IIB 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6441 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 27, 2022 

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

Entrepreneurship 

AN ACT 

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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

3 Centers Improvement Act of 2022’’. 

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

5 PROGRAM. 

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

7 is amended to read as follows: 

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

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

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

11 ‘Assistant Administrator’ means the Assistant Ad12 ministrator of the Office of Women’s Business Own13 ership established under subsection (k). 

14 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en15 tity’ means— 

16 ‘‘(A) an organization described in section 

17 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 

18 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) 

19 of such Code; 

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

21 development organization, if the organization 

22 certifies that grant funds received under this 

23 section will not be commingled with other 

24 funds; 

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

26 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 


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1 Act of 1965), unless such institution is cur2 rently receiving a grant under section 21; 

3 ‘‘(D) a development, credit, or finance cor4 poration chartered by a State, if such corpora5 tion certifies that grant funds received under 

6 this section will not be commingled with other 

7 funds; or 

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

9 subparagraphs (A) through (D). 

10 ‘‘(3) SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN OWNED AND

11 CONTROLLED BY WOMEN.—The term ‘small business 

12 concern owned and controlled by women’ has the 

13 meaning given under section 3(n). 

14 ‘‘(4) RESOURCE PARTNERS.—The term ‘re15 source partners’ means small business development 

16 centers, chapters of the Service Corps of Retired Ex17 ecutives (established under section 8(b)(1)(B)), and 

18 Veteran Business Outreach Centers (described under 

19 section 32). 

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

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

22 which counseling and training on the management, 

23 operations (including manufacturing, services, and 

24 retail), access to capital, international trade, govern25 ment procurement opportunities, and any other matVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Apr 28, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6441.RFS H6441

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1 ter that is needed to start, maintain, or expand a 

2 small business concern owned and controlled by 

3 women. 

4 ‘‘(6) WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER ASSOCIA5 TION.—The term ‘Women’s Business Center Asso6 ciation’ means a membership organization formed by 

7 women’s business centers to pursue matters of com8 mon concern. 

9 ‘‘(b) AUTHORITY.— 

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

11 Women’s Business Center Program under which the 

12 Administrator may enter into a cooperative agree13 ment with an eligible entity to provide a grant to 

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

15 business centers for the benefit of small business 

16 concerns owned and controlled by women. 

17 ‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—A women’s business cen18 ter established using funds made available under 

19 this section shall be designed to provide entrepre20 neurial counseling and training that meets the needs 

21 of the small business concerns owned and controlled 

22 by women, especially such concerns owned and con23 trolled by women who are both socially and economi24 cally disadvantaged (as defined under section 8(a)), 

25 and shall provide— 


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1 ‘‘(A) financial assistance, including coun2 seling and training on how to— 

3 ‘‘(i) apply for and secure business 

4 credit and investment capital; 

5 ‘‘(ii) prepare and present financial 

6 statements; and 

7 ‘‘(iii) manage cash flow and other fi8 nancial operations of a small business con9 cern; 

10 ‘‘(B) management assistance, including 

11 counseling and training on how to plan, orga12 nize, staff, direct, and control each major activ13 ity and function of a small business concern; 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(C) marketing assistance, including coun16 seling and training on how to— 

17 ‘‘(i) identify and segment domestic 

18 and international market opportunities; 

19 ‘‘(ii) prepare and execute marketing 

20 plans; 

21 ‘‘(iii) develop pricing strategies; 

22 ‘‘(iv) locate contract opportunities; 

23 ‘‘(v) negotiate contracts; and 

24 ‘‘(vi) use various public relations and 

25 advertising techniques. 


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1 ‘‘(3) TYPES OF GRANTS.— 

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

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

4 provided under this subsection to an eligible en5 tity shall be not more than $300,000 annually 

6 (as such amount is annually adjusted by the 

7 Administrator to reflect the change in infla8 tion). 

9 ‘‘(B) CONTINUATION GRANTS.—The Ad10 ministrator may award a continuation grant, 

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

12 than $300,000 annually (as such amount is an13 nually adjusted by the Administrator to reflect 

14 the change in inflation) to an eligible entity 

15 that received an initial grant under subpara16 graph (A). There shall be no limitation on the 

17 number of continuation grants an eligible entity 

18 may receive under this section. 

19 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.— 

20 ‘‘(1) INITIAL GRANTS AND CONTINUATION

21 GRANTS.—To receive an initial grant or continuation 

22 grant under this section, an eligible entity shall sub23 mit an application to the Administrator in such 

24 form, in such manner, and containing such informa25 tion as the Administrator may require, including— 


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1 ‘‘(A) a certification that the eligible enti2 ty— 

3 ‘‘(i) has designated an executive direc4 tor or program manager, who may be com5 pensated using grant funds awarded under 

6 this section or other sources, to manage 

7 each women’s business center for which a 

8 grant under subsection (b) is sought; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) meets accounting and reporting 

10 requirements established by the Director of 

11 the Office of Management and Budget; 

12 ‘‘(B) information demonstrating the expe13 rience and effectiveness of the eligible entity 

14 in— 

15 ‘‘(i) providing entrepreneurial coun16 seling and training described under sub17 section (b)(2); 

18 ‘‘(ii) providing training and services to 

19 a representative number of women who are 

20 both socially and economically disadvan21 taged; and 

22 ‘‘(iii) working with resource partners, 

23 offices of the Administration, and other 

24 public and private entities engaging in enVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Apr 28, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6441.RFS H6441

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1 trepreneurial and small business develop2 ment; and 

3 ‘‘(C) a 5-year plan that— 

4 ‘‘(i) includes information relating to 

5 the assistance to be provided by each wom6 en’s business center in the area in which 

7 each such center is located; 

8 ‘‘(ii) describes the ability of the eligi9 ble entity to meet the needs of the market 

10 to be served by each women’s business cen11 ter; 

12 ‘‘(iii) describes the ability of the eligi13 ble entity to obtain the matching funds re14 quired under subsection (e); and 

15 ‘‘(iv) describes the ability of the eligi16 ble entity to provide entrepreneurial coun17 seling and training described under sub18 section (b)(2), including to a representative 

19 number of women who are both socially 

20 and economically 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 counseling and 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 matching funds under subsection (e), for 

22 a 5-year period; 

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

24 business center to be operated by the applicant 

25 and the location’s proximity to Veteran BusiVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Apr 28, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6441.RFS H6441

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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 every 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 matching funds described under paragraph 

15 (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 

25 determination, including the reasons for such deterVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Apr 28, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6441.RFS H6441

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1 mination, of whether the Administrator believes that 

2 the eligible entity will be able to obtain the requisite 

3 matching funding under paragraph (1) for such con4 tinuation 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 matching 

10 funds under paragraph (1) for a grant awarded 

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

12 year term of the grant. 

13 ‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining 

14 whether to issue a waiver under this paragraph, 

15 the Administrator shall consider— 

16 ‘‘(i) the economic conditions affecting 

17 the eligible entity; 

18 ‘‘(ii) the demonstrated ability of the 

19 eligible entity to raise non-Federal funds; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(iii) the performance of the eligible 

22 entity under the initial grant. 

23 ‘‘(C) LIMITATION.—The Administrator 

24 may not issue a waiver under this paragraph if 

25 the Administrator determines that granting the 


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1 waiver would undermine the credibility of the 

2 Women’s Business Center Program. 

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

4 amount of non-Federal dollars obtained by an eligi5 ble entity that is greater than the amount that is re6 quired to be obtained by the eligible entity under 

7 this subsection shall not be subject to the require8 ments of part 200 of title 2, Code of Federal Regu9 lations, or any successor thereto, if such amount of 

10 non-Federal dollars— 

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

12 purposes of implementing the Women’s Busi13 ness Center Program; and 

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

15 granted under the Women’s Business Center 

16 Program. 

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

18 excess non-Federal dollars described in paragraph 

19 (7) to satisfy the matching funds requirement under 

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

21 if applicable, except that such amounts shall be sub22 ject to the requirements of part 200 of title 2, Code 

23 of Federal Regulations, or any successor thereto. 

24 ‘‘(f) OTHER REQUIREMENTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) SEPARATION OF FUNDS.—An eligible enti2 ty shall— 

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

4 under this section separately from other 

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

6 ‘‘(B) separately maintain and account for 

7 any grant funds received under this section. 

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

9 ‘‘(A) REQUIRED SITE VISIT.—Before re10 ceiving an initial grant under this section, each 

11 applicant shall have a site visit by an employee 

12 of the Administration, in order to ensure that 

13 the applicant has sufficient resources to provide 

14 the services for which the grant is being pro15 vided. 

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

17 the Administration shall— 

18 ‘‘(i) conduct an annual programmatic 

19 and financial examination of each eligible 

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

21 ‘‘(ii) provide the results of such exam22 ination to the eligible entity. 

23 ‘‘(3) REMEDIATION OF PROBLEMS.— 

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

25 of an eligible entity conducted under paragraph 


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1 (2)(B) identifies any problems, the eligible enti2 ty shall, within 45 calendar days of receiving a 

3 copy of the results of such examination, provide 

4 the Assistant Administrator with a plan of ac5 tion, including specific milestones, for cor6 recting such problems. 

7 ‘‘(B) PLAN OF ACTION REVIEW BY THE AS8 SISTANT ADMINISTRATOR.—The Assistant Ad9 ministrator shall review each plan of action sub10 mitted under subparagraph (A) within 30 cal11 endar days of receiving such plan. If the Assist12 ant Administrator determines that such plan— 

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

14 compliance with all the terms of a coopera15 tive agreement described in subsection (b), 

16 the Assistant Administrator shall approve 

17 such plan; or 

18 ‘‘(ii) is inadequate to remedy the 

19 problems identified in the annual examina20 tion to which the plan of action relates, the 

21 Assistant Administrator shall set forth 

22 such reasons in writing and provide such 

23 determination to the eligible entity within 

24 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 on the date of 

22 the enactment of this subsection, a majority of wom23 en’s business centers that are operating pursuant to 

24 agreements with the Administration are members of 


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1 an individual Women’s Business Center Association, 

2 the Administrator shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) recognize the existence and activities 

4 of such Association; and 

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

6 negotiate with the Association in the develop7 ment of documents with respect to— 

8 ‘‘(i) announcing the annual scope of 

9 activities pursuant to this section; 

10 ‘‘(ii) requesting proposals to deliver 

11 assistance as provided in this section; and 

12 ‘‘(iii) governing the general operations 

13 and administration of women’s business 

14 centers, specifically including the develop15 ment of regulations and a uniform nego16 tiated cooperative agreement for use on an 

17 annual basis when entering into individual 

18 cooperative agreements with women’s busi19 ness centers. 

20 ‘‘(6) ENFORCEMENT.— 

21 ‘‘(A) GRANTS.—The Assistant Adminis22 trator shall develop policies and procedures to 

23 minimize the possibility of awarding a grant to 

24 an eligible entity that will operate a women’s 

25 business center that likely will not remain in 


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1 compliance with program and financial require2 ments. 

3 ‘‘(B) INDIVIDUAL COOPERATIVE AGREE4 MENTS.—The Assistant Administrator shall en5 force the terms of any individual cooperative 

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

7 ‘‘(g) PROGRAM EXAMINATION.— 

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

9 ‘‘(A) develop and implement an annual 

10 programmatic and financial examination of 

11 each eligible entity receiving a grant under this 

12 section, under which each such eligible entity 

13 shall provide to the Administration— 

14 ‘‘(i) an itemized cost breakdown of ac15 tual expenditures for costs incurred during 

16 the preceding year; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) documentation regarding the 

18 amount of matching assistance from non19 Federal sources obtained and expended by 

20 the eligible entity during the preceding 

21 year in order to meet the requirements of 

22 subsection (e) and, with respect to any in23 kind contributions described in subsection 

24 (e)(2) that were used to satisfy the re25 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 by a women’s business center for 

21 purposes of the management report under 

22 subsection (m)(1), or the information pro23 vided by the center is inadequate; and 

24 ‘‘(C) shall consider the accreditation status 

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


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

2 Administrator shall work with the Women’s Busi3 ness Center Association recognized under subsection 

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

5 maintain policies and procedures for conducting fi6 nancial examinations under this subsection and to 

7 maintain internal controls that ensure that such fi8 nancial examinations are conducted properly. 

9 ‘‘(h) NOTICE AND COMMENT REQUIRED.—The Ad10 ministrator may only make a change to the standards by 

11 which an eligible entity obtains or maintains grants under 

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

13 requirement for the operation of a women’s business cen14 ter if the Administrator first provides notice and the op15 portunity for public comment, as set forth in section 

16 553(b) of title 5, United States Code, without regard to 

17 any exceptions provided for under such section. 

18 ‘‘(i) CONTRACT AUTHORITY.— 

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

20 receives a grant under this section may enter into a 

21 contract with a Federal department or agency to 

22 provide specific assistance to small business concerns 

23 owned and controlled by women and other under24 served small business concerns, if performance of 

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1 gible entity to carry out the terms of a grant re2 ceived under this section. 

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

4 Administrator to enter into contracts shall be in ef5 fect for each fiscal year only to the extent and in the 

6 amounts as are provided in advance in appropria7 tions Acts. After the Administrator has entered into 

8 a contract, either as a grant or a cooperative agree9 ment, with any applicant under this section, the Ad10 ministrator shall not suspend, terminate, or fail to 

11 renew or extend any such contract unless the Ad12 ministrator provides the applicant with written noti13 fication setting forth the reasons therefore and af14 fords the applicant an opportunity for a hearing, ap15 peal, or other administrative proceeding under chap16 ter 5 of title 5, United States Code. 

17 ‘‘(j) PRIVACY REQUIREMENTS.— 

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

19 may not disclose the name, address, or telephone 

20 number of any individual or small business concern 

21 receiving assistance under this section without the 

22 consent of such individual or small business concern, 

23 unless— 

24 ‘‘(A) the Administrator orders such disclo25 sure after the Administrator is ordered to make 


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1 such a disclosure by a court in any civil or 

2 criminal enforcement action initiated by a Fed3 eral or State agency; or 

4 ‘‘(B) the Administrator considers such a 

5 disclosure to be necessary for the purpose of 

6 conducting a financial audit of a women’s busi7 ness center, except that such a disclosure shall 

8 be limited to the information necessary for such 

9 audit. 

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

11 This subsection shall not— 

12 ‘‘(A) restrict Administration access to 

13 women’s business center data; or 

14 ‘‘(B) prevent the Administration from 

15 using information about individuals who use 

16 women’s business centers to conduct surveys of 

17 such individuals. 

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

19 issue regulations to establish standards for disclo20 sures for purposes of a financial audit described 

21 under paragraph (1)(B). 

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

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

24 within the Administration an Office of Women’s 

25 Business Ownership, which shall be responsible for 


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1 the administration of the Administration’s programs 

2 for the development of women’s business enterprises 

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

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

5 Business Ownership shall be administered by an As6 sistant Administrator, who shall be appointed by the 

7 Administrator. 

8 ‘‘(2) ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR OF THE OF9 FICE OF WOMEN’S BUSINESS OWNERSHIP.— 

10 ‘‘(A) QUALIFICATION.—The position of As11 sistant Administrator shall be a Senior Execu12 tive Service position under section 3132(a)(2) 

13 of title 5, United States Code. The Assistant 

14 Administrator shall serve as a noncareer ap15 pointee (as defined in section 3132(a)(7) of 

16 that title). 

17 ‘‘(B) DUTIES.—The Assistant Adminis18 trator shall administer the programs and serv19 ices of the Office of Women’s Business Owner20 ship and perform the following functions: 

21 ‘‘(i) Recommend the annual adminis22 trative and program budgets of the Office 

23 and eligible entities receiving a grant 

24 under the Women’s Business Center Pro25 gram. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) Review the annual budgets sub2 mitted by each eligible entity receiving a 

3 grant under the Women’s Business Center 

4 Program. 

5 ‘‘(iii) Collaborate with other Federal 

6 departments and agencies, State and local 

7 governments, not-for-profit organizations, 

8 and for-profit organizations to maximize 

9 utilization of taxpayer dollars and reduce 

10 (or eliminate) any duplication among the 

11 programs overseen by the Office of Wom12 en’s Business Ownership and those of 

13 other entities that provide similar services 

14 to women entrepreneurs. 

15 ‘‘(iv) Maintain a clearinghouse to pro16 vide for the dissemination and exchange of 

17 information between women’s business cen18 ters. 

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

20 the Interagency Committee on Women’s 

21 Business Enterprise and as the liaison for 

22 the National Women’s Business Council. 

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

24 Women’s Business Ownership shall be to assist 

25 women entrepreneurs to start, grow, and compete in 


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1 global markets by providing quality support with ac2 cess to capital, access to markets, job creation, 

3 growth, and counseling by— 

4 ‘‘(A) fostering participation of women en5 trepreneurs in the economy by overseeing a net6 work of women’s business centers throughout 

7 States and territories; 

8 ‘‘(B) creating public-private partnerships 

9 to support women entrepreneurs and conduct 

10 outreach and education to small business con11 cerns owned and controlled by women; and 

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

13 Administrator to— 

14 ‘‘(i) ensure women are well-rep15 resented in those programs and being 

16 served by those programs; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) identify gaps where participation 

18 by women in those programs could be in19 creased. 

20 ‘‘(4) ACCREDITATION PROGRAM.— 

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

22 270 days after the date of enactment of this 

23 paragraph, the Administrator shall publish 

24 standards for a program to accredit eligible en25 tities that receive a grant under this section. 


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1 ‘‘(B) PUBLIC COMMENT; TRANSITION.— 

2 Before publishing the standards under subpara3 graph (A), the Administrator— 

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

5 than 60 days for public comment on such 

6 standards; and 

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

8 this section absent evidence of fraud or 

9 other criminal misconduct by the recipient. 

10 ‘‘(C) CONTRACTING AUTHORITY.—The Ad11 ministrator may provide financial support, by 

12 contract or otherwise, to a Women’s Business 

13 Center Association to provide assistance in es14 tablishing the standards required under sub15 paragraph (A) or for carrying out an accredita16 tion program pursuant to such standards. 

17 ‘‘(5) CONTINUATION GRANT CONSIDER18 ATIONS.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In determining wheth20 er to award a continuation grant under this sec21 tion, the Administrator shall consider the re22 sults of the annual programmatic and financial 

23 examination conducted under subsection (g) 

24 and the accreditation program. 


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1 ‘‘(B) ACCREDITATION REQUIREMENT.— 

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

3 the date of enactment of this subsection, the 

4 Administration may not award a continuation 

5 grant under this section unless the applicable 

6 eligible entity has been approved under the ac7 creditation program conducted pursuant to this 

8 subsection, except that the Assistant Adminis9 trator for the Office of Women’s Business Own10 ership may waive such accreditation require11 ment, in the discretion of the Assistant Admin12 istrator, upon a showing that the eligible entity 

13 is making a good faith effort to obtain accredi14 tation. 

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

16 business center shall participate in annual profes17 sional development at an annual conference facili18 tated by a 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 to be awarded grants under this section, to include 

24 the selection criteria under subsection (d) and any 

25 applicable regulations. 


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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 or review of 

7 the eligible entity is carried out by an officer or em8 ployee of the Administration (other than the Inspec9 tor General), a copy of the site visit report or eval10 uation, as applicable, within 30 calendar days of the 

11 completion of such visit or evaluation. 

12 ‘‘(m) ANNUAL MANAGEMENT REPORT.— 

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

14 prepare and submit to the Committee on Small 

15 Business of the House of Representatives and the 

16 Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship 

17 of the Senate an annual report on the effectiveness 

18 of women’s business centers operated through a 

19 grant awarded under this section. 

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

21 paragraph (1) shall include— 

22 ‘‘(A) information concerning, with respect 

23 to each women’s business center established 

24 pursuant to a grant awarded under this section, 

25 the most recent analysis of the annual proVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Apr 28, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6441.RFS H6441

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1 grammatic and financial examination of the ap2 plicable eligible entity, as required under sub3 section (g)(1)(B), and the subsequent deter4 mination made by the Administration under 

5 that subsection; 

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

7 trained through the Women’s Business Center 

8 Program; 

9 ‘‘(C) the total number of hours of coun10 seling and training through the Program; 

11 ‘‘(D) the demographics of Program partici12 pants to include gender, race, and age of each 

13 such participant; 

14 ‘‘(E) the number of Program participants 

15 who are veterans; 

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

17 by participants in the Program; 

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

19 of jobs supported, created or retained with as20 sistance from women’s business centers; 

21 ‘‘(H) the amount of capital secured by par22 ticipants in the Program, including through 

23 loans and equity investment; 

24 ‘‘(I) the number of participants in the Pro25 gram receiving financial assistance, including 


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1 the type and dollar amount, under the loan pro2 grams of the Administration; 

3 ‘‘(J) an estimate of gross receipts, includ4 ing to the extent practicable a description of 

5 any change in revenue of small business con6 cerns assisted through the Program; 

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

8 increases or decreases in revenues for the as9 sisted small business concerns; 

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

11 resources and programs of the Administration; 

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

13 participants, including a summary of any com14 ments received from such participants; and 

15 ‘‘(N) any recommendations by the Admin16 istrator to improve the delivery of services by 

17 women’s business centers. 

18 ‘‘(n) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

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

20 appropriated to the Administration to carry out this 

21 section, to remain available until expended, 

22 $31,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 

23 2025. 

24 ‘‘(2) USE OF AMOUNTS.— 


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

2 subparagraph (B), amounts made available 

3 under this subsection for fiscal year 2022, and 

4 each fiscal year thereafter, may only be used for 

5 grant awards and may not be used for costs in6 curred by the Administration in connection with 

7 the management and administration of the pro8 gram under this section. 

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

10 available under this subsection for a fiscal year, 

11 the following amounts shall be available for 

12 costs incurred by the Administration in connec13 tion with the management and administration 

14 of the program under this section: 

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

16 after the date of the enactment of this sub17 paragraph, 2.65 percent. 

18 ‘‘(ii) For the second fiscal year begin19 ning after the date of the enactment of 

20 this subparagraph and each fiscal year 

21 thereafter through fiscal year 2025, 2.5 

22 percent. 

23 ‘‘(3) EXPEDITED ACQUISITION.—Notwith24 standing any other provision of law, the Adminis25 trator may use such expedited acquisition methods 


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1 as the Administrator determines to be appropriate to 

2 carry out this section, except that the Administrator 

3 shall ensure that all small business sources are pro4 vided a reasonable opportunity to submit proposals. 

5 ‘‘(4) ACCREDITATION AND ANNUAL CON6 FERENCE.—Not less than $500,000 of the amounts 

7 appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) for a fiscal 

8 year shall be available for purposes of carrying out 

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

10 be available to support an annual conference de11 scribed under subsection (k)(6).’’. 

12 SEC. 3. EFFECT ON EXISTING GRANTS. 

13 (a) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—A nonprofit organiza14 tion receiving a grant under section 29(m) of the Small 

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

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

17 to receive the grant under the terms and conditions in ef18 fect for the grant on the day before the date of enactment 

19 of this Act, except that the nonprofit organization may 

20 not apply for a continuation of the grant under section 

21 29(m)(5) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

22 656(m)(5)), as in effect on the day before the date of en23 actment of this Act. 

24 (b) LENGTH OF CONTINUATION GRANT.—The Ad25 ministrator of the Small Business Administration may 


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

2 as amended by this Act, to a nonprofit organization receiv3 ing a grant under section 29(m) of the Small Business 

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

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

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

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

8 (2) ending at the end of the third fiscal year be9 ginning after the date of enactment of this Act. 

10 SEC. 4. REGULATIONS. 

11 Not later than 270 days after the date of the enact12 ment of this Act, the Administrator of Small Business Ad13 ministration shall issue such rules as are necessary to 

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

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

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

Passed the House of Representatives April 26, 2022. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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