I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3619 
To amend and extend The State Trade and Export Promotion Grant 
Program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 22, 2013 
Ms. BASS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Small Business 
A BILL 
To amend and extend The State Trade and Export 
Promotion Grant Program. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘STEP A Act of 2013’’. 
SEC. 2. STATE TRADE AND EXPORT PROMOTION GRANT 
PROGRAM. 
The Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.) is 
amended— 
(1) by redesignating section 47 as section 48; 
and 
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(2) by inserting after section 46 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 47. STATE TRADE AND EXPORT PROMOTION GRANT 
PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
‘‘(1) the term ‘eligible small business concern’ 
means a small business concern that— 
‘‘(A) has been in business for not less than 
the 1-year period ending on the date on which 
assistance is provided using a grant under this 
section; 
‘‘(B) is operating profitably, based on op-
erations in the United States; 
‘‘(C) has demonstrated understanding of 
the costs associated with exporting and doing 
business with foreign purchasers, including the 
costs of freight forwarding, customs brokers, 
packing and shipping, as determined by the As-
sociate Administrator; and 
‘‘(D) has in effect a strategic plan for ex-
porting; 
‘‘(2) the term ‘program’ means the State Trade 
and Export Promotion Grant Program established 
under subsection (b); 
‘‘(3) the term ‘small business concern owned 
and controlled by women’ has the meaning given 
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that term in section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 632); 
‘‘(4) the term ‘socially and economically dis-
advantaged small business concern’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 8(a)(4)(A) of the Small 
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 6537(a)(4)(A)); and 
‘‘(5) the term ‘State’ means each of the several 
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth 
of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Com-
monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and 
American Samoa. 
‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—The Associate 
Administrator shall establish a trade and export pro-
motion program to be known as the State Trade and Ex-
port Promotion Grant Program, to make grants to States 
to carry out export programs that assist eligible small 
business concerns in— 
‘‘(1) participation in a foreign trade mission; 
‘‘(2) a foreign market sales trip; 
‘‘(3) a subscription to services provided by the 
Department of Commerce; 
‘‘(4) the payment of website translation fees; 
‘‘(5) the design of international marketing 
media; 
‘‘(6) a trade show exhibition; 
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‘‘(7) participation in training workshops; or 
‘‘(8) any other export initiative determined ap-
propriate by the Associate Administrator. 
‘‘(c) GRANTS.— 
‘‘(1) JOINT REVIEW.—In carrying out the pro-
gram, the Associate Administrator may make a 
grant to a State to increase the number of eligible 
small business concerns in the State that export or 
to increase the value of the exports by eligible small 
business concerns in the State. 
‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In making grants 
under this section, the Associate Administrator may 
give priority to an application by a State that pro-
poses a program that— 
‘‘(A) focuses on eligible small business con-
cerns as part of an export promotion program; 
‘‘(B) demonstrates success in promoting 
exports by— 
‘‘(i) socially and economically dis-
advantaged small business concerns; 
‘‘(ii) small business concerns owned or 
controlled by women; and 
‘‘(iii) rural small business concerns; 
‘‘(C) promotes exports from a State that is 
not 1 of the 10 States with the highest percent-
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age of exporters that are small business con-
cerns, based upon the latest data available from 
the Department of Commerce; and 
‘‘(D) promotes new-to-market export op-
portunities to Sub-Saharan Africa for eligible 
small business concerns in the United States. 
‘‘(3) LIMITATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) SINGLE APPLICATION.—A State may 
not submit more than 1 application for a grant 
under the program in any 1 fiscal year. 
‘‘(B) PROPORTION
OF
AMOUNTS.—The 
total value of grants under the program made 
during a fiscal year to the 10 States with the 
highest number of exporters that are small 
business concerns, based upon the latest data 
available from the Department of Commerce, 
shall be not more than 40 percent of the 
amounts appropriated for the program for that 
fiscal year. 
‘‘(4) APPLICATION.—A State desiring a grant 
under the program shall submit an application at 
such time, in such manner, and accompanied by 
such information as the Associate Administrator 
may establish. 
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‘‘(d) COMPETITIVE BASIS.—The Associate Adminis-
trator shall award grants under the program on a competi-
tive basis. 
‘‘(e) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the 
cost of an export program carried out using a grant under 
the program shall be— 
‘‘(1) for a State that has a high export volume, 
as determined by the Associate Administrator, not 
more than 65 percent; and 
‘‘(2) for a State that does not have a high ex-
port volume, as determined by the Associate Admin-
istrator, not more than 75 percent. 
‘‘(f) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non-Federal share 
of the cost of an export program carried using a grant 
under the program shall be comprised of not less than 50 
percent cash and not more than 50 percent of indirect 
costs and in-kind contributions, except that no such costs 
or contributions may be derived from funds from any 
other Federal program. 
‘‘(g) REPORTS.—The Associate Administrator shall 
submit an annual report to the Committee on Small Busi-
ness and Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Com-
mittee on Small Business of the House of Representatives 
regarding the State Trade and Export Promotion Grant 
Program, which shall include— 
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‘‘(1) the description of the program and the se-
lection process conducted by States to award grants 
to small business concerns; 
‘‘(2) the number and amount of grants made 
under the program during the preceding year; 
‘‘(3) a list of the States receiving a grant under 
the program during the preceding year, including 
the activities being performed with grant; 
‘‘(4) the effect of each grant on exports by eligi-
ble small business concerns in the State receiving 
the grant; and 
‘‘(5) the number of grants and amounts award-
ed under the program covering exports to Sub-Saha-
ran Africa. 
‘‘(h) REVIEWS BY INSPECTOR GENERAL.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Inspector General of 
the Administration shall conduct a review of— 
‘‘(A) the extent to which recipients of 
grants under the program are measuring the 
performance of the activities being conducted 
and the results of the measurements; and 
‘‘(B) the overall management and effective-
ness of the program. 
‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than the date that is 
2 years after the date of enactment of this section, 
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