

13 ‘‘(i) conduct an annual programmatic 

14 and financial examination of each eligible 

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

16 ‘‘(ii) provide the results of such exam17 ination to the eligible entity. 

18 ‘‘(3) REMEDIATION OF PROBLEMS.— 

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

20 of an eligible entity conducted under paragraph 

21 (2)(B) identifies any problems, the eligible enti22 ty shall, within 45 calendar days of receiving a 

23 copy of the results of such examination, provide 

24 the Assistant Administrator with a plan of acVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:40 Jan 22, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6441.IH H6441

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
16 

•HR 6441 IH

1 tion, including specific milestones, for cor2 recting such problems. 

3 ‘‘(B) PLAN OF ACTION REVIEW BY THE AS4 SISTANT ADMINISTRATOR.—The Assistant Ad5 ministrator shall review each plan of action sub6 mitted under subparagraph (A) within 30 cal7 endar days of receiving such plan. If the Assist8 ant Administrator determines that such plan— 

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

10 compliance with all the terms of a coopera11 tive agreement described in subsection (b), 

12 the Assistant Administrator shall approve 

13 such plan; or 

14 ‘‘(ii) is inadequate to remedy the 

15 problems identified in the annual examina16 tion to which the plan of action relates, the 

17 Assistant Administrator shall set forth 

18 such reasons in writing and provide such 

19 determination to the eligible entity within 

20 15 calendar days of such determination. 

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

22 An eligible entity receiving a determination 

23 under subparagraph (B)(ii) shall have 30 cal24 endar days from the receipt of the determina25 tion to amend the plan of action to satisfy the 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
17 

•HR 6441 IH

1 problems identified by the Assistant Adminis2 trator and resubmit such plan to the Assistant 

3 Administrator. 

4 ‘‘(D) AMENDED PLAN REVIEW BY THE AS5 SISTANT ADMINISTRATOR.—Within 15 calendar 

6 days of the receipt of an amended plan of ac7 tion under subparagraph (C), the Assistant Ad8 ministrator shall either approve or reject such 

9 plan and provide such approval or rejection in 

10 writing to the eligible entity. 

11 ‘‘(E) APPEAL OF ASSISTANT ADMINIS12 TRATOR DETERMINATION.— 

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

14 Administrator rejects an amended plan 

15 under subparagraph (D), the eligible entity 

16 shall have the opportunity to appeal such 

17 decision to the Administrator, who may 

18 delegate such appeal to an appropriate of19 ficer of the Administration. 

20 ‘‘(ii) OPPORTUNITY FOR EXPLA21 NATION.—Any appeal described under 

22 clause (i) shall provide an opportunity for 

23 the eligible entity to provide, in writing, an 

24 explanation of why the eligible entity’s 

25 amended plan remedies the problems idenVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:40 Jan 22, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6441.IH H6441

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
18 

•HR 6441 IH

1 tified in the annual examination conducted 

2 under paragraph (2)(B). 

3 ‘‘(iii) NOTICE OF DETERMINATION.— 

4 The Administrator shall provide to the eli5 gible entity a determination of the appeal, 

6 in writing, not later than 15 calendar days 

7 after the eligible entity files an appeal 

8 under this subparagraph. 

9 ‘‘(iv) EFFECT OF FAILURE TO ACT.— 

10 If the Administrator fails to act on an ap11 peal made under this subparagraph within 

12 the 15-day period specified under clause 

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

14 action submitted under subparagraph (C) 

15 shall be deemed to be approved. 

16 ‘‘(4) TERMINATION OF GRANT.— 

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

18 shall terminate a grant to an eligible entity 

19 under this section if the eligible entity fails to 

20 comply with— 

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

22 Assistant Administrator under paragraph 

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

24 ‘‘(ii) an amended plan of action ap25 proved by the Assistant Administrator 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
19 

•HR 6441 IH

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

2 appeal under paragraph (3)(E). 

3 ‘‘(B) APPEAL OF TERMINATION.—An eligi4 ble entity shall have the opportunity to chal5 lenge the termination of a grant under subpara6 graph (A) on the record and after an oppor7 tunity for a hearing. 

8 ‘‘(C) FINAL AGENCY ACTION.—A deter9 mination made pursuant to subparagraph (B) 

10 shall be considered final agency action for the 

11 purposes of chapter 7 of title 5, United States 

12 Code. 

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

14 BUSINESS CENTER ASSOCIATION.—If on the date of 

15 the enactment of this subsection, a majority of wom16 en’s business centers that are operating pursuant to 

17 agreements with the Administration are members of 

18 an individual Women’s Business Center Association, 

19 the Administrator shall— 

20 ‘‘(A) recognize the existence and activities 

21 of such Association; and 

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

23 negotiate with the Association in the develop24 ment of documents with respect to— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
20 

•HR 6441 IH

1 ‘‘(i) announcing the annual scope of 

2 activities pursuant to this section; 

3 ‘‘(ii) requesting proposals to deliver 

4 assistance as provided in this section; and 

5 ‘‘(iii) governing the general operations 

6 and administration of women’s business 

7 centers, specifically including the develop8 ment of regulations and a uniform nego9 tiated cooperative agreement for use on an 

10 annual basis when entering into individual 

11 cooperative agreements with women’s busi12 ness centers. 

13 ‘‘(6) ENFORCEMENT.— 

14 ‘‘(A) GRANTS.—The Assistant Adminis15 trator shall develop policies and procedures to 

16 minimize the possibility of awarding a grant to 

17 an eligible entity that will operate a women’s 

18 business center that likely will not remain in 

19 compliance with program and financial require20 ments. 

21 ‘‘(B) INDIVIDUAL COOPERATIVE AGREE22 MENTS.—The Assistant Administrator shall en23 force the terms of any individual cooperative 

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

25 ‘‘(g) PROGRAM EXAMINATION.— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
21 

•HR 6441 IH

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

2 ‘‘(A) develop and implement an annual 

3 programmatic and financial examination of 

4 each eligible entity receiving a grant under this 

5 section, under which each such eligible entity 

6 shall provide to the Administration— 

7 ‘‘(i) an itemized cost breakdown of ac8 tual expenditures for costs incurred during 

9 the preceding year; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) documentation regarding the 

11 amount of matching assistance from non12 Federal sources obtained and expended by 

13 the eligible entity during the preceding 

14 year in order to meet the requirements of 

15 subsection (e) and, with respect to any in16 kind contributions described in subsection 

17 (e)(2) that were used to satisfy the re18 quirements of subsection (e), verification of 

19 the existence and valuation of those con20 tributions; and 

21 ‘‘(B) analyze the results of each such ex22 amination and, based on that analysis, make a 

23 determination regarding the programmatic and 

24 financial viability of each women’s business cen25 ter operated by the eligible entity. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
22 

•HR 6441 IH

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

2 In determining whether to award a continuation 

3 grant to an eligible entity, the Administrator— 

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

5 recent examination of the eligible entity under 

6 paragraph (1); 

7 ‘‘(B) shall determine if— 

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

9 provide, or provided inadequate, informa10 tion under paragraph (1)(A); or 

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

12 provide any information required to be pro13 vided by a women’s business center for 

14 purposes of the management report under 

15 subsection (m)(1), or the information pro16 vided by the center is inadequate; and 

17 ‘‘(C) shall consider the accreditation status 

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

19 ‘‘(3) ADDITIONAL OVERSIGHT.—The Assistant 

20 Administrator shall work with the Women’s Busi21 ness Center Association recognized under subsection 

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

23 maintain policies and procedures for conducting fi24 nancial examinations under this subsection and to 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
23 

•HR 6441 IH

1 maintain internal controls that ensure that such fi2 nancial examinations are conducted properly. 

3 ‘‘(h) NOTICE AND COMMENT REQUIRED.—The Ad4 ministrator may only make a change to the standards by 

5 which an eligible entity obtains or maintains grants under 

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

7 requirement for the operation of a women’s business cen8 ter if the Administrator first provides notice and the op9 portunity for public comment, as set forth in section 

10 553(b) of title 5, United States Code, without regard to 

11 any exceptions provided for under such section. 

12 ‘‘(i) CONTRACT AUTHORITY.— 

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

14 receives a grant under this section may enter into a 

15 contract with a Federal department or agency to 

16 provide specific assistance to small business concerns 

17 owned and controlled by women and other under18 served small business concerns, if performance of 

19 such a contract does not hinder the ability of the eli20 gible entity to carry out the terms of a grant re21 ceived under this section. 

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

23 Administrator to enter into contracts shall be in ef24 fect for each fiscal year only to the extent and in the 

25 amounts as are provided in advance in appropriaVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:44 Jan 25, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6441.IH H6441

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
24 

•HR 6441 IH

1 tions Acts. After the Administrator has entered into 

2 a contract, either as a grant or a cooperative agree3 ment, with any applicant under this section, the Ad4 ministrator shall not suspend, terminate, or fail to 

5 renew or extend any such contract unless the Ad6 ministrator provides the applicant with written noti7 fication setting forth the reasons therefore and af8 fords the applicant an opportunity for a hearing, ap9 peal, or other administrative proceeding under chap10 ter 5 of title 5, United States Code. 

11 ‘‘(j) PRIVACY REQUIREMENTS.— 

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

13 may not disclose the name, address, or telephone 

14 number of any individual or small business concern 

15 receiving assistance under this section without the 

16 consent of such individual or small business concern, 

17 unless— 

18 ‘‘(A) the Administrator orders such disclo19 sure after the Administrator is ordered to make 

20 such a disclosure by a court in any civil or 

21 criminal enforcement action initiated by a Fed22 eral or State agency; or 

23 ‘‘(B) the Administrator considers such a 

24 disclosure to be necessary for the purpose of 

25 conducting a financial audit of a women’s busiVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:40 Jan 22, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6441.IH H6441

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
25 

•HR 6441 IH

1 ness center, except that such a disclosure shall 

2 be limited to the information necessary for such 

3 audit. 

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

5 This subsection shall not— 

6 ‘‘(A) restrict Administration access to 

7 women’s business center data; or 

8 ‘‘(B) prevent the Administration from 

9 using information about individuals who use 

10 women’s business centers to conduct surveys of 

11 such individuals. 

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

13 issue regulations to establish standards for disclo14 sures for purposes of a financial audit described 

15 under paragraph (1)(B). 

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

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

18 within the Administration an Office of Women’s 

19 Business Ownership, which shall be responsible for 

20 the administration of the Administration’s programs 

21 for the development of women’s business enterprises 

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

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

24 Business Ownership shall be administered by an AsVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:40 Jan 22, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6441.IH H6441

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
26 

•HR 6441 IH

1 sistant Administrator, who shall be appointed by the 

2 Administrator. 

3 ‘‘(2) ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR OF THE OF4 FICE OF WOMEN’S BUSINESS OWNERSHIP.— 

5 ‘‘(A) QUALIFICATION.—The position of As6 sistant Administrator shall be a Senior Execu7 tive Service position under section 3132(a)(2) 

8 of title 5, United States Code. The Assistant 

9 Administrator shall serve as a noncareer ap10 pointee (as defined in section 3132(a)(7) of 

11 that title). 

12 ‘‘(B) DUTIES.—The Assistant Adminis13 trator shall administer the programs and serv14 ices of the Office of Women’s Business Owner15 ship and perform the following functions: 

16 ‘‘(i) Recommend the annual adminis17 trative and program budgets of the Office 

18 and eligible entities receiving a grant 

19 under the Women’s Business Center Pro20 gram. 

21 ‘‘(ii) Review the annual budgets sub22 mitted by each eligible entity receiving a 

23 grant under the Women’s Business Center 

24 Program. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
27 

•HR 6441 IH

1 ‘‘(iii) Collaborate with other Federal 

2 departments and agencies, State and local 

3 governments, not-for-profit organizations, 

4 and for-profit organizations to maximize 

5 utilization of taxpayer dollars and reduce 

6 (or eliminate) any duplication among the 

7 programs overseen by the Office of Wom8 en’s Business Ownership and those of 

9 other entities that provide similar services 

10 to women entrepreneurs. 

11 ‘‘(iv) Maintain a clearinghouse to pro12 vide for the dissemination and exchange of 

13 information between women’s business cen14 ters. 

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

16 the Interagency Committee on Women’s 

17 Business Enterprise and as the liaison for 

18 the National Women’s Business Council. 

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

20 Women’s Business Ownership shall be to assist 

21 women entrepreneurs to start, grow, and compete in 

22 global markets by providing quality support with ac23 cess to capital, access to markets, job creation, 

24 growth, and counseling by— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
28 

•HR 6441 IH

1 ‘‘(A) fostering participation of women en2 trepreneurs in the economy by overseeing a net3 work of women’s business centers throughout 

4 States and territories; 

5 ‘‘(B) creating public-private partnerships 

6 to support women entrepreneurs and conduct 

7 outreach and education to small business con8 cerns owned and controlled by women; and 

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

10 Administrator to— 

11 ‘‘(i) ensure women are well-rep12 resented in those programs and being 

13 served by those programs; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) identify gaps where participation 

15 by women in those programs could be in16 creased. 

17 ‘‘(4) ACCREDITATION PROGRAM.— 

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

19 270 days after the date of enactment of this 

20 paragraph, the Administrator shall publish 

21 standards for a program to accredit eligible en22 tities that receive a grant under this section. 

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

24 Before publishing the standards under subpara25 graph (A), the Administrator— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
29 

•HR 6441 IH

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) CONTINUATION GRANT CONSIDER15 ATIONS.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In determining wheth17 er to award a continuation grant under this sec18 tion, the Administrator shall consider the re19 sults of the annual programmatic and financial 

20 examination conducted under subsection (g) 

21 and the accreditation program. 

22 ‘‘(B) ACCREDITATION REQUIREMENT.— 

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

24 the date of enactment of this subsection, the 

25 Administration may not award a continuation 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
30 

•HR 6441 IH

1 grant under this section unless the applicable 

2 eligible entity has been approved under the ac3 creditation program conducted pursuant to this 

4 subsection, except that the Assistant Adminis5 trator for the Office of Women’s Business Own6 ership may waive such accreditation require7 ment, in the discretion of the Assistant Admin8 istrator, upon a showing that the eligible entity 

9 is making a good faith effort to obtain accredi10 tation. 

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

12 business center shall participate in annual profes13 sional development at an annual conference facili14 tated by a Women’s Business Center Association. 

15 ‘‘(l) NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE

16 WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM.—The Adminis17 trator shall provide the following: 

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

19 to be awarded grants under this section, to include 

20 the selection criteria under subsection (d) and any 

21 applicable regulations. 

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

23 section that failed to obtain such a grant, an oppor24 tunity to debrief with the Administrator to review 

25 the reasons for the applicant’s failure. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
31 

•HR 6441 IH

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

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

3 the eligible entity is carried out by an officer or em4 ployee of the Administration (other than the Inspec5 tor General), a copy of the site visit report or eval6 uation, as applicable, within 30 calendar days of the 

7 completion of such visit or evaluation. 

8 ‘‘(m) ANNUAL MANAGEMENT REPORT.— 

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

10 prepare and submit to the Committee on Small 

11 Business of the House of Representatives and the 

12 Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship 

13 of the Senate an annual report on the effectiveness 

14 of women’s business centers operated through a 

15 grant awarded under this section. 

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

17 paragraph (1) shall include— 

18 ‘‘(A) information concerning, with respect 

19 to each women’s business center established 

20 pursuant to a grant awarded under this section, 

21 the most recent analysis of the annual pro22 grammatic and financial examination of the ap23 plicable eligible entity, as required under sub24 section (g)(1)(B), and the subsequent deterVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:40 Jan 22, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6441.IH H6441

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
32 

•HR 6441 IH

1 mination made by the Administration under 

2 that subsection; 

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

4 trained through the Women’s Business Center 

5 Program; 

6 ‘‘(C) the total number of hours of coun7 seling and training through the Program; 

8 ‘‘(D) the demographics of Program partici9 pants to include gender, race, and age of each 

10 such participant; 

11 ‘‘(E) the number of Program participants 

12 who are veterans; 

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

14 by participants in the Program; 

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

16 of jobs supported, created or retained with as17 sistance from women’s business centers; 

18 ‘‘(H) the amount of capital secured by par19 ticipants in the Program, including through 

20 loans and equity investment; 

21 ‘‘(I) the number of participants in the Pro22 gram receiving financial assistance, including 

23 the type and dollar amount, under the loan pro24 grams of the Administration; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
33 

•HR 6441 IH

1 ‘‘(J) an estimate of gross receipts, includ2 ing to the extent practicable a description of 

3 any change in revenue of small business con4 cerns assisted through the Program; 

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

6 increases or decreases in revenues for the as7 sisted small business concerns; 

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

9 resources and programs of the Administration; 

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

11 participants, including a summary of any com12 ments received from such participants; and 

13 ‘‘(N) any recommendations by the Admin14 istrator to improve the delivery of services by 

15 women’s business centers. 

16 ‘‘(n) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

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

18 appropriated to the Administration to carry out this 

19 section, to remain available until expended, 

20 $31,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 

21 2025. 

22 ‘‘(2) USE OF AMOUNTS.— 

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

24 subparagraph (B), amounts made available 

25 under this subsection for fiscal year 2022, and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
34 

•HR 6441 IH

1 each fiscal year thereafter, may only be used for 

2 grant awards and may not be used for costs in3 curred by the Administration in connection with 

4 the management and administration of the pro5 gram under this section. 

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

7 available under this subsection for a fiscal year, 

8 the following amounts shall be available for 

9 costs incurred by the Administration in connec10 tion with the management and administration 

11 of the program under this section: 

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

13 after the date of the enactment of this sub14 paragraph, 2.65 percent. 

15 ‘‘(ii) For the second fiscal year begin16 ning after the date of the enactment of 

17 this subparagraph and each fiscal year 

18 thereafter through fiscal year 2025, 2.5 

19 percent. 

20 ‘‘(3) EXPEDITED ACQUISITION.—Notwith21 standing any other provision of law, the Adminis22 trator may use such expedited acquisition methods 

23 as the Administrator determines to be appropriate to 

24 carry out this section, except that the Administrator 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
35 

•HR 6441 IH

1 shall ensure that all small business sources are pro2 vided a reasonable opportunity to submit proposals. 

3 ‘‘(4) ACCREDITATION AND ANNUAL CON4 FERENCE.—Not less than $500,000 of the amounts 

5 appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) for a fiscal 

6 year shall be available for purposes of carrying out 

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

8 be available to support an annual conference de9 scribed under subsection (k)(6).’’. 

10 SEC. 3. EFFECT ON EXISTING GRANTS. 

11 (a) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—A nonprofit organiza12 tion receiving a grant under section 29(m) of the Small 

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

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

15 to receive the grant under the terms and conditions in ef16 fect for the grant on the day before the date of enactment 

17 of this Act, except that the nonprofit organization may 

18 not apply for a continuation of the grant under section 

19 29(m)(5) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

20 656(m)(5)), as in effect on the day before the date of en21 actment of this Act. 

22 (b) LENGTH OF CONTINUATION GRANT.—The Ad23 ministrator of the Small Business Administration may 

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

25 as amended by this Act, to a nonprofit organization receivVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:40 Jan 22, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6441.IH H6441

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
36 

•HR 6441 IH

1 ing a grant under section 29(m) of the Small Business 

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

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

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

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

6 (2) ending at the end of the third fiscal year be7 ginning after the date of enactment of this Act. 

8 SEC. 4. REGULATIONS. 

9 Not later than 270 days after the date of the enact10 ment of this Act, the Administrator of Small Business Ad11 ministration shall issue such rules as are necessary to 

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

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

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

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS