I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5348 
To require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to 
establish an Innovation Voucher Grant Program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 6, 2019 
Mr. CROW (for himself and Mr. BURCHETT) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Small Business 
A BILL 
To require the Administrator of the Small Business Adminis-
tration to establish an Innovation Voucher Grant Pro-
gram. 
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 ‘‘Small Business Inno-
vation Voucher Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Small Busi-
ness Administration. 
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(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means— 
(A) an institution of higher education, as 
defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001); or 
(B) a nonprofit research lab, institution, or 
other similar organization in the United States 
associated with educational or research activi-
ties. 
(3) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Program’’ means 
the Innovation Voucher Grant Program established 
under section 3. 
(4) SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN; SMALL BUSI-
NESS CONCERN OWNED AND CONTROLLED BY VET-
ERANS; SMALL
BUSINESS
CONCERN
OWNED
AND 
CONTROLLED BY WOMEN.—The terms ‘‘small busi-
ness concern’’, ‘‘small business concern owned and 
controlled by veterans’’, and ‘‘small business concern 
owned and controlled by women’’ have the meanings 
given those terms in section 3 of the Small Business 
Act (15 U.S.C. 632). 
(5) SMALL
BUSINESS
CONCERN
OWNED
AND 
CONTROLLED BY SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DIS-
ADVANTAGED INDIVIDUALS.—The term ‘‘small busi-
ness concern owned and controlled by socially and 
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economically disadvantaged individuals’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 8(d)(3)(C) of the 
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(3)(C)). 
SEC. 3. INNOVATION VOUCHER GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 
establish a program to be known as the ‘‘Innovation 
Voucher Grant Program’’ under which the Administrator 
shall, on a competitive basis and in accordance with sub-
section (f), award to small business concerns grants for 
the Federal share of the cost of purchasing from eligible 
entities technical assistance and services necessary to 
carry out projects to advance research, development, or 
commercialization of new or innovative products and serv-
ices. 
(b) APPLICATION.—A small business concern desiring 
a grant under the Program shall submit to the Adminis-
trator an application with the eligible entity from which 
the small business concern will purchase technical assist-
ance and services using funds awarded under the grant. 
(c) EVALUATION.—In evaluating an application for 
a grant under the Program, the Administrator shall take 
into consideration— 
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(1) the likelihood that funds awarded under the 
grant will be used to create or advance a novel prod-
uct or service; 
(2) the feasibility of creating or advancing a 
novel product or service proposed to be created or 
advanced using funds awarded under the grant; and 
(3) whether creating or advancing a product or 
service proposed to be created or advanced using 
funds awarded under the grant could be accom-
plished without a grant awarded under the Program. 
(d) PRIORITY.—In making grants under the Pro-
gram, the Administrator shall give priority to an applica-
tion submitted by— 
(1) a small business concern owned and con-
trolled by socially and economically disadvantaged 
individuals, including minorities; 
(2) a small business concern owned and con-
trolled by women; 
(3) a small business concern owned and con-
trolled by veterans; 
(4) a small business concern that is located in 
a rural area; or 
(5) a small business concern located in a region 
or State that has historically been underserved by 
Federal research and development funds. 
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(e) AMOUNT.—A grant made under the Program 
shall be made in an amount of not less than $25,000 and 
not more than $100,000. 
(f) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the cost 
of purchasing technical assistance and services described 
in subsection (a) using funds awarded under a grant made 
under the Program shall be not more than 75 percent. 
(g) REPORTS.— 
(1) REPORTS FROM GRANT RECIPIENTS.—Not 
later than 180 days after the date on which a 
project carried out under a grant awarded under the 
Program is completed, the recipient of the grant 
shall submit to the Administrator a report on the 
project, including— 
(A) whether and how the project met the 
original expectations for the project; 
(B) how the results of the project were in-
corporated in the business of the grant recipi-
ent; and 
(C) whether and how the project improved 
innovation practices of the grant recipient. 
(2) REPORT
OF
THE
ADMINISTRATOR.—Not 
later than 3 years after the date on which the Ad-
ministrator establishes the Program, and every 2 
years thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to 
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the Committee on Small Business and Entrepre-
neurship of the Senate and the Committee on Small 
Business of the House of Representatives a report 
on grants awarded under the Program, including— 
(A) a description of the grants awarded; 
(B) the estimated number of products or 
services created or advanced under grants 
awarded under the Program that could have 
been created or advanced without grants award-
ed under the Program; and 
(C) a description of the impact of the Pro-
gram on knowledge transfer and commercializa-
tion. 
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Admin-
istrator to carry out the Program $10,000,000 for each 
of fiscal years 2020 through 2024, to remain available 
until expended. 
Æ 
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