Centers to Indian tribe members, Alaska Natives, and 
Native Hawaiians. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Approximately 60 percent of Indian tribe 
members and Alaska Natives live on or adjacent to 
Indian lands, which suffer from an average unem-
ployment rate of 45 percent. 
(2) Indian tribe members and Alaska Natives 
own more than 197,000 businesses and generate more 
than $34,000,000,000 in revenues. The service indus-
try accounted for 17 percent of these businesses (of 
which 40 percent were engaged in business and per-
sonal services) and 15.1 percent of their total receipts. 
The next largest was the construction industry (13.9 
percent and 15.7 percent, respectively). The third 
largest was the retail trade industry (7.5 percent and 
13.4 percent, respectively). 
(3) The number of businesses owned by Indian 
tribe members and Alaska Natives grew by 84 percent 
from 1992 to 1997, and their gross receipts grew by 
179 percent in that period. This is compared to all 
businesses which grew by 7 percent, and their total 
gross receipts grew by 40 percent, in that period.
(4) The Small Business Development Center pro-
gram is cost effective. Clients receiving long-term 
counseling under the program in 1998 generated ad-
ditional tax revenues of $468,000,000, roughly 6 times 
the cost of the program to the Federal Government. 
(5) Using the existing infrastructure of the 
Small Business Development Center program, small 
businesses owned by Indian tribe members, Alaska 
Natives, and Native Hawaiians receiving services 
under the program will have a higher survival rate 
than the average small business not receiving such 
services. 
(6) Business counseling and technical assistance 
is critical on Indian lands where similar services are 
scarce and expensive. 
(7) Increased assistance through counseling 
under the Small Business Development Center pro-
gram has been shown to reduce the default rate associ-
ated with lending programs of the Small Business 
Administration. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are as fol-
lows: 
(1) To stimulate economies on Indian lands. 
(2) To foster economic development on Indian 
lands.
(3) To assist in the creation of new small busi-
nesses owned by Indian tribe members, Alaska Na-
tives, and Native Hawaiians and expand existing 
ones. 
(4) To provide management, technical, and re-
search assistance to small businesses owned by Indian 
tribe members, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawai-
ians. 
(5) To seek the advice of local Tribal Councils on 
where small business development assistance is most 
needed. 
(6) To ensure that Indian tribe members, Alaska 
Natives, and Native Hawaiians have full access to ex-
isting business counseling and technical assistance 
available through the Small Business Development 
Center program. 
SEC. 2. SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER ASSIST-
ANCE TO INDIAN TRIBE MEMBERS, ALASKA 
NATIVES, AND NATIVE HAWAIIANS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 21(a) of the Small Business 
Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(8) ADDITIONAL
GRANT
TO
ASSIST
INDIAN 
TRIBE MEMBERS, ALASKA NATIVES, AND NATIVE HA-
WAIIANS.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Any applicant in an 
eligible State that is funded by the Administra-
tion as a Small Business Development Center 
may apply for an additional grant to be used 
solely to provide services described in subsection 
(c)(3) to assist with outreach, development, and 
enhancement on Indian lands of small business 
startups and expansions owned by Indian tribe 
members, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawai-
ians. 
‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE STATES.—For purposes of 
subparagraph (A), an eligible State is a State 
that has a combined population of Indian tribe 
members, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians 
that comprises at least 1 percent of the State’s 
total population, as shown by the latest available 
census. 
‘‘(C) GRANT APPLICATIONS.—An applicant 
for a grant under subparagraph (A) shall submit 
to the Administration an application that is in 
such form as the Administration may require. 
The application shall include information re-
garding the applicant’s goals and objectives for 
the services to be provided using the grant, in-
cluding—