IB
Union Calendar No. 206
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1497
[Report No. 106–365]
To amend the Small Business Act with respect to the women’s business
center program.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 20, 1999
Mr. UDALL of New Mexico (for himself, Mr. THUNE, Mr. PASCRELL, Mrs.
KELLY, Mr. HILLIARD, Mr. MCINTYRE, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. BRADY of
Pennsylvania, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. PHELPS, Mr. ENGLISH, Mr. DAVIS
of Illinois, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. MOORE, and Mr. WEINER) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Small
Business
OCTOBER 5, 1999
Additional sponsors: Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. FROST, Mr.
BORSKI, Mr. BALDACCI, Ms. DEGETTE, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Ms.
NORTON, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mrs. NAPOLITANO,
Mr. ALLEN, Mrs. THURMAN, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mrs. TAUSCHER, Ms. KIL-
PATRICK, Ms. BERKLEY, Ms. GRANGER, Mrs. MALONEY of New York,
Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut, Mr. POMEROY, Mr. CAPUANO, and Mr.
BARRETT of Wisconsin
OCTOBER 5, 1999
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April 20, 1999]
A BILL
To amend the Small Business Act with respect to the
women’s business center 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 ‘‘Women’s Business Cen-
ters Sustainability Act of 1999’’.
SEC. 2. PRIVATE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.
Section 29 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656)
is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and
(3) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; and
(B) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(2) the term ‘private nonprofit organization’
means an entity described in section 501(c) of the In-
ternal Revenue Code of 1986 that is exempt from tax-
ation under section 501(a) of such Code;’’; and
(2) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘nonprofit’’
after ‘‘private’’.
SEC. 3. INCREASED MANAGEMENT OVERSIGHT AND REVIEW
OF WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTERS.
Section 29 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656)
is amended—
(1) by striking subsection (h) and inserting the
following:
‘‘(h) PROGRAM EXAMINATION.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administration shall—
‘‘(A) develop and implement procedures to
annually examine the programs and finances of
each women’s business center established pursu-
ant to this section, pursuant to which each such
center shall provide to the Administration—
‘‘(i) an itemized cost breakdown of ac-
tual expenditures for costs incurred during
the preceding year; and
‘‘(ii) 
documentation 
regarding 
the
amount of matching assistance from non-
Federal sources obtained and expended by
the center during the preceding year in
order to meet the requirements of subsection
(c) and, with respect to any in-kind con-
tributions described in subsection (c)(2) that
were used to satisfy the requirements of sub-
section (c), verification of the existence and
valuation of those contributions; and
‘‘(B) analyze the results of each such exam-
ination and, based on that analysis, make a de-
termination regarding the viability of the pro-
grams and finances of each women’s business
center.
‘‘(2) EXTENSION
OF
CONTRACTS.—In deter-
mining whether to extend or renew a contract with a
women’s business center, the Administration—
‘‘(A) shall consider the results of the most
recent examination of the center under para-
graph (1); and
‘‘(B) may withhold such extension or re-
newal, if the Administration determines that—
‘‘(i) the center has failed to provide
any information required to be provided
under clause (i) or (ii) of paragraph (1)(A),
or the information provided by the center is
inadequate; or
‘‘(ii) the center has failed to provide
any information required to be provided by
the center for purposes of the report of the
Administration under subsection (j), or the
information provided by the center is inad-
equate.’’; and
(2) by striking subsection (j) and inserting the
following:
‘‘(j) MANAGEMENT REPORT.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administration shall
prepare and submit to the Committees on Small
Business of the House of Representatives and the Sen-
ate a report on the effectiveness of all projects con-
ducted under this section.
‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each report submitted under
paragraph (1) shall include information concerning,
with respect to each women’s business center estab-
lished pursuant to this section—
‘‘(A) the number of individuals receiving
assistance;
‘‘(B) the number of startup business con-
cerns formed;
‘‘(C) the gross receipts of assisted concerns;
‘‘(D) the employment increases or decreases
of assisted concerns;
‘‘(E) to the maximum extent practicable,
increases or decreases in profits of assisted con-
cerns;
‘‘(F) documentation detailing the most re-
cent 
analysis 
undertaken 
under 
subsection
(h)(1)(B) and the determinations made by the
Administration with respect to that analysis;
and
‘‘(G) demographic data regarding the staff
of the center.’’.
SEC. 4. WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER SUSTAINABILITY
PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 29 of the Small Business
Act (15 U.S.C. 656) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
‘‘(l) SUSTAINABILITY PILOT PROGRAM.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is established a 4-year
pilot program under which the Administration is au-
thorized to make grants (referred to in this section as
‘sustainability grants’) on a competitive basis for an
additional 5-year project under this section to any
private nonprofit organization (or a division there-
of)—
‘‘(A) that has received financial assistance
under this section pursuant to a grant, contract,
or cooperative agreement; and
‘‘(B) that—
‘‘(i) is in the final year of a 5-year
project; or
‘‘(ii) to the extent that amounts are
available for such purpose under subsection
are both socially and economically dis-
advantaged;
‘‘(iii) using resource partners of the
Administration and other entities, such as
universities;
‘‘(iv) complying with the cooperative
agreement of the applicant; and
‘‘(v) prudently managing finances and
staffing, including the manner in which the
performance of the applicant compared to
the business plan of the applicant and the
manner in which grants made under sub-
section (b) were used by the applicant; and
‘‘(E) a 5-year plan that demonstrates the
ability of the women’s business center site for
which a sustainability grant is sought—
‘‘(i) to serve women business owners or
potential owners in the future by improving
fundraising and training activities; and
‘‘(ii) to provide training and services
to a representative number of women who
are both socially and economically dis-
advantaged.
‘‘(3) REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Administration
shall—
‘‘(i) review each application submitted
under paragraph (2) based on the informa-
tion provided under subparagraphs (D) and
(E) of that paragraph, and the criteria set
forth in subsection (f); and
‘‘(ii) approve or disapprove applica-
tions for sustainability grants simulta-
neously with applications for grants under
subsection (b).
‘‘(B) DATA COLLECTION.—Consistent with
the annual report to Congress under subsection
(j), each women’s business center site that re-
ceives a sustainability grant shall, to the max-
imum extent practicable, collect the information
relating to—
‘‘(i) the number of individuals assisted;
‘‘(ii) the number of hours of counseling
and training provided and workshops con-
ducted;
‘‘(iii) the number of startup business
concerns formed;
‘‘(iv) any available gross receipts of as-
sisted concerns; and
‘‘(v) the number of jobs created, main-
tained, or lost at assisted concerns.
‘‘(C) RECORD RETENTION.—The Adminis-
tration shall maintain a copy of each applica-
tion submitted under this subsection for not less
than 10 years.
‘‘(4) NON-FEDERAL CONTRIBUTION.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any
other provision of this section, as a condition of
receiving a sustainability grant, an organization
described in paragraph (1) shall agree to obtain,
after its application has been approved under
paragraph (3) and notice of award has been
issued, cash and in-kind contributions from non-
Federal sources for each year of additional pro-
gram participation in an amount equal to 1
non-Federal dollar for each Federal dollar.
‘‘(B) IN-KIND
CONTRIBUTIONS.—Not more
than 50 percent of the non-Federal assistance ob-
tained for purposes of subparagraph (A) may be
in the form of in-kind contributions that exist
only as budget line items, including such con-
tributions of office equipment and office space.
‘‘(5) TIMING OF REQUESTS FOR PROPOSALS.—In
carrying out this subsection, the Administration shall
issue requests for proposals for women’s business cen-
ters applying for the pilot program under this sub-
section simultaneously with requests for proposals for
grants under subsection (b).’’.
(b) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section
29(k) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(k)) is
amended—
(1) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the
following:
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be ap-
propriated, to remain available until the expiration
of the pilot program under subsection (l)—
‘‘(A) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2000;
‘‘(B) $12,800,000 for fiscal year 2001;
‘‘(C) $13,700,000 for fiscal year 2002; and
‘‘(D) $14,500,000 for fiscal year 2003.’’;
(2) in paragraph (2)—
(A) by striking ‘‘Amounts made’’ and in-
serting the following:
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in
subparagraph (B), amounts made’’; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—Of the total amount
made available under this subsection for a fiscal
year, the following amounts shall be available for
costs incurred in connection with the selection of
applicants for assistance under this subsection
and with monitoring and oversight of the pro-
gram authorized under this subsection:
‘‘(i) For fiscal year 2000, 2 percent of
such total amount.
‘‘(ii) For fiscal year 2001, 1.9 percent
of such total amount.
‘‘(iii) For fiscal year 2002, 1.9 percent
of such total amount.
‘‘(iv) For fiscal year 2003, 1.6 percent
of such total amount.’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(4) RESERVATION
OF
FUNDS
FOR
SUSTAIN-
ABILITY PILOT PROGRAM.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Of the total amount
made available under this subsection for a fiscal
year, the following amounts shall be reserved for
sustainability grants under subsection (l):
‘‘(i) For fiscal year 2000, 17 percent of
such total amount.
‘‘(ii) For fiscal year 2001, 18.8 percent
of such total amount.
‘‘(iii) For fiscal year 2002, 30.2 per-
cent of such total amount.