IB 
Union Calendar No. 190 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4405 
[Report No. 116–239] 
To amend the Small Business Act to improve the women’s business center 
program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 
Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas (for herself and Mr. HAGEDORN) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Small Business 
OCTOBER 17, 2019 
Additional sponsors: Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. EVANS, Ms. HOULAHAN, Mr. 
PAPPAS, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. NORTON, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. CASE, Mr. 
STAUBER, Ms. MENG, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Mr. LUJA´N, Ms. 
ESCOBAR, Mr. CARBAJAL, Ms. MOORE, and Ms. STEVENS 
OCTOBER 17, 2019 
Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union 
and ordered to be printed 
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A BILL 
To amend the Small Business Act to improve the women’s 
business center program, and for other purposes. 
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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 Business 
Centers Improvements Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER 
PROGRAM. 
Section 29 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656) 
is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 29. WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) ASSISTANT
ADMINISTRATOR.—The term 
‘Assistant Administrator’ means the Assistant Ad-
ministrator of the Office of Women’s Business Own-
ership established under subsection (k). 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en-
tity’ means— 
‘‘(A) an organization described in section 
501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) 
of such Code; 
‘‘(B) a State, regional, or local economic 
development organization, so long as the orga-
nization certifies that grant funds received 
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under this section will not be commingled with 
other funds; 
‘‘(C) an institution of higher education (as 
defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)), unless such in-
stitution is currently receiving a grant under 
section 21; 
‘‘(D) a development, credit, or finance cor-
poration chartered by a State, so long as the 
corporation certifies that grant funds received 
under this section will not be commingled with 
other funds; or 
‘‘(E) any combination of entities listed in 
subparagraphs (A) through (D). 
‘‘(3) SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN OWNED AND 
CONTROLLED BY WOMEN.—The term ‘small business 
concern owned and controlled by women’ has the 
meaning given under section 3(n). 
‘‘(4) WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER.—The term 
‘women’s business center’ means the location at 
which counseling and training on the management, 
operations (including manufacturing, services, and 
retail), access to capital, international trade, Govern-
ment procurement opportunities, and any other mat-
ter that is needed to start, maintain, or expand a 
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small business concern owned and controlled by 
women. 
‘‘(5) WOMEN’S
BUSINESS
CENTER
ASSOCIA-
TION.—The term ‘Women’s Business Center Asso-
ciation’ means a membership organization formed by 
women’s business centers to pursue matters of com-
mon concern. 
‘‘(b) AUTHORITY.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a 
Women’s Business Center Program under which the 
Administrator may provide a grant to any eligible 
entity to operate one or more women’s business cen-
ters for the benefit of small business concerns owned 
and controlled by women. 
‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—The women’s business 
centers shall be designed to provide counseling and 
training that meets the needs of the small business 
concerns owned and controlled by women, especially 
socially or economically disadvantaged women, and 
shall provide— 
‘‘(A) financial assistance, including train-
ing and counseling in how to apply for and se-
cure business credit and investment capital, 
preparing and presenting financial statements, 
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and managing cash flow and other financial op-
erations of a small business concern; 
‘‘(B) management assistance, including 
training and counseling in how to plan, orga-
nize, staff, direct, and control each major activ-
ity and function of a small business concern; 
and 
‘‘(C) marketing assistance, including train-
ing and counseling in identifying and seg-
menting domestic and international market op-
portunities, preparing and executing marketing 
plans, developing pricing strategies, locating 
contract opportunities, negotiating contracts, 
and utilizing varying public relations and adver-
tising techniques. 
‘‘(3) TYPES OF GRANTS.— 
‘‘(A) INITIAL GRANT.—The amount of an 
initial grant, which shall be for a 5-year term, 
provided under this subsection to an eligible en-
tity shall be not more than $300,000 annually 
(as such amount is annually adjusted by the 
Administrator to reflect the change in infla-
tion). 
‘‘(B) CONTINUATION
GRANTS.—The Ad-
ministrator may award a continuation grant, 
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which shall be for a 5-year term, of not more 
than $300,000 annually (as such amount is an-
nually adjusted by the Administrator to reflect 
the change in inflation) to an eligible entity 
that received an initial grant under subpara-
graph (A). There shall be no limitation on the 
number of continuation grants an eligible entity 
may receive under this section. 
‘‘(c) APPLICATION.— 
‘‘(1) INITIAL
GRANTS
AND
CONTINUATION 
GRANTS.—To receive an initial grant or continuation 
grant under this section, an eligible entity shall sub-
mit an application to the Administrator in such 
form, in such manner, and containing such informa-
tion as the Administrator may require, including— 
‘‘(A) a certification that the eligible enti-
ty— 
‘‘(i) has designated an executive direc-
tor or program manager, who may be com-
pensated using grant funds awarded under 
this section or other sources, to manage 
the women’s business center for which a 
grant under subsection (b) is sought; and 
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‘‘(ii) meets accounting and reporting 
requirements established by the Director of 
the Office of Management and Budget; 
‘‘(B) information demonstrating the expe-
rience and effectiveness of the eligible entity 
in— 
‘‘(i) providing counseling and training 
described under subsection (b)(2); 
‘‘(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; 
and 
‘‘(C) a 5-year plan that— 
‘‘(i) includes information relating to 
the assistance to be provided by the wom-
en’s business center in the area in which 
the women’s business center is located; 
‘‘(ii) describes the ability of the eligi-
ble entity to meet the needs of the market 
to be served by the women’s business cen-
ter, including the ability to obtain the 
matching funds required under subsection 
(e); and 
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‘‘(iii) describes the ability of the eligi-
ble entity to provide counseling and train-
ing described under subsection (b)(2), in-
cluding to a representative number of 
women who are socially or economically 
disadvantaged. 
‘‘(2) RECORD RETENTION.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator 
shall maintain a copy of each application sub-
mitted under this subsection for not less than 
5 years. 
‘‘(B) PAPERWORK REDUCTION.—The Ad-
ministrator shall take steps to reduce, to the 
maximum extent practicable, the paperwork 
burden associated with carrying out subpara-
graph (A). 
‘‘(d) SELECTION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In selecting recipients of 
initial grants, the Administrator shall consider— 
‘‘(A) the experience of the applicant in pro-
viding entrepreneurial training; 
‘‘(B) the amount of time needed for the 
applicant to commence operation of a women’s 
business center; 
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‘‘(C) in consultation with a Women’s Busi-
ness Center Association, the capacity of the ap-
plicant to meet the accreditation standards es-
tablished under subsection (k)(4) in a timely 
manner; 
‘‘(D) the ability of the applicant to sustain 
operations, including the applicant’s ability to 
obtain sufficient non-Federal funds, for a 5- 
year period; 
‘‘(E) the proposed location of a women’s 
business center to be operated by the applicant 
and the location’s proximity to Veteran Busi-
ness Outreach Centers and to recipients of 
grants under section 8(b)(1) or 21; 
‘‘(F) the population density of the area to 
be served by the women’s business center oper-
ated by the applicant; and 
‘‘(G) the advice and counsel of a Women’s 
Business Center Association to determine areas 
with unmet needs and the likelihood that the 
recipient will become accredited. 
‘‘(2) SELECTION CRITERIA.— 
‘‘(A) RULEMAKING.—The Administrator 
shall issue regulations to specify the criteria for 
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review and selection of applicants under this 
subsection. 
‘‘(B) MODIFICATIONS PROHIBITED AFTER 
ANNOUNCEMENT.—With respect to a public an-
nouncement of any opportunity to be awarded 
a grant under this section made by the Admin-
istrator pursuant to subsection (l)(1), the Ad-
ministrator may not modify regulations issued 
pursuant to subparagraph (A) with respect to 
such opportunity unless required to do so by an 
Act of Congress or an order of a Federal court. 
‘‘(C) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing 
in this paragraph may be construed as prohib-
iting the Administrator from modifying the reg-
ulations issued pursuant to subparagraph (A) 
(after providing an opportunity for notice and 
comment) as such regulations apply to an op-
portunity to be awarded a grant under this sec-
tion that the Administrator has not yet publicly 
announced pursuant to subsection (l)(1). 
‘‘(e) MATCHING REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (5), 
upon approval of an application submitted under 
subsection (c), the eligible entity shall agree to ob-
tain contributions from non-Federal sources— 
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‘‘(A) in the first and second year of the 
term of an initial grant, if applicable, 1 non- 
Federal dollar for each 2 Federal dollars; and 
‘‘(B) in each subsequent year of the term 
of an initial grant, if applicable, or for the term 
of a continuation grant, 1 non-Federal dollar 
for each Federal dollar. 
‘‘(2) FORM OF MATCHING FUNDS.—Not more 
than one-half of non-Federal matching funds de-
scribed under paragraph (1) may be in the form of 
in-kind contributions that are budget line items only, 
including office equipment and office space. 
‘‘(3) 
SOLICITATION.—Notwithstanding 
any 
other provision of law, an eligible entity may— 
‘‘(A) solicit cash and in-kind contributions 
from private individuals and entities to be used 
to operate a women’s business center; and 
‘‘(B) use amounts made available by the 
Administrator under this section for the cost of 
such solicitation and management of the con-
tributions received. 
‘‘(4) DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS.—The Admin-
istrator may disburse an amount not greater than 
25 percent of the total amount of a grant awarded 
to an eligible entity before such eligible entity ob-
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tains the non-Federal matching funds described 
under paragraph (1). 
‘‘(5) FAILURE TO OBTAIN MATCHING FUNDS.— 
If an eligible entity fails to obtain the required 
matching funds described under paragraph (1), the 
eligible entity may not be eligible to receive advance 
disbursements pursuant to paragraph (4) during the 
remainder of the term, if applicable, of an initial 
grant awarded under this section. Before approving 
such eligible entity for a continuation grant under 
this section, the Administrator shall make a written 
determination, including the reasons for such deter-
mination, of whether the Administrator believes that 
the eligible entity will be able to obtain the requisite 
funding under paragraph (1) for such continuation 
grant. 
‘‘(6) WAIVER OF NON-FEDERAL SHARE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Upon request by an 
eligible entity, and in accordance with this para-
graph, the Administrator may waive, in whole 
or in part, the requirement to obtain non-Fed-
eral matching funds for a grant awarded under 
this section for the eligible entity for a one-year 
term of the grant. The Administrator may not 
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issue such a waiver for more than a total of 2 
consecutive one-year terms. 
‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining 
whether to issue a waiver under this paragraph, 
the Administrator shall consider— 
‘‘(i) the economic conditions affecting 
the eligible entity; 
‘‘(ii) the demonstrated ability of the 
eligible entity to raise non-Federal funds; 
and 
‘‘(iii) the performance of the eligible 
entity under the initial grant. 
‘‘(C) 
LIMITATION.—The 
Administrator 
may not issue a waiver under this paragraph if 
the Administrator determines that granting the 
waiver would undermine the credibility of the 
Women’s Business Center Program. 
‘‘(7) EXCESS
NON-FEDERAL
DOLLARS.—The 
amount of non-Federal dollars obtained by an eligi-
ble entity that is above the amount that is required 
to be obtained by the eligible entity under this sub-
section shall not be subject to the requirements of 
part 200 of title 2, Code of Federal Regulations, or 
any successor thereto, if such amount of non-Fed-
eral dollars— 
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