Title: To amend the Small Business Act to clarify the responsibilities of Business Opportunity Specialists, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Commerce

Summary:
This bill amends the Small Business Act to declare that the exclusive duties of a Business Opportunity Specialist reporting to the senior official (or designee) appointed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) with certain SBA loan responsibilities, including the procurement program for small business concerns owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans and the Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) program, shall be to implement specified SBA loan programs, and complete other duties related to contracting programs.
Such duties shall include:

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1641 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1641

  To amend the Small Business Act to clarify the responsibilities of 
       Business Opportunity Specialists, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 20, 2017

    Ms. Maxine Waters of California (for herself and Ms. Velazquez) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             Small Business

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Small Business Act to clarify the responsibilities of 
       Business Opportunity Specialists, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. RESPONSIBILITIES OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY SPECIALISTS.

    Section 4(g) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 633(g)) is 
amended--
            (1) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Certification 
        Requirements for'';
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and (B) as 
                clauses (i) and (ii), respectively (and conforming the 
                margins accordingly);
                    (B) by amending clause (ii) (as so redesignated) to 
                read as follows:
                            ``(ii) Application.--The requirements of 
                        clause (i) shall be included in any initial job 
                        posting for the position of a Business 
                        Opportunity Specialist and shall apply to any 
                        person appointed as a Business Opportunity 
                        Specialist after January 3, 2013.''; and
                    (C) in clause (i) (as so redesignated), by striking 
                ``paragraph (1)'' and inserting ``subparagraph (A)'';
            (3) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 
        subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively (and conforming the 
        margins accordingly);
            (4) in subparagraph (A) (as so redesignated), by striking 
        ``paragraph (2)'' and inserting ``subparagraph (B)''; and
            (5) by inserting before subparagraph (A) (as so 
        redesignated) the following:
            ``(1) Duties.--The exclusive duties of a Business 
        Opportunity Specialist employed by the Administrator and 
        reporting to the senior official appointed by the Administrator 
        with responsibilities under sections 8, 15, 31, and 36 (or the 
        designee of such official) shall be to implement sections 7, 8, 
        and 45 and to complete other duties related to contracting 
        programs under this Act. Such duties shall include--
                    ``(A) with respect to small business concerns 
                eligible to receive contracts and subcontracts pursuant 
                to section 8(a)--
                            ``(i) providing guidance, counseling, and 
                        referrals for assistance with technical, 
                        management, financial, or other matters that 
                        will improve the competitive viability of such 
                        concerns;
                            ``(ii) identifying causes of success or 
                        failure of such concerns;
                            ``(iii) providing comprehensive assessments 
                        of such concerns, including identifying the 
                        strengths and weaknesses of such concerns;
                            ``(iv) monitoring and documenting 
                        compliance with the requirements of sections 7 
                        and 8 and any regulations implementing those 
                        sections;
                            ``(v) explaining the requirements of 
                        sections 7, 8, 15, 31, 36, and 45; and
                            ``(vi) advising on compliance with 
                        contracting regulations (including the Federal 
                        Acquisition Regulation) after award of such a 
                        contract or subcontract;
                    ``(B) reviewing and monitoring compliance with 
                mentor-protege agreements under section 45;
                    ``(C) representing the interests of the 
                Administrator and small business concerns in the award, 
                modification, and administration of contracts and 
                subcontracts awarded pursuant to section 8(a); and
                    ``(D) reporting fraud or abuse under section 7, 8, 
                15, 31, 36, or 45 or any regulations implementing such 
                sections.
            ``(2) Certification requirements.--''.
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