‘‘SEC. 21A. SMALL BUSINESS REGULATORY ASSISTANCE. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following 
definitions apply: 
‘‘(1) ASSOCIATION.—The term ‘Association’ 
means the association recognized by the Adminis-
trator of the Small Business Administration under 
section 21(a)(3)(A). 
‘‘(2) PARTICIPATING SMALL BUSINESS DEVEL-
OPMENT
CENTER.—The term ‘participating Small 
Business Development Center’ means a Small Busi-
ness Development Center participating in the pro-
gram. 
‘‘(3) PROGRAM.—The term ‘program’ means 
the regulatory assistance program established under 
this section. 
‘‘(4) REGULATORY COMPLIANCE ASSISTANCE.— 
The term ‘regulatory compliance assistance’ means 
assistance provided by a Small Business Develop-
ment Center to a small business concern to enable 
the concern to comply with Federal regulatory re-
quirements. 
‘‘(5) SMALL
BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT
CEN-
TER.—The term ‘Small Business Development Cen-
ter’ means a lead Small Business Development Cen-
ter described in section 21.
‘‘(6) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means each of 
the several States, the District of Columbia, the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, 
Guam, and American Samoa. 
‘‘(b) AUTHORITY.—In accordance with this section, 
the Administrator shall establish a program to provide 
regulatory compliance assistance to small business con-
cerns through selected Small Business Development Cen-
ters, the Association of Small Business Development Cen-
ters, and Federal compliance partnership programs. 
‘‘(c) SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the pro-
gram, the Administrator shall enter into arrange-
ments with selected Small Business Development 
Centers under which such Centers shall provide— 
‘‘(A) access to information and resources, 
including current Federal and State nonpuni-
tive compliance and technical assistance pro-
grams similar to those established under section 
507 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7661f); 
‘‘(B) training and educational activities; 
‘‘(C) confidential, free-of-charge, one-on- 
one, in-depth counseling to the owners and op-
erators of small business concerns regarding 
compliance with Federal and State regulations,
as long as such counseling is not considered to 
be the practice of law in a State in which a 
Small Business Development Center is located 
or in which such counseling is conducted; 
‘‘(D) technical assistance; 
‘‘(E) referrals to experts and other pro-
viders of compliance assistance who meet such 
standards for educational, technical, and profes-
sional competency as are established by the Ad-
ministrator; and 
‘‘(F) access to the Internet and training on 
Internet use, including the use of the Internet 
website established by the Administrator under 
subsection (d)(1)(C). 
‘‘(2) REPORTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each selected Small 
Business Development Center shall transmit to 
the Administrator a quarterly report that in-
cludes— 
‘‘(i) a summary of the regulatory com-
pliance assistance provided by the center 
under the program; and 
‘‘(ii) any data and information ob-
tained by the center from a Federal agency 
regarding regulatory compliance that the
agency intends to be disseminated to small 
business concerns. 
‘‘(B) ELECTRONIC FORM.—Each report re-
quired under subparagraph (A) shall be trans-
mitted in electronic form. 
‘‘(C) INTERIM REPORTS.—A participating 
Small Business Development Center may trans-
mit to the Administrator such interim reports 
as the Center considers appropriate. 
‘‘(D) LIMITATION
ON
DISCLOSURE
RE-
QUIREMENTS.—The Administrator shall not re-
quire a Small Business Development Center to 
disclose the name or address of any small busi-
ness concern that received or is receiving assist-
ance under the program, except that the Ad-
ministrator shall require such a disclosure if or-
dered to do so by a court in any civil or crimi-
nal action. 
‘‘(d) DATA REPOSITORY AND CLEARINGHOUSE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the pro-
gram, the Administrator shall— 
‘‘(A) act as the repository of and clearing-
house for data and information submitted by 
Small Business Development Centers;
‘‘(B) submit to the President, the Com-
mittee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship 
of the Senate, and the Committee on Small 
Business of the House of Representatives an 
annual report that includes— 
‘‘(i) a description of the types of as-
sistance provided by participating Small 
Business Development Centers under the 
program; 
‘‘(ii) data regarding the number of 
small business concerns that contacted 
participating Small Business Development 
Centers regarding assistance under the 
program; 
‘‘(iii) data regarding the number of 
small business concerns assisted by partici-
pating Small Business Development Cen-
ters under the program; 
‘‘(iv) data and information regarding 
outreach activities conducted by partici-
pating Small Business Development Cen-
ters under the program, including any ac-
tivities conducted in partnership with Fed-
eral agencies;
‘‘(v) data and information regarding 
each case known to the Administrator in 
which one or more Small Business Devel-
opment Centers offered conflicting advice 
or information regarding compliance with a 
Federal or State regulation to one or more 
small business concerns; 
‘‘(vi) any recommendations for im-
provements in the regulation of small busi-
ness concerns; and 
‘‘(vii) a list of regulations identified 
by the Administrator, after consultation 
with the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the 
Administration, who shall review such list, 
and the Small Business and Agriculture 
Regulatory Enforcement Ombudsman, as 
being most burdensome to small business 
concerns, and recommendations to reduce 
or eliminate the burdens of such regula-
tions; and 
‘‘(C) establish an Internet website that— 
‘‘(i) provides access to Federal, State, 
academic, and industry association Inter-
net websites containing industry-specific 
regulatory compliance information that the
Administrator deems potentially useful to 
small businesses attempting to comply with 
Federal regulations; and 
‘‘(ii) arranges such Internet websites 
in industry-specific categories. 
‘‘(e) REVIEW OF BURDENSOME REGULATIONS AND 
PETITION FOR AGENCY REVIEW.— 
‘‘(1) TRANSMISSION OF LIST OF REGULATIONS 
TO CHIEF COUNSEL FOR ADVOCACY.—The Adminis-
trator shall transmit to the Chief Counsel for Advo-
cacy of the Administration a copy of the list of regu-
lations submitted under subsection (d)(1)(B) as part 
of the annual report required by that subsection. 
‘‘(2) REVIEW OF LIST OF REGULATIONS.—The 
Chief Counsel for Advocacy shall review the list of 
regulations transmitted under paragraph (1) and 
identify any regulation that— 
‘‘(A) is eligible for review in accordance 
with section 610 of title 5, United States Code; 
‘‘(B) has a significant impact on a sub-
stantial number of small business concerns that 
is substantially different from the impact indi-
cated in the final regulatory flexibility analysis 
for that regulation, as published with the final 
regulation in the Federal Register; or
‘‘(C) has a significant impact on a sub-
stantial number of small business concerns and 
for which no final regulatory flexibility analysis 
was ever performed. 
‘‘(3) NOTIFICATION
AND
AGENCY
REVIEW.— 
With respect to any regulation identified under para-
graph (2) the Chief Counsel for Advocacy shall— 
‘‘(A) notify the appropriate Federal rule-
making agency and the Office of Information 
and Regulatory Affairs of the Office of Manage-
ment of the identification of such rule or regu-
lation; and 
‘‘(B) request the review of such regula-
tion— 
‘‘(i) in accordance with section 610 of 
title 5, United States Code; or 
‘‘(ii) for any impact it has on small 
business concerns. 
‘‘(4) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Chief Counsel for 
Advocacy shall publish an annual report containing 
a list of any regulation identified under paragraph 
(2) and the disposition by the appropriate agency. 
‘‘(f) ELIGIBILITY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A Small Business Develop-
ment Center shall be eligible to receive assistance
under the program only if the center is certified 
under section 21(k)(2). 
‘‘(2) WAIVER.—With respect to a Small Busi-
ness Development Center seeking assistance under 
the program, the Administrator may waive the cer-
tification requirement set forth in paragraph (1) if 
the Administrator determines that the center is 
making a good faith effort to obtain such certifi-
cation. 
‘‘(g) SELECTION
OF PARTICIPATING STATE PRO-
GRAMS.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—In con-
sultation with the Association and giving substantial 
weight to the Association’s recommendations, the 
Administrator shall select the Small Business Devel-
opment Center programs of 2 States from each of 
the following groups of States to participate in the 
program: 
‘‘(A) Group 1: Maine, Massachusetts, New 
Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont, and Rhode 
Island. 
‘‘(B) Group 2: New York, New Jersey, 
Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
‘‘(C) Group 3: Pennsylvania, Maryland, 
West Virginia, Virginia, the District of Colum-
bia, and Delaware. 
‘‘(D) Group 4: Georgia, Alabama, North 
Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, 
Kentucky, and Tennessee. 
‘‘(E) Group 5: Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, In-
diana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. 
‘‘(F) Group 6: Texas, New Mexico, Arkan-
sas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. 
‘‘(G) Group 7: Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, 
and Kansas. 
‘‘(H) Group 8: Colorado, Wyoming, North 
Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Utah. 
‘‘(I) Group 9: California, Guam, Hawaii, 
Nevada, and Arizona. 
‘‘(J) Group 10: Washington, Alaska, 
Idaho, and Oregon. 
‘‘(2) DEADLINE
FOR
INITIAL
SELECTIONS.— 
The Administrator shall make selections under para-
graph (1) not later than 60 days after promulgation 
of regulations under subsection (k). 
‘‘(3) ADDITIONAL
SELECTIONS.—Not earlier 
than the date 3 years after the date of the enact-
ment of this paragraph, the Administrator may se-
lect Small Business Development Center programs 
of States in addition to those selected under para-
graph (1). The Administrator shall consider the ef-
fect on the programs selected under paragraph (1) 
before selecting additional programs under this 
paragraph. 
‘‘(4) COORDINATION
TO
AVOID
DUPLICATION 
WITH
OTHER
PROGRAMS.—In selecting programs 
under this subsection, the Administrator shall give a 
preference to Small Business Development Center 
programs that have a plan for consulting with Fed-
eral and State agencies to ensure that any assist-
ance provided under this section is not duplicated by 
an existing Federal or State program. 
‘‘(h) MATCHING NOT REQUIRED.—Subparagraphs 
(A) and (B) of section 21(a)(4) shall not apply to assist-
ance made available under the program. 
‘‘(i) DISTRIBUTION OF GRANTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), each State program selected to receive a 
grant under subsection (g) in a fiscal year shall be 
eligible to receive a grant in an amount not to ex-
ceed the product obtained by multiplying— 
‘‘(A) the amount made available for grants 
under this section for the fiscal year; and
‘‘(B) the ratio that the population of the 
State bears to the population of all the States 
with programs selected to receive grants under 
subsection (g) for the fiscal year. 
‘‘(2) 
MINIMUM
AMOUNT.—The 
minimum 
amount that a State program selected to receive a 
grant under subsection (g) shall be eligible to receive 
under this section for any fiscal year shall be 
$200,000. The Administrator shall reduce the 
amount described in paragraph (1) as appropriate to 
carry out the purposes of this paragraph and sub-
section (j)(2). 
‘‘(j) EVALUATION AND REPORT.—Not later than 3 
years after the establishment of the program, the Comp-
troller General of the United States shall conduct an eval-
uation of the program and shall transmit to the Adminis-
trator, the Committee on Small Business and Entrepre-
neurship of the Senate, and the Committee on Small Busi-
ness of the House of Representatives a report containing 
the results of the evaluation along with any recommenda-
tions as to whether the program, with or without modifica-
tion, should be extended to include the participation of all 
Small Business Development Centers. 
‘‘(k) PROMULGATION OF REGULATIONS.—After pro-
viding notice and an opportunity for comment and after
consulting with the Association (but not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this section), the 
Administrator shall promulgate final regulations to carry 
out this section, including regulations that establish— 
‘‘(1) priorities for the types of assistance to be 
provided under the program; 
‘‘(2) standards relating to educational, tech-
nical, and support services to be provided by partici-
pating Small Business Development Centers; 
‘‘(3) standards relating to any national service 
delivery and support function to be provided by the 
Association under the program; 
‘‘(4) standards relating to any work plan that 
the Administrator may require a participating Small 
Business Development Center to develop; and 
‘‘(5) standards relating to the educational, tech-
nical, and professional competency of any expert or 
other assistance provider to whom a small business 
concern may be referred for compliance assistance 
under the program. 
‘‘(l) FUNDING.—Subject to amounts approved in ad-
vance in appropriations Acts and separate from amounts 
approved to carry out section 21(a)(1), the Administrator 
may make grants or enter into cooperative agreements to 
carry out this section.’’.
SEC. 208. REPORT. 
Not later than 18 months after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Administrator of the Small Business 
Administration shall submit to Congress a report evalu-
ating the effectiveness of the new Small Business Develop-
ment Center programs added by the amendments made 
by this title. 
TITLE III—SCORE 
SEC. 301. REPEAL OF ACTIVE CORPORATION OF EXECU-
TIVES. 
Section 8(b)(1)(B) of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 637(b)(1)(B)) is amended by striking ‘‘and an Ac-
tive Corps of Executive (ACE)’’. 
SEC. 302. INCREASING THE PROPORTION OF SCORE VOL-
UNTEERS FROM SOCIALLY AND ECONOMI-
CALLY DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUNDS. 
Section 8(b)(1) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
637(b)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(H) The Service Corps of Retired Execu-
tives (SCORE) established under subparagraph 
(B) shall carry out a plan to increase the pro-
portion of mentors who are from socially or eco-
nomically disadvantaged backgrounds. SCORE 
shall, on an annual basis, report to the Admin-
istrator on the implementation of this subpara-
graph.’’.
SEC. 303. BENCHMARK REPORTING. 
Section 8(b)(1) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
637(b)(1)), as amended by section 202, is further amend-
ed by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(I) The Service Corps of Retired Execu-
tives (SCORE) established under subparagraph 
(B) shall, in consultation with the Adminis-
trator, establish benchmarks for use in evalu-
ating the performance of its activities and the 
performance of its volunteers. The benchmarks 
shall include benchmarks relating to the demo-
graphic characteristics and the geographic char-
acteristics of persons assisted by SCORE, 
benchmarks relating to the hours spent men-
toring by volunteers, and benchmarks relating 
to the performance of the persons assisted by 
SCORE. SCORE shall, on an annual basis, re-
port to the Administrator on the extent to 
which the benchmarks established under this 
subparagraph are being attained.’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives June 20, 2007. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 2359 
AN ACT 
To reauthorize programs to assist small business 
concerns, and for other purposes.