II 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2693 

To reauthorize the women’s business center program of the Small Business 

Administration, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 30, 2014 

Ms. CANTWELL (for herself, Mr. CARDIN, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, 

Ms. BALDWIN, and Mr. WALSH) introduced the following bill; which was 

read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship 

A BILL 

To reauthorize the women’s business center program of the 

Small Business Administration, 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 Small Busi5 ness Ownership Act of 2014’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITION. 

7 In this Act— 


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1 (1) the terms ‘‘Administration’’ and ‘‘Adminis2 trator’’ mean the Small Business Administration 

3 and the Administrator thereof, respectively; 

4 (2) the term ‘‘disability’’ has the meaning given 

5 that term in section 3 of the Americans with Dis6 abilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102); 

7 (3) the term ‘‘microloan program’’ means the 

8 program established under section 7(m) of the Small 

9 Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(m)); 

10 (4) the term ‘‘rural small business concern’’ 

11 means a small business concern located in a rural 

12 area, as that term is defined in section 1393(a)(2) 

13 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and 

14 (5) the terms ‘‘small business concern’’, ‘‘small 

15 business concern owned and controlled by veterans’’, 

16 and ‘‘small business concern owned and controlled 

17 by women’’ have the meanings given those terms 

18 under section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 

19 U.S.C. 632). 

20 SEC. 3. OFFICE OF WOMEN’S BUSINESS OWNERSHIP. 

21 Section 29(g) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

22 656(g)) is amended— 

23 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

24 (A) in subparagraph (B)— 


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1 (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘in the 

2 areas’’ and all that follows through the end 

3 of subclause (I), and inserting the fol4 lowing: ‘‘to address issues concerning the 

5 management, operations, manufacturing, 

6 technology, finance, retail and product 

7 sales, international trade, Government con8 tracting, and other disciplines required 

9 for— 

10 ‘‘(I) starting, operating, and in11 creasing the business of a small busi12 ness concern;’’; and 

13 (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘Wom14 en’s Business Center program’’ each place 

15 that term appears and inserting ‘‘women’s 

16 business center program’’; and 

17 (B) in subparagraph (C), by inserting be18 fore the period at the end the following: ‘‘, the 

19 National Women’s Business Council, and any 

20 association of women’s business centers’’; and 

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

22 ‘‘(3) TRAINING.—The Administrator may pro23 vide annual programmatic and financial examination 

24 training for women’s business ownership representa25 tives and district office technical representatives of 


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1 the Administration to enable representatives to carry 

2 out their responsibilities. 

3 ‘‘(4) PROGRAM AND TRANSPARENCY IMPROVE4 MENTS.—The Administrator shall maximize the 

5 transparency of the women’s business center finan6 cial assistance proposal process and the pro7 grammatic and financial examination process by— 

8 ‘‘(A) providing public notice of any an9 nouncement for financial assistance under sub10 section (b) or a grant under subsection (l); 

11 ‘‘(B) in the announcement described in 

12 subparagraph (A), outlining award and pro13 gram evaluation criteria and describing the 

14 weighting of the criteria for financial assistance 

15 under subsection (b) and grants under sub16 section (l); and 

17 ‘‘(C) not later than 60 days after the com18 pletion of a site visit to the women’s business 

19 center (whether conducted for an audit, per20 formance review, or other reason), when fea21 sible, providing to each women’s business center 

22 a copy of any site visit reports or evaluation re23 ports prepared by district office technical rep24 resentatives or officers or employees of the Ad25 ministration.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4. WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM. 

2 (a) WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER FINANCIAL ASSIST3 ANCE.—Section 29 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

4 656) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (a)— 

6 (A) by striking paragraph (4); 

7 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 

8 (3) as paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively; 

9 (C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

10 following: 

11 ‘‘(2) the term ‘association of women’s business 

12 centers’ means an organization— 

13 ‘‘(A) that represents not less than 51 per14 cent of the women’s business centers that par15 ticipate in a program under this section; and 

16 ‘‘(B) whose primary purpose is to rep17 resent women’s business centers; 

18 ‘‘(3) the term ‘eligible entity’ means— 

19 ‘‘(A) a private nonprofit organization; 

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

21 development organization; 

22 ‘‘(C) a development, credit, or finance cor23 poration chartered by a State; 

24 ‘‘(D) a junior or community college, as de25 fined in section 312(f) of the Higher Education 

26 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058(f)); or 


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

2 subparagraphs (A) through (D);’’; and 

3 (D) by adding after paragraph (5), as so 

4 redesignated, the following: 

5 ‘‘(6) the term ‘women’s business center’ means 

6 a project conducted by an eligible entity under this 

7 section.’’; 

8 (2) in subsection (b)— 

9 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), 

10 and (3) as subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C), 

11 and adjusting the margins accordingly; 

12 (B) by striking ‘‘The Administration’’ and 

13 all that follows through ‘‘5-year projects’’ and 

14 inserting the following: 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administration may 

16 provide financial assistance to an eligible entity to 

17 conduct a project under this section’’; 

18 (C) by striking ‘‘The projects shall’’ and 

19 inserting the following: 

20 ‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—The project shall be de21 signed to provide training and counseling that meets 

22 the needs of women, especially socially and economi23 cally disadvantaged women, and shall’’; and 

24 (D) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(3) AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 

2 The Administrator may award financial assistance 

3 under this subsection of not more than $250,000 per 

4 project year. 

5 ‘‘(4) CONSULTATION WITH ASSOCIATIONS OF

6 WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTERS.—The Administrator 

7 shall seek advice, input, and recommendations for 

8 policy changes from any association of women’s busi9 ness centers to develop— 

10 ‘‘(A) a training program for the staff of 

11 women’s business centers; and 

12 ‘‘(B) recommendations to improve the poli13 cies and procedures for governing the general 

14 operations and administration of the women’s 

15 business center program, including grant pro16 gram improvements under subsection (g)(4).’’; 

17 (3) in subsection (c)— 

18 (A) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘the re19 cipient organization’’ and inserting ‘‘an eligible 

20 entity’’; 

21 (B) in paragraph (3), in the second sen22 tence, by striking ‘‘a recipient organization’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘an eligible entity’’; 

24 (C) in paragraph (4)— 


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1 (i) by striking ‘‘recipient of assist2 ance’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible entity’’; 

3 (ii) by striking ‘‘such organization’’ 

4 and inserting ‘‘the eligible entity’’; and 

5 (iii) by striking ‘‘recipient’’ and in6 serting ‘‘eligible entity’’; and 

7 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(5) SEPARATION OF PROJECT AND FUNDS.— 

9 An eligible entity shall— 

10 ‘‘(A) carry out a project under this section 

11 separately from other projects, if any, of the eli12 gible entity; and 

13 ‘‘(B) separately maintain and account for 

14 any financial assistance under this section.’’; 

15 (4) in subsection (e)— 

16 (A) by striking ‘‘applicant organization’’ 

17 and inserting ‘‘eligible entity’’; 

18 (B) by striking ‘‘a recipient organization’’ 

19 and inserting ‘‘an eligible entity’’; and 

20 (C) by striking ‘‘site’’; 

21 (5) by striking subsection (f) and inserting the 

22 following: 

23 ‘‘(f) APPLICATIONS AND CRITERIA FOR INITIAL FI24 NANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) APPLICATION.—Each eligible entity desir2 ing financial assistance under subsection (b) shall 

3 submit to the Administrator an application that con4 tains— 

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

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

10 subsection (b) or other sources, to manage 

11 the center; 

12 ‘‘(ii) as a condition of receiving finan13 cial assistance under subsection (b), 

14 agrees— 

15 ‘‘(I) to receive a site visit at the 

16 discretion of the Administrator as 

17 part of the final selection process; 

18 ‘‘(II) to undergo an annual pro19 grammatic and financial examination; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(III) to remedy any problems 

22 identified pursuant to the site visit or 

23 examination under subclause (I) or 

24 (II); and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) meets the accounting and re2 porting requirements established by the 

3 Director of the Office of Management and 

4 Budget; 

5 ‘‘(B) information demonstrating that the 

6 eligible entity has the ability and resources to 

7 meet the needs of the market to be served by 

8 the women’s business center for which financial 

9 assistance under subsection (b) is sought, in10 cluding the ability to obtain the non-Federal 

11 contribution required under subsection (c); 

12 ‘‘(C) information relating to the assistance 

13 to be provided by the women’s business center 

14 for which financial assistance under subsection 

15 (b) is sought in the area in which the women’s 

16 business center is located; 

17 ‘‘(D) information demonstrating the expe18 rience and effectiveness of the eligible entity 

19 in— 

20 ‘‘(i) conducting financial, manage21 ment, and marketing assistance programs, 

22 as described in subsection (b)(2), which 

23 are designed to teach or upgrade the busi24 ness skills of women who are business own25 ers or potential business owners; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) providing training and services to 

2 a representative number of women who are 

3 socially and economically disadvantaged; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(iii) working with resource partners 

6 of the Administration and other entities, 

7 such as universities; and 

8 ‘‘(E) a 5-year plan that describes the abil9 ity of the women’s business center for which fi10 nancial assistance is sought— 

11 ‘‘(i) to serve women who are business 

12 owners or potential business owners by 

13 conducting training and counseling activi14 ties; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) to provide training and services 

16 to a representative number of women who 

17 are socially and economically disadvan18 taged. 

19 ‘‘(2) REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS

20 FOR INITIAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 

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

22 shall— 

23 ‘‘(i) review each application submitted 

24 under paragraph (1), based on the infor25 mation described in such paragraph and 


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1 the criteria set forth under subparagraph 

2 (B) of this paragraph; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) to the extent practicable, as part 

4 of the final selection process, conduct a 

5 site visit to each women’s business center 

6 for which financial assistance under sub7 section (b) is sought. 

8 ‘‘(B) SELECTION CRITERIA.— 

9 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

10 shall evaluate applicants for financial as11 sistance under subsection (b) in accordance 

12 with selection criteria that are— 

13 ‘‘(I) established before the date 

14 on which applicants are required to 

15 submit the applications; 

16 ‘‘(II) stated in terms of relative 

17 importance; and 

18 ‘‘(III) publicly available and stat19 ed in each solicitation for applications 

20 for financial assistance under sub21 section (b) made by the Adminis22 trator. 

23 ‘‘(ii) REQUIRED CRITERIA.—The se24 lection criteria for financial assistance 

25 under subsection (b) shall include— 


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1 ‘‘(I) the experience of the appli2 cant in conducting programs or ongo3 ing efforts designed to teach or en4 hance the business skills of women 

5 who are business owners or potential 

6 business owners; 

7 ‘‘(II) the ability of the applicant 

8 to begin a project within a minimum 

9 amount of time, as established under 

10 the program announcement or by reg11 ulation; 

12 ‘‘(III) the ability of the applicant 

13 to provide training and services to a 

14 representative number of women who 

15 are socially and economically dis16 advantaged; and 

17 ‘‘(IV) the location for the wom18 en’s business center proposed by the 

19 applicant, including whether the appli20 cant is located in a State in which 

21 there is not a women’s business center 

22 receiving funding from the Adminis23 tration. 

24 ‘‘(C) PROXIMITY.—If the principal place of 

25 business of an applicant for financial assistance 


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1 under subsection (b) is located less than 50 

2 miles from the principal place of business of a 

3 women’s business center that received funds 

4 under this section on or before the date of the 

5 application, the applicant shall not be eligible 

6 for the financial assistance, unless the applicant 

7 submits a detailed written justification of the 

8 need for an additional center in the area in 

9 which the applicant is located. 

10 ‘‘(D) RECORD RETENTION.—The Adminis11 trator shall maintain a copy of each application 

12 submitted under this subsection for not less 

13 than 7 years.’’; and 

14 (6) in subsection (m)— 

15 (A) by striking paragraph (3) and insert16 ing the following: 

17 ‘‘(3) APPLICATION AND APPROVAL FOR RE18 NEWAL GRANTS.— 

19 ‘‘(A) SOLICITATION OF APPLICATIONS.— 

20 The Administrator shall solicit applications and 

21 award grants under this subsection for the first 

22 fiscal year beginning after the date of enact23 ment of the Women’s Small Business Owner24 ship Act of 2014, and every third fiscal year 

25 thereafter. 


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1 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS OF APPLICATION.—Each 

2 eligible entity desiring a grant under this sub3 section shall submit to the Administrator an ap4 plication that contains— 

5 ‘‘(i) a certification that the appli6 cant— 

7 ‘‘(I) is an eligible entity; 

8 ‘‘(II) has designated an executive 

9 director or program manager to man10 age the women’s business center oper11 ated by the applicant; and 

12 ‘‘(III) as a condition of receiving 

13 a grant under this subsection, 

14 agrees— 

15 ‘‘(aa) to receive a site visit 

16 as part of the final selection 

17 process; 

18 ‘‘(bb) to submit, for the 2 

19 full fiscal years before the date 

20 on which the application is sub21 mitted, annual programmatic and 

22 financial examination reports or 

23 certified copies of the compliance 

24 supplemental audits under OMB 


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1 Circular A–133 of the applicant; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(cc) to remedy any problem 

4 identified pursuant to the site 

5 visit or examination under item 

6 (aa) or (bb); 

7 ‘‘(ii) information demonstrating that 

8 the applicant has the ability and resources 

9 to meet the needs of the market to be 

10 served by the women’s business center for 

11 which a grant under this subsection is 

12 sought, including the ability to obtain the 

13 non-Federal contribution required under 

14 paragraph (4)(C); 

15 ‘‘(iii) information relating to assist16 ance to be provided by the women’s busi17 ness center in the area served by the wom18 en’s business center for which a grant 

19 under this subsection is sought; 

20 ‘‘(iv) information demonstrating that 

21 the applicant has worked with resource 

22 partners of the Administration and other 

23 entities; 

24 ‘‘(v) a 3-year plan that describes the 

25 ability of the women’s business center for 


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1 which a grant under this subsection is 

2 sought— 

3 ‘‘(I) to serve women who are 

4 business owners or potential business 

5 owners by conducting training and 

6 counseling activities; and 

7 ‘‘(II) to provide training and 

8 services to a representative number of 

9 women who are socially and economi10 cally disadvantaged; and 

11 ‘‘(vi) any additional information that 

12 the Administrator may reasonably require. 

13 ‘‘(C) REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF APPLICA14 TIONS FOR GRANTS.— 

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

16 shall— 

17 ‘‘(I) review each application sub18 mitted under subparagraph (B), based 

19 on the information described in such 

20 subparagraph and the criteria set 

21 forth under clause (ii) of this subpara22 graph; and 

23 ‘‘(II) at the discretion of the Ad24 ministrator, and as part of the final 

25 selection process, conduct a site visit 


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1 to each women’s business center for 

2 which a grant under this subsection is 

3 sought. 

4 ‘‘(ii) SELECTION CRITERIA.— 

5 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The Admin6 istrator shall evaluate applicants for 

7 grants under this subsection in ac8 cordance with selection criteria that 

9 are— 

10 ‘‘(aa) established before the 

11 date on which applicants are re12 quired to submit the applications; 

13 ‘‘(bb) stated in terms of rel14 ative importance; and 

15 ‘‘(cc) publicly available and 

16 stated in each solicitation for ap17 plications for grants under this 

18 subsection made by the Adminis19 trator. 

20 ‘‘(II) REQUIRED CRITERIA.—The 

21 selection criteria for a grant under 

22 this subsection shall include— 

23 ‘‘(aa) the total number of 

24 entrepreneurs served by the ap25 plicant; 


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1 ‘‘(bb) the total number of 

2 new startup companies assisted 

3 by the applicant; 

4 ‘‘(cc) the percentage of cli5 ents of the applicant that are so6 cially or economically disadvan7 taged; and 

8 ‘‘(dd) the percentage of indi9 viduals in the community served 

10 by the applicant who are socially 

11 or economically disadvantaged. 

12 ‘‘(iii) CONDITIONS FOR CONTINUED

13 FUNDING.—In determining whether to 

14 make a grant under this subsection, the 

15 Administrator— 

16 ‘‘(I) shall consider the results of 

17 the most recent evaluation of the 

18 women’s business center for which a 

19 grant under this subsection is sought, 

20 and, to a lesser extent, previous eval21 uations; and 

22 ‘‘(II) may withhold a grant under 

23 this subsection, if the Administrator 

24 determines that the applicant has 

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1 quired to be provided under this para2 graph, or the information provided by 

3 the applicant is inadequate. 

4 ‘‘(D) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 60 

5 days after the date of each deadline to submit 

6 applications, the Administrator shall approve or 

7 deny any application under this paragraph and 

8 notify the applicant for each such application of 

9 the approval or denial. 

10 ‘‘(E) RECORD RETENTION.—The Adminis11 trator shall maintain a copy of each application 

12 submitted under this paragraph for not less 

13 than 7 years.’’; and 

14 (B) by striking paragraph (5) and insert15 ing the following: 

16 ‘‘(5) AWARD TO PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS.—There 

17 shall be no limitation on the number of times the 

18 Administrator may award a grant to an applicant 

19 under this subsection.’’. 

20 (b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

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

22 amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (h)(2), by striking ‘‘to award 

24 a contract (as a sustainability grant) under sub25 section (l) or’’; 


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1 (2) in subsection (j)(1), by striking ‘‘The Ad2 ministration’’ and inserting ‘‘Not later than Novem3 ber 1 of each year, the Administrator’’; 

4 (3) in subsection (k)— 

5 (A) by striking paragraphs (1) and (4); 

6 (B) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 

7 paragraph (4); 

8 (C) by inserting before paragraph (2) the 

9 following: 

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

11 appropriated to the Administration to carry out this 

12 section, to remain available until expended, 

13 $26,750,000 for each of fiscal years 2015 through 

14 2019.’’; and 

15 (D) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘(3) CONTINUING GRANT AND COOPERATIVE

18 AGREEMENT AUTHORITY.— 

19 ‘‘(A) PROMPT DISBURSEMENT.—Upon re20 ceiving funds to carry out this section for a fis21 cal year, the Administrator shall, to the extent 

22 practicable, promptly reimburse funds to any 

23 women’s business center awarded financial as24 sistance under this section if the center meets 

25 the eligibility requirements under this section. 


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1 ‘‘(B) SUSPENSION OR TERMINATION.—If 

2 the Administrator has entered into a grant or 

3 cooperative agreement with a women’s business 

4 center under this section, the Administrator 

5 may not suspend or terminate the grant or co6 operative agreement, unless the Adminis7 trator— 

8 ‘‘(i) provides the women’s business 

9 center with written notification setting 

10 forth the reasons for that action; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) affords the women’s business 

12 center an opportunity for a hearing, ap13 peal, or other administrative proceeding 

14 under chapter 5 of title 5, United States 

15 Code.’’; 

16 (4) in subsection (m)— 

17 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘sub18 section (b) or (l)’’ and inserting ‘‘this sub19 section or subsection (b)’’; and 

20 (B) in paragraph (4)(D), by striking ‘‘or 

21 subsection (l)’’; and 

22 (5) by redesignating subsections (m), (n), and 

23 (o), as amended by this Act, as subsections (l), (m), 

24 and (n), respectively. 

25 (c) EFFECT ON EXISTING GRANTS.— 


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1 (1) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—A nonprofit or2 ganization receiving a grant under section 29(m) of 

3 the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(m)), as in 

4 effect on the day before the date of enactment of 

5 this Act, shall continue to receive the grant under 

6 the terms and conditions in effect for the grant on 

7 the day before the date of enactment of this Act, ex8 cept that the nonprofit organization may not apply 

9 for a renewal of the grant under section 29(m)(5) of 

10 the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(m)(5)), as 

11 in effect on the day before the date of enactment of 

12 this Act. 

13 (2) LENGTH OF RENEWAL GRANT.—The Ad14 ministrator may award a grant under section 29(l) 

15 of the Small Business Act, as so redesignated by 

16 subsection (a)(5) of this section, to a nonprofit orga17 nization receiving a grant under section 29(m) of the 

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

19 on the day before the date of enactment of this Act, 

20 for the period— 

21 (A) beginning on the day after the last day 

22 of the grant agreement under such section 

23 29(m); and 


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1 (B) ending at the end of the third fiscal 

2 year beginning after the date of enactment of 

3 this Act. 

4 SEC. 5. MATCHING REQUIREMENTS UNDER WOMEN’S BUSI5 NESS CENTER PROGRAM. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 29(c) of the Small Busi7 ness Act (15 U.S.C. 656(c)), as amended by section 4 of 

8 this Act, is amended— 

9 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘As a condi10 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘Subject to paragraph (6), as a 

11 condition’’; and 

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

13 ‘‘(6) WAIVER OF NON-FEDERAL SHARE RELAT14 ING TO TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND COUN15 SELING.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Upon request by a re17 cipient organization, and in accordance with 

18 this paragraph, the Administrator may waive, 

19 in whole or in part, the requirement to obtain 

20 non-Federal funds under this subsection for the 

21 technical assistance and counseling activities of 

22 the recipient organization carried out using fi23 nancial assistance under this section for a fiscal 

24 year. The Administrator may not waive the re25 quirement for a recipient organization to obtain 


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1 non-Federal funds under this paragraph for 

2 more than a total of 2 consecutive fiscal years. 

3 ‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining 

4 whether to waive the requirement to obtain 

5 non-Federal funds under this paragraph, the 

6 Administrator shall consider— 

7 ‘‘(i) the economic conditions affecting 

8 the recipient organization; 

9 ‘‘(ii) the impact a waiver under this 

10 clause would have on the credibility of the 

11 women’s business center program under 

12 this section; 

13 ‘‘(iii) the demonstrated ability of the 

14 recipient organization to raise non-Federal 

15 funds; and 

16 ‘‘(iv) the performance of the recipient 

17 organization. 

18 ‘‘(C) LIMITATION.—The Administrator 

19 may not waive the requirement to obtain non20 Federal funds under this paragraph if granting 

21 the waiver would undermine the credibility of 

22 the women’s business center program under 

23 this section. 


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1 ‘‘(7) SOLICITATION.—Notwithstanding any 

2 other provision of law, a recipient organization 

3 may— 

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

5 from private individuals and entities to be used 

6 to carry out the activities of the recipient orga7 nization under the project conducted under this 

8 section; and 

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

10 Administration under this section for the cost 

11 of such solicitation and management of the con12 tributions received.’’. 

13 (b) REGULATIONS.— 

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

15 (A) except as provided in paragraph (2), 

16 and not later than 1 year after the date of en17 actment of this Act, publish in the Federal Reg18 ister proposed regulations by the Administrator 

19 to carry out the amendments made to section 

20 29 of the Small Business Act by this Act; and 

21 (B) accept public comments on such pro22 posed regulations for not less than 60 days. 

23 (2) EXISTING PROPOSED REGULATIONS.—Para24 graph (1)(A) shall not apply to the extent proposed 

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1 lished on the date of enactment of this Act that are 

2 sufficient to carry out the amendments made to sec3 tion 29 of the Small Business Act by this Act. 

4 SEC. 6. STUDY AND REPORT ON ECONOMIC ISSUES FACING 

5 WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTERS. 

6 (a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the United 

7 States shall conduct a broad study of the unique economic 

8 issues facing women’s business centers located in covered 

9 areas to identify— 

10 (1) the difficulties such centers face in raising 

11 non-Federal funds; 

12 (2) the difficulties such centers face in com13 peting for financial assistance, non-Federal funds, or 

14 other types of assistance; 

15 (3) the difficulties such centers face in writing 

16 grant proposals; and 

17 (4) other difficulties such centers face because 

18 of the economy in the type of covered area in which 

19 such centers are located. 

20 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

21 of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall 

22 submit to Congress a report containing the results of the 

23 study under subsection (a), which shall include rec24 ommendations, if any, regarding how to— 


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1 (1) address the unique difficulties women’s 

2 business centers located in covered areas face be3 cause of the type of covered area in which such cen4 ters are located; 

5 (2) expand the presence of, and increase the 

6 services provided by, women’s business centers lo7 cated in covered areas; and 

8 (3) best use technology and other resources to 

9 better serve women business owners located in cov10 ered areas. 

11 (c) DEFINITION OF COVERED AREA.—In this section, 

12 the term ‘‘covered area’’ means— 

13 (1) any State that is predominantly rural, as 

14 determined by the Administrator; 

15 (2) any State that is predominantly urban, as 

16 determined by the Administrator; and 

17 (3) any State or territory that is an island. 

18 SEC. 7. STUDY AND REPORT ON OVERSIGHT OF WOMEN’S 

19 BUSINESS CENTERS. 

20 (a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the United 

21 States shall conduct a study of the oversight of women’s 

22 business centers by the Administrator, which shall in23 clude— 

24 (1) an analysis of the coordination by the Ad25 ministrator of the activities of women’s business cenVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:15 Aug 06, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2693.IS S2693

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1 ters with the activities of small business development 

2 centers, the Service Corps of Retired Executives, 

3 and Veteran Business Outreach Centers; 

4 (2) a comparison of the types of individuals and 

5 small business concerns served by women’s business 

6 centers and the types of individuals and small busi7 ness concerns served by small business development 

8 centers, the Service Corps of Retired Executives, 

9 and Veteran Business Outreach Centers; and 

10 (3) an analysis of performance data for wom11 en’s business centers that evaluates how well wom12 en’s business centers are carrying out the mission of 

13 women’s business centers and serving individuals 

14 and small business concerns. 

15 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

16 of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall 

17 submit to Congress a report containing the results of the 

18 study under subsection (a), which shall include rec19 ommendations, if any, for eliminating the duplication of 

20 services provided by women’s business centers, small busi21 ness development centers, the Service Corps of Retired 

22 Executives, and Veteran Business Outreach Centers. 


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1 SEC. 8. SOLE SOURCE CONTRACTS FOR SMALL BUSINESS 

2 CONCERNS OWNED AND CONTROLLED BY 

3 WOMEN. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 8(m) of the Small Busi5 ness Act (15 U.S.C. 637(m)) is amended by adding at the 

6 end the following: 

7 ‘‘(7) AUTHORITY FOR SOLE SOURCE CON8 TRACTS FOR ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED

9 SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS OWNED AND CON10 TROLLED BY WOMEN IN UNDERREPRESENTED IN11 DUSTRIES.—A contracting officer may award a sole 

12 source contract under this subsection to a small 

13 business concern owned and controlled by women 

14 that meets the requirements under paragraph (2)(A) 

15 if— 

16 ‘‘(A) the small business concern owned and 

17 controlled by women is in an industry in which 

18 small business concerns owned and controlled 

19 by women are underrepresented, as determined 

20 by the Administrator; 

21 ‘‘(B) the contracting officer determines 

22 that the small business concern owned and con23 trolled by women is a responsible contractor 

24 with respect to performance of the contract op25 portunity; 


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1 ‘‘(C) the anticipated award price of the 

2 contract, including options, is not more than— 

3 ‘‘(i) $6,500,000, in the case of a con4 tract opportunity assigned a North Amer5 ican Industry Classification System code 

6 for manufacturing; or 

7 ‘‘(ii) $4,000,000, in the case of any 

8 other contract opportunity; and 

9 ‘‘(D) in the estimation of the contracting 

10 officer, the contract award can be made at a 

11 fair and reasonable price. 

12 ‘‘(8) AUTHORITY FOR SOLE SOURCE CON13 TRACTS FOR SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS OWNED

14 AND CONTROLLED BY WOMEN IN SUBSTANTIALLY

15 UNDERREPRESENTED INDUSTRIES.—A contracting 

16 officer may award a sole source contract under this 

17 subsection to a small business concern owned and 

18 controlled by women that meets the requirements 

19 under paragraph (2)(E) if— 

20 ‘‘(A) the small business concern owned and 

21 controlled by women is in an industry in which 

22 small business concerns owned and controlled 

23 by women are substantially underrepresented, 

24 as determined by the Administrator; 


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1 ‘‘(B) the contracting officer determines 

2 that the small business concern owned and con3 trolled by women is a responsible contractor 

4 with respect to performance of the contract op5 portunity; 

6 ‘‘(C) the anticipated award price of the 

7 contract, including options, is not more than— 

8 ‘‘(i) $6,500,000, in the case of a con9 tract opportunity assigned a North Amer10 ican Industry Classification System code 

11 for manufacturing; or 

12 ‘‘(ii) $4,000,000, in the case of any 

13 other contract opportunity; and 

14 ‘‘(D) in the estimation of the contracting 

15 officer, the contract award can be made at a 

16 fair and reasonable price.’’. 

17 (b) REPORTING ON GOALS FOR SOLE SOURCE CON18 TRACTS FOR SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS OWNED AND

19 CONTROLLED BY WOMEN.—Section 15(h)(2)(E)(viii) of 

20 the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 644(h)(2)(E)(viii)) is 

21 amended— 

22 (1) in subclause (IV), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

23 end; 

24 (2) by redesignating subclause (V) as subclause 

25 (VIII); and 


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1 (3) by inserting after subclause (IV) the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(V) through sole source con4 tracts awarded under section 8(m)(7); 

5 ‘‘(VI) through sole source con6 tracts awarded under section 8(m)(8); 

7 ‘‘(VII) by industry for contracts 

8 described in subclause (III), (IV), (V), 

9 or (VI); and’’. 

10 (c) DEADLINE FOR REPORT ON UNDERREP11 RESENTED INDUSTRIES ACCELERATED.—Section 

12 29(o)(2) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(o)(2)) 

13 is amended— 

14 (1) by striking ‘‘5 years after the date of enact15 ment of this subsection’’ and inserting ‘‘January 2, 

16 2015’’; and 

17 (2) by striking ‘‘5-year period’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘2-year or 5-year period, as applicable,’’. 

19 (d) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

20 Section 8(m) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

21 637(m)) is amended— 

22 (1) in paragraph (2)(C), by striking ‘‘paragraph 

23 (3)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (4)’’; and 


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1 (2) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘paragraph 

2 (2)(F)’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘para3 graph (2)(E)’’. 

4 SEC. 9. SMALL BUSINESS INTERMEDIARY LENDING PRO5 GRAM. 

6 Section 7(l) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

7 636(l)) is amended— 

8 (1) in the subsection heading, by striking 

9 ‘‘PILOT’’; 

10 (2) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ‘‘pilot’’; 

11 (3) in paragraph (2)— 

12 (A) by striking ‘‘3-year’’; and 

13 (B) by striking ‘‘pilot’’; 

14 (4) in paragraph (4)— 

15 (A) by striking subparagraph (B) and in16 serting the following: 

17 ‘‘(B) LOAN LIMITS.— 

18 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—No single loan to 

19 an eligible intermediary under this sub20 section may exceed $1,000,000. 

21 ‘‘(ii) TOTAL AMOUNT.—The total 

22 amount outstanding and committed to an 

23 eligible intermediary by the Administrator 

24 under the Program may not exceed 

25 $5,000,000.’’; and 


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1 (B) by striking subparagraph (G) and in2 serting the following: 

3 ‘‘(G) MAXIMUM AMOUNTS.—The Adminis4 trator may make loans under the Program— 

5 ‘‘(i) during each of fiscal years 2015, 

6 2016, and 2017, in a total amount of not 

7 more than $20,000,000; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) during fiscal year 2018 and each 

9 fiscal year thereafter, using such amounts 

10 as are made available for the Program.’’; 

11 and 

12 (5) by striking paragraph (6). 

13 SEC. 10. ACCESS TO CAPITAL FOR SMALL BUSINESS CON14 CERNS. 

15 (a) MICROLOAN PROGRAM.—Section 7(m) of the 

16 Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(m)) is amended— 

17 (1) in paragraph (1)(B)(i), by striking ‘‘short18 term,’’; 

19 (2) in paragraph (3)(C), by striking 

20 ‘‘$5,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$7,000,000’’; 

21 (3) in paragraph (4)— 

22 (A) by striking subparagraph (E); and 

23 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (F) as 

24 subparagraph (E); 

25 (4) in paragraph (6)— 


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1 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

2 ‘‘short-term,’’; and 

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

4 ‘‘(F) REPORT TO COMMERCIAL CREDIT RE5 PORTING AGENCIES.—The Administrator shall 

6 establish a process under which an intermediary 

7 that makes a loan to a small business concern 

8 under this paragraph shall provide to 1 or more 

9 of the commercial credit reporting agencies, 

10 through the Administration or independently, 

11 including through third party intermediaries, 

12 information on the small business concern that 

13 is relevant to credit reporting, including the 

14 payment activity of the small business concern 

15 on the loan.’’; 

16 (5) in paragraph (7)— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘PROGRAM’’ and all that 

18 follows through ‘‘Under’’ and inserting the fol19 lowing: ‘‘NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS.—Under’’; 

20 and 

21 (B) by striking subparagraph (B); 

22 (6) in paragraph (8), by striking ‘‘such inter23 mediaries’’ and all the follows through the period at 

24 the end and inserting the following: ‘‘intermediaries 

25 that serve a diversity of geographic areas in the 


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1 United States to ensure appropriate availability of 

2 loans for small business concerns in all industries 

3 that are located in metropolitan, nonmetropolitan, 

4 and rural areas.’’; and 

5 (7) in paragraph (11)(B), by striking ‘‘short6 term,’’. 

7 (b) GUARANTEE FEE WAIVER.—During fiscal year 

8 2016, the Administrator may not collect a guarantee fee 

9 under section 7(a)(18)(A)(i) of the Small Business Act 

10 (15 U.S.C. 636(a)(18)(A)(i)) with respect to a loan guar11 anteed under section 7(a) of such Act, unless amounts are 

12 made available to the Administrator to subsidize the cost 

13 of guaranteeing such loans for fiscal year 2016. 

14 (c) ANNUAL REPORT.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

16 the date of enactment of this Act, and every year 

17 thereafter, the Office of Capital Access of the Ad18 ministration shall submit to the Committee on Small 

19 Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate and 

20 the Committee on Small Business of the House of 

21 Representatives a report on assistance provided by 

22 the Administration under— 

23 (A) section 7(a) of the Small Business Act 

24 (15 U.S.C. 636(a)); 

25 (B) the microloan program; 


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1 (C) part A of title III of the Small Busi2 ness Investment Act of 1958 (15 U.S.C. 681 et 

3 seq.); and 

4 (D) section 502 of the Small Business In5 vestment Act of 1958 (15 U.S.C. 696). 

6 (2) REQUIREMENT.—Each report required 

7 under paragraph (1) shall include, for the year pre8 ceding the date on which the report is submitted— 

9 (A) for each type of assistance described 

10 under subparagraphs (A), (B), and (D) of para11 graph (1)— 

12 (i) the number of loans made by the 

13 Administration; 

14 (ii) the total amount of loans made by 

15 the Administration; 

16 (iii) the percentage of the number and 

17 total amount of loans made by the Admin18 istration to— 

19 (I) rural small business concerns; 

20 (II) small business concerns 

21 owned and controlled by individuals 

22 with a disability; 

23 (III) small business concerns 

24 owned and controlled by low-income 

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1 cial or ethnic minority group of which 

2 those individuals are members; 

3 (IV) small business concerns 

4 owned and controlled by veterans; 

5 (V) small business concerns 

6 owned and controlled by women; and 

7 (VI) small business concerns 

8 owned and controlled by members of a 

9 racial or ethnic minority group, bro10 ken down by each such racial or eth11 nic minority group; and 

12 (iv) the number of jobs created and 

13 retained by borrowers as a result of such 

14 assistance; and 

15 (B) for assistance described under sub16 paragraph (C) of paragraph (1)— 

17 (i) the number of investments made 

18 by small business investment companies; 

19 (ii) the total amount of equity capital 

20 provided and loans made by small business 

21 investment companies; 

22 (iii) the percentage of the number of 

23 investments and loans made and total 

24 amount of equity capital provided by small 

25 business investment companies to— 


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1 (I) rural small business concerns; 

2 (II) small business concerns 

3 owned and controlled by individuals 

4 with a disability; 

5 (III) small business concerns 

6 owned and controlled by low-income 

7 individuals, broken down by each ra8 cial or ethnic minority group of which 

9 those individuals are members; 

10 (IV) small business concerns 

11 owned and controlled by veterans; 

12 (V) small business concerns 

13 owned and controlled by women; and 

14 (VI) small business concerns 

15 owned and controlled by members of a 

16 racial or ethnic minority group, bro17 ken down by each such racial or eth18 nic minority group; 

19 (iv) the number of jobs created and 

20 retained by small business concerns as a 

21 result of investments made by small busi22 ness investment companies; and 

23 (v) the number of licenses issued by 

24 the Administration under section 301(c) of 

25 the Small Business Investment Act (15 


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1 U.S.C. 681(c)), including the percentage of 

2 licenses issued to entities headed by a 

3 woman or a member of a racial or ethnic 

4 minority, respectively. 

5 SEC. 11. SENSE OF THE SENATE. 

6 It is the sense of the Senate that— 

7 (1) access to capital for small business concerns 

8 owned and controlled by women comes from a vari9 ety of sources, including important contributions and 

10 early investments from angel capital and other ven11 ture capital investors; and 

12 (2) those investors should continue to work to 

13 develop small business concerns owned and con14 trolled by women to expand the rate at which those 

15 women receive venture investment. 

Æ 


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