Title: Native Chamorro Equity Act
Policy area: Native Americans

Summary:
Native Chamorro Equity Act
This bill establishes a Chamorro Registry program. It also allows eligible Native Chamorro organizations to qualify for federal contracting opportunities through their participation in certain small business programs that are administered by the Small Business Administration.
First, the bill establishes a Chamorro Registry program under the Guam Department of Chamorro Affairs. The program must keep a database to serve as a genealogy bank to verify Native Chamorro ancestry requirements.
Next, it treats businesses owned by economically disadvantaged Native Chamorro organizations as socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses for purposes of the Minority Small Business and Capital Ownership Development program, which is commonly known as the 8(a) program. Further, it allows businesses that are owned by Native Chamorro organizations to participate in the Historically Underutilized Business Zone Empowerment Contracting (HUBZone) program.
The 8(a) program and the HUBZone program each limit competition for certain government contracts to participating small businesses.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7986 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7986

To provide for contracting with Native Chamorro Organizations, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 7, 2020

 Mr. San Nicolas introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on 
   Small Business, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for contracting with Native Chamorro Organizations, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Native Chamorro Equity Act''.

SEC. 2. CHAMORRO REGISTRY PROGRAM.

    The Organic Act of Guam (48 U.S.C. 1421 et seq.) is amended by 
inserting after section 3 the following:
    ``Sec. 4. (a) There is established under the Department of Chamorro 
Affairs the `Chamorro Registry Program' which shall keep a database to 
serve as a genealogy bank to verify Native Chamorro ancestry 
requirements. The President of the Department of Chamorro Affairs shall 
include in the database the name of any individual who submits to that 
President a request to be included and a copy of that individual's 
birth certificate and direct ancestors birth certificates that 
demonstrate that one or more of the individual's direct ancestors 
resided on Guam before August 1, 1950.
    ``(b)(1) In this section, the term `Native Chamorro' means an 
individual who can document that one or more of the individual's direct 
ancestors resided on Guam before August 1, 1950.
    ``(2) No residency or blood quantum amount shall be required for an 
individual to qualify as a `Native Chammoro' under paragraph (1).''.

SEC. 3. SMALL BUSINESS CONTRACTING FOR NATIVE CHAMORRO ORGANIZATIONS.

    (a) Native Chamorro Organization Defined.--Section 3 of the Small 
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection:
    ``(ff) Native Chamorro Organization.--
            ``(1) In general.--In this Act, the term `Native Chamorro 
        Organization' means any organization--
                    ``(A) that is a nonprofit corporation that has 
                filed articles of incorporation with the director (or 
                the designee thereof) of the Guam Department of Revenue 
                and Taxation, or any successor agency;
                    ``(B) that is controlled by Native Chamorros; and
                    ``(C) whose business activities will principally 
                benefit Native Chamorros.
            ``(2) Rule of construction.--The Administrator shall, to 
        the extent practicable, determine whether an organization is a 
        Native Chamorro Organization in the same manner as such 
        determination is made under section 8(a)(15) with respect to 
        Native Hawaiian Organizations.''.
    (b) Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Small Business 
Concern.--Section 8(a)(4) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
637(a)(4)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A)--
                    (A) in clause (i)--
                            (i) in subclause (II), by striking ``or'' 
                        at the end; and
                            (ii) by adding at the end the following new 
                        subclause:
                    ``(IV) an economically disadvantaged Native 
                Chamorro Organization, or''; and
                    (B) in clause (ii)--
                            (i) in subclause (II), by striking ``or'' 
                        at the end;
                            (ii) in subclause (III), by striking the 
                        period at the end and inserting ``, or''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following 
                        new subclause:
                    ``(IV) an economically disadvantaged Native 
                Chamorro Organization.''; and
            (2) in subparagraph (B)--
                    (A) in clause (ii), by striking ``or'' at the end;
                    (B) in clause (iii), by striking the period at the 
                end and inserting ``, or''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new clause:
            ``(iv) Native Chamorro Organizations described in 
        subparagraph (A)(i)(IV) or subparagraph (A)(ii)(IV).''.
    (c) HUBZone Small Business Concern.--Section 31(b)(2) (15 U.S.C. 
657a note) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (E)(ii), by striking ``or'' at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (F)(iii), by striking the period at the 
        end and inserting ``; or''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(G) a small business concern--
                            ``(i) that is wholly owned by one or more 
                        Native Chamorro Organizations, or by a 
                        corporation that is wholly owned by one or more 
                        Native Chamorro Organizations; or
                            ``(ii) that is owned in part by one or more 
                        Native Chamorro Organizations, or by a 
                        corporation that is wholly owned by one or more 
                        Native Chamorro Organizations, if all other 
                        owners are either United States citizens or 
                        small business concerns.''.
    (d) Findings.--Section 2(f)(1)(C) of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 631(f)(1)(C)) is amended by inserting ``Native Chamorro 
Organizations,'' after ``Native Hawaiian Organizations,''.
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