I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4027 
To reauthorize the women’s business center program of the Small Business 
Administration, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 17, 2015 
Ms. DELBENE (for herself, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, Ms. NORTON, Ms. 
SEWELL of Alabama, and Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Small Business 
A BILL 
To reauthorize the women’s business center program of the 
Small Business Administration, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Women’s Small Busi-
ness Ownership Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act— 
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(1) the terms ‘‘Administration’’ and ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ mean the Small Business Administration 
and the Administrator thereof, respectively; 
(2) the term ‘‘small business concern’’ and 
‘‘small business development center’’ have the mean-
ings given those terms in section 3 of the Small 
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632); and 
(3) the term ‘‘women’s business center’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 29(a) of the 
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(a)), as added by 
section 4(a)(1) of this Act. 
SEC. 3. OFFICE OF WOMEN’S BUSINESS OWNERSHIP. 
Section 29(g) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
656(g)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) in subparagraph (B)— 
(i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘in the 
areas’’ and all that follows through the end 
of subclause (I), and inserting the fol-
lowing: ‘‘to address issues concerning the 
management, operations, manufacturing, 
technology, finance, retail and product 
sales, international trade, Government con-
tracting, and other disciplines required 
for— 
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‘‘(I) starting, operating, and in-
creasing the business of a small busi-
ness concern;’’; and 
(ii) in clause (ii)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘Women’s Busi-
ness Center program’’ each place that 
term appears and inserting ‘‘women’s 
business center program’’; 
(II) in subclause (IX), by strik-
ing ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(III) in subclause (X), by strik-
ing the period at the end and insert-
ing ‘‘; and’’; and 
(IV) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(XI) work with Administration 
officials and collaborate with entities 
other than the Administration to en-
sure that the work of the women’s 
business center program— 
‘‘(aa) maximizes taxpayer 
dollars; and 
‘‘(bb) coordinates effectively 
with and is not duplicative of the 
efforts of other Federal Govern-
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ment and private sector pro-
grams.’’; and 
(B) in subparagraph (C), by inserting be-
fore the period at the end the following: ‘‘, the 
National Women’s Business Council, and any 
organization representing the majority of wom-
en’s business centers’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) MISSION.—The mission of the Office of 
Women’s Business Ownership shall be to assist 
women entrepreneurs to start, grow, and compete in 
global markets by providing quality support with ac-
cess to capital, access to markets, job creation, 
growth, and counseling and training by— 
‘‘(A) fostering participation of women en-
trepreneurs in the economy by overseeing a net-
work of women’s business centers throughout 
States and territories; 
‘‘(B) creating public-private partnerships 
to support women entrepreneurs and conduct 
outreach and education to startup and existing 
small business concerns owned and controlled 
by women; and 
‘‘(C) working with other initiatives and 
programs of the Administration to ensure 
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women are well-represented and being served 
and to identify gaps where participation by 
women could be increased. 
‘‘(4) TRAINING.—The Administrator shall— 
‘‘(A) provide annual programmatic and fi-
nancial examination training for women’s busi-
ness center representatives and district office 
technical representatives of the Administration 
to enable representatives to carry out their re-
sponsibilities; 
‘‘(B) in carrying out subparagraph (A), 
award grants or enter into contracts or coopera-
tive agreements related to training; and 
‘‘(C) not later than September 30, 2016, 
develop a plan for a professional development 
training program for women’s business centers, 
including attendance to relevant national con-
ferences, related to— 
‘‘(i) the managing, financing, and op-
eration of small business concerns; 
‘‘(ii) marketing, including the use of 
social media; 
‘‘(iii) management and technology as-
sistance regarding small business concern 
participation in international markets, ex-
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port promotion, and technology transfer; 
and 
‘‘(iv) delivery or distribution of the 
services and information described in 
clauses (i), (ii), and (iii). 
‘‘(5) PROGRAM AND TRANSPARENCY IMPROVE-
MENTS.—The Administrator shall maximize the 
transparency of the women’s business center finan-
cial assistance proposal process and the pro-
grammatic and financial examination process by— 
‘‘(A) providing public notice of any an-
nouncement for financial assistance under sub-
section (b) or a grant under subsection (l); 
‘‘(B) in the announcement described in 
subparagraph (A), outlining award and pro-
gram evaluation criteria and describing the 
weighting of the criteria for financial assistance 
under subsection (b) and grants under sub-
section (l); and 
‘‘(C) not later than 60 days after the com-
pletion of a site visit to the women’s business 
center (whether conducted for an audit, per-
formance review, or other reason), when fea-
sible, providing to each women’s business center 
a copy of any site visit reports or evaluation re-
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ports prepared by district office technical rep-
resentatives or officers or employees of the Ad-
ministration. 
‘‘(6) ACCREDITATION
PROGRAM.—Not later 
than September 30, 2016, the Administrator shall 
submit to the Committee on Small Business and En-
trepreneurship of the Senate and the Committee on 
Small Business of the House of Representatives a 
plan to develop, including identification of funding 
needs, an accreditation program of women’s business 
centers under this section that would— 
‘‘(A) be developed with the consultation 
and collaboration of organizations representing 
a majority of women’s business centers; 
‘‘(B) be carried out by and for women’s 
business centers under contract with the Ad-
ministration; 
‘‘(C) establish a regular system of site vis-
its at the discretion of the Administration and 
peer review to be conducted in addition to the 
regular inspections and audits conducted under 
subsection (h); and 
‘‘(D) develop standards for assessment of 
the performance of women’s business centers, 
including— 
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‘‘(i) leadership and center manage-
ment; 
‘‘(ii) strategic planning; 
‘‘(iii) market and client needs assess-
ment; and 
‘‘(iv) metrics and measurements of 
performance and results.’’. 
SEC. 4. WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM. 
(a) WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER FINANCIAL ASSIST-
ANCE.—Section 29 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
656) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by striking paragraph (4); 
(B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 
(3) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; 
(C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 
following: 
‘‘(2) the term ‘eligible entity’ means— 
‘‘(A) a private nonprofit organization; 
‘‘(B) a State, regional, or local economic 
development organization; 
‘‘(C) a development, credit, or finance cor-
poration chartered by a State; 
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‘‘(D) a junior or community college, as de-
fined in section 312(f) of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058(f)); or 
‘‘(E) any combination of entities listed in 
subparagraphs (A) through (D);’’; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) the term ‘women’s business center’ means 
a project conducted by an eligible entity under this 
section.’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), 
and (3) as subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C), re-
spectively, and adjusting the margins accord-
ingly; 
(B) by striking ‘‘The Administration’’ and 
all that follows through ‘‘5-year projects’’ and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administration may 
provide financial assistance to an eligible entity to 
conduct a project under this section’’; 
(C) by striking ‘‘The projects shall’’ and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—The project shall be de-
signed to provide training and counseling that meets 
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the needs of women, especially socially or economi-
cally disadvantaged women, and shall’’; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), the amount of financial as-
sistance provided under this subsection to an el-
igible entity per project year shall be not more 
than $250,000. 
‘‘(B) 
ADDITIONAL
FINANCIAL
ASSIST-
ANCE.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 
may award financial assistance under this 
subsection to an eligible entity in an 
amount that is more than $250,000 in a 
given project year if the Administrator de-
termines that the eligible entity— 
‘‘(I) 
obtained 
more 
than 
$250,000 in non-Federal contribu-
tions for that project year in accord-
ance with subsection (c); 
‘‘(II) is in good standing with the 
women’s business center program; 
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‘‘(III) has met performance goals 
for the previous project year, if appli-
cable; and 
‘‘(IV) proposes a new project to 
be carried out with the additional fi-
nancial assistance in accordance with 
this section. 
‘‘(ii) 
LIMITATIONS.—The 
Adminis-
trator may only award additional financial 
assistance under clause (i)— 
‘‘(I) from unobligated amounts 
made available to the Administration 
to carry out this section; and 
‘‘(II) if, in a given fiscal year, the 
aggregate amount of additional finan-
cial assistance provided to eligible en-
tities under clause (i) is not more 
than 1 percent of the amount appro-
priated to the Administration to carry 
out this section for that fiscal year. 
‘‘(4) CONSULTATION
WITH
ORGANIZATIONS 
REPRESENTING WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTERS.—The 
Administrator shall seek advice, input, and rec-
ommendations for policy changes from any organiza-
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tion representing a majority of women’s business 
centers to develop— 
‘‘(A) the training program for women’s 
business centers under subsection (g)(4)(C); 
and 
‘‘(B) recommendations to improve the poli-
cies and procedures for governing the general 
operations and administration of the women’s 
business center program, including grant pro-
gram improvements under subsection (g)(4).’’; 
(3) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘the re-
cipient organization’’ and inserting ‘‘an eligible 
entity’’; 
(B) in paragraph (3), in the second sen-
tence, by striking ‘‘a recipient organization’’ 
and inserting ‘‘an eligible entity’’; 
(C) in paragraph (4)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘recipient of assist-
ance’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible entity’’; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘during any project, it 
shall not be eligible thereafter’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘during any project for 2 consecutive 
years, the eligible entity shall not be eligi-
ble at any time after that 2-year period’’; 
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(iii) by striking ‘‘such organization’’ 
and inserting ‘‘the eligible entity’’; and 
(iv) by striking ‘‘recipient’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘eligible entity’’; and 
(D) by adding at end the following: 
‘‘(5) SEPARATION OF PROJECT AND FUNDS.— 
An eligible entity shall— 
‘‘(A) carry out a project under this section 
separately from other projects, if any, of the eli-
gible entity; and 
‘‘(B) separately maintain and account for 
any financial assistance under this section.’’; 
(4) in subsection (e)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘applicant organization’’ 
and inserting ‘‘eligible entity’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘a recipient organization’’ 
and inserting ‘‘an eligible entity’’; and 
(C) by striking ‘‘site’’; 
(5) by striking subsection (f) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(f) APPLICATIONS AND CRITERIA FOR INITIAL FI-
NANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 
‘‘(1) APPLICATION.—Each eligible entity desir-
ing financial assistance under subsection (b) shall 
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submit to the Administrator an application that con-
tains— 
‘‘(A) a certification that the eligible enti-
ty— 
‘‘(i) has designated an executive direc-
tor or program manager, who may be com-
pensated using financial assistance under 
subsection (b) or other sources, to manage 
the center; 
‘‘(ii) as a condition of receiving finan-
cial 
assistance 
under 
subsection 
(b), 
agrees— 
‘‘(I) to receive a site visit at the 
discretion of the Administrator as 
part of the final selection process; 
‘‘(II) to undergo an annual pro-
grammatic and financial examination; 
and 
‘‘(III) to remedy any problems 
identified pursuant to the site visit or 
examination under subclause (I) or 
(II); and 
‘‘(iii) meets the accounting and re-
porting requirements established by the 
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Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget; 
‘‘(B) information demonstrating that the 
eligible entity has the ability and resources to 
meet the needs of the market to be served by 
the women’s business center for which financial 
assistance under subsection (b) is sought, in-
cluding the ability to obtain the non-Federal 
contribution required under subsection (c); 
‘‘(C) information relating to the assistance 
to be provided by the women’s business center 
for which financial assistance under subsection 
(b) is sought in the area in which the women’s 
business center is located; 
‘‘(D) information demonstrating the expe-
rience and effectiveness of the eligible entity 
in— 
‘‘(i) conducting financial, manage-
ment, and marketing assistance programs, 
as described in subsection (b)(2), which 
are designed to teach or upgrade the busi-
ness skills of women who are business own-
ers or potential business owners; 
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‘‘(ii) providing training and services to 
a representative number of women who are 
socially or economically disadvantaged; and 
‘‘(iii) working with resource partners 
of the Administration and other entities, 
such as universities; and 
‘‘(E) a 5-year plan that describes the abil-
ity of the women’s business center for which fi-
nancial assistance is sought— 
‘‘(i) to serve women who are business 
owners or potential business owners by 
conducting training and counseling activi-
ties; and 
‘‘(ii) to provide training and services 
to a representative number of women who 
are socially or economically disadvantaged. 
‘‘(2) REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS 
FOR INITIAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator 
shall— 
‘‘(i) review each application submitted 
under paragraph (1), based on the infor-
mation described in such paragraph and 
the criteria set forth under subparagraph 
(B) of this paragraph; and 
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‘‘(ii) to the extent practicable, as part 
of the final selection process, conduct a 
site visit to each women’s business center 
for which financial assistance under sub-
section (b) is sought. 
‘‘(B) SELECTION CRITERIA.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 
shall evaluate applicants for financial as-
sistance under subsection (b) in accordance 
with selection criteria that are— 
‘‘(I) established before the date 
on which applicants are required to 
submit the applications; 
‘‘(II) stated in terms of relative 
importance; and 
‘‘(III) publicly available and stat-
ed in each solicitation for applications 
for financial assistance under sub-
section (b) made by the Adminis-
trator. 
‘‘(ii) REQUIRED
CRITERIA.—The se-
lection criteria for financial assistance 
under subsection (b) shall include— 
‘‘(I) the experience of the appli-
cant in conducting programs or ongo-
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ing efforts designed to teach or en-
hance the business skills of women 
who are business owners or potential 
business owners; 
‘‘(II) the ability of the applicant 
to begin a project within a minimum 
amount of time, as established under 
the program announcement or by reg-
ulation; 
‘‘(III) the ability of the applicant 
to provide training and services to a 
representative number of women who 
are socially or economically disadvan-
taged; 
‘‘(IV) the ability of the applicant 
to successfully complete participation 
in the training program developed 
under subsection (g)(4)(C); 
‘‘(V) the ability of the applicant 
to successfully acquire accreditation 
under the accreditation program de-
veloped under subsection (g)(6); 
‘‘(VI) whether the women’s busi-
ness center proposed by the applicant 
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will be sustainable for more than a 5- 
year period; and 
‘‘(VII) the location for the wom-
en’s business center proposed by the 
applicant, including whether the appli-
cant is located in an area in which— 
‘‘(aa) women are under-
served; or 
‘‘(bb) significant groups of 
women are underserved due to 
language or other social, cultural, 
and economic barriers. 
‘‘(C) PROXIMITY.—If the principal place of 
business of an applicant for financial assistance 
under subsection (b) is located less than 50 
miles from the principal place of business of a 
women’s business center that received funds 
under this section on or before the date of the 
application, the applicant shall not be eligible 
for the financial assistance, unless the appli-
cant— 
‘‘(i) submits a detailed written jus-
tification of the need for an additional cen-
ter in the area in which the applicant is lo-
cated, including information demonstrating 
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that the applicant is not providing services 
that are redundant or duplicative of those 
provided by that existing or current wom-
en’s business center; 
‘‘(ii) submits a detailed plan for how 
the applicant plans to reach clients outside 
of the geographic area in which the exist-
ing or current women’s business center is 
located; and 
‘‘(iii) demonstrates that the applicant 
has a pre-existing presence in other parts 
of the geographic area in which the exist-
ing or current women’s business center is 
located. 
‘‘(D) RECORD RETENTION.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 
shall maintain a copy of each application 
submitted under this subsection for not 
less than 5 years. 
‘‘(ii) PAPERWORK
REDUCTION.—The 
Administrator shall take steps to reduce, 
to the maximum extent practicable, the pa-
perwork burden associated with carrying 
out clause (i).’’; and 
(6) in subsection (m)— 
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(A) by striking paragraph (3) and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(3) APPLICATION
AND
APPROVAL
FOR
RE-
NEWAL GRANTS.— 
‘‘(A) SOLICITATION
OF
APPLICATIONS.— 
The Administrator shall solicit applications and 
award grants under this subsection for the first 
fiscal year beginning after the date of enact-
ment of the Women’s Small Business Owner-
ship Act of 2015, and every third fiscal year 
thereafter. 
‘‘(B) CONTENTS OF APPLICATION.—Each 
eligible entity desiring a grant under this sub-
section shall submit to the Administrator an ap-
plication that contains— 
‘‘(i) a certification that the appli-
cant— 
‘‘(I) is an eligible entity; 
‘‘(II) has designated an executive 
director or program manager to man-
age the women’s business center oper-
ated by the applicant; and 
‘‘(III) as a condition of receiving 
a 
grant 
under 
this 
subsection, 
agrees— 
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‘‘(aa) to receive a site visit 
as part of the final selection 
process, at the discretion of the 
Administrator; and 
‘‘(bb) to remedy any prob-
lem identified pursuant to the 
site visit under item (aa); 
‘‘(ii) information demonstrating that 
the applicant has the ability and resources 
to meet the needs of the market to be 
served by the women’s business center for 
which a grant under this subsection is 
sought, including the ability to obtain the 
non-Federal contribution required under 
paragraph (4)(C); 
‘‘(iii) information relating to assist-
ance to be provided by the women’s busi-
ness center in the area served by the wom-
en’s business center for which a grant 
under this subsection is sought; 
‘‘(iv) information demonstrating that 
the applicant is not providing services re-
dundant or duplicative of those provided by 
a women’s business center receiving funds 
under this subsection that is located less 
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than 50 miles from the principal place of 
business of the applicant; 
‘‘(v) information demonstrating that 
the applicant has worked with resource 
partners of the Administration and other 
entities; 
‘‘(vi) a 3-year plan that describes the 
services provided by the women’s business 
center for which a grant under this sub-
section is sought— 
‘‘(I) to serve women who are 
business owners or potential business 
owners by conducting training and 
counseling activities; and 
‘‘(II) to provide training and 
services to a representative number of 
women who are socially or economi-
cally disadvantaged; and 
‘‘(vii) any additional information that 
the Administrator may reasonably require. 
‘‘(C) REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF APPLICA-
TIONS FOR GRANTS.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Adminis-
trator— 
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‘‘(I) shall review each application 
submitted under subparagraph (B), 
based on the information described in 
such subparagraph and the criteria 
set forth under clause (ii) of this sub-
paragraph; and 
‘‘(II) as part of the final selection 
process, may, at the discretion of the 
Administrator, conduct a site visit to 
each women’s business center for 
which a grant under this subsection is 
sought, in particular to evaluate the 
women’s business center using the se-
lection criteria described in clause 
(ii)(II). 
‘‘(ii) SELECTION CRITERIA.— 
‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The Admin-
istrator shall evaluate applicants for 
grants under this subsection in ac-
cordance with selection criteria that 
are— 
‘‘(aa) established before the 
date on which applicants are re-
quired to submit the applications; 
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‘‘(bb) stated in terms of rel-
ative importance; and 
‘‘(cc) publicly available and 
stated in each solicitation for ap-
plications for grants under this 
subsection made by the Adminis-
trator. 
‘‘(II) REQUIRED CRITERIA.—The 
selection criteria for a grant under 
this subsection shall include— 
‘‘(aa) the total number of 
entrepreneurs served by the ap-
plicant; 
‘‘(bb) the total number of 
new startup companies assisted 
by the applicant; 
‘‘(cc) the percentage of cli-
ents of the applicant that are so-
cially or economically disadvan-
taged; 
‘‘(dd) the percentage of indi-
viduals in the community served 
by the applicant who are socially 
or economically disadvantaged; 
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‘‘(ee) the successful partici-
pation of the applicant in the 
training 
program 
developed 
under subsection (g)(4)(C); 
‘‘(ff) the successful accredi-
tation of the applicant under the 
accreditation program developed 
under subsection (g)(6); and 
‘‘(gg) any additional criteria 
that the Administrator may rea-
sonably require. 
‘‘(iii) CONDITIONS
FOR
CONTINUED 
FUNDING.—In determining whether to 
make a grant under this subsection, the 
Administrator— 
‘‘(I) shall consider the results of 
the most recent evaluation of the 
women’s business center for which a 
grant under this subsection is sought, 
and, to a lesser extent, previous eval-
uations; and 
‘‘(II) may withhold a grant under 
this subsection, if the Administrator 
determines that the applicant has 
failed to provide the information re-
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quired to be provided under this para-
graph, or the information provided by 
the applicant is inadequate. 
‘‘(D) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 60 
days after the date of each deadline to submit 
applications, the Administrator shall approve or 
deny any application under this paragraph and 
notify the applicant for each such application of 
the approval or denial. 
‘‘(E) RECORD RETENTION.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 
shall maintain a copy of each application 
submitted under this paragraph for not 
less than 5 years. 
‘‘(ii) PAPERWORK
REDUCTION.—The 
Administrator shall take steps to reduce, 
to the maximum extent practicable, the pa-
perwork burden associated with carrying 
out clause (i).’’; and 
(B) by striking paragraph (5) and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(5) AWARD TO PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS.—There 
shall be no limitation on the number of times the 
Administrator may award a grant to an applicant 
under this subsection.’’. 
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