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108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1154
To provide for the reauthorization of programs administered by the
Small Business Administration that assist small business concerns owned
and controlled by women, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 23, 2003
Ms. Snowe (for herself, Mr. Bond, and Mr. Burns) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Small Business and Entrepreneurship
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the reauthorization of programs administered by the
Small Business Administration that assist small business concerns owned
and controlled by women, 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 ``Women's Small Business Programs
Improvement Act of 2003''.
SEC. 2. OFFICE OF WOMEN'S BUSINESS OWNERSHIP.
Section 29(g) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(g)) is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (2)--
(A) in subparagraph (B)(i), by striking ``in the
areas of--
``(I) starting and operating''; and
inserting the following:
``to solve problems concerning operations,
manufacturing, technology, finance,
international trade, and other disciplines
required for--
``(I) starting, operating, and
growing'';
(B) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ``, the
National Women's Business Council, and the Association
of Women's Business Centers'' before the period at the
end; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Programs and services for women-owned small
businesses.--The Assistant Administrator, in consultation with
the Association of Women's Business Centers, the National
Women's Business Council, and the Interagency Committee on
Women's Business Enterprise, shall develop programs and
services for women-owned businesses (as defined in section 408
of the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 631
note)) that provide goods or services in the areas of--
``(A) manufacturing;
``(B) technology;
``(C) professional services;
``(D) travel and tourism;
``(E) international trade; and
``(F) Federal Government contract business
development.
``(4) Training.--The Administration shall provide
sufficient training for business ownership representatives and
technical representatives within the district offices of the
Administration to enable these staffs to carry out their
responsibilities under this section.''.
SEC. 3. WOMEN'S BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM.
(a) Women's Business Center Grants Program.--Section 29 of the
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656) is amended by striking subsection
(b) through (f) and inserting the following:
``(b) Grants Authorized.--
``(1) In general.--The Administration is authorized to
award grants, to be known as `Women's Business Center Grants',
to private nonprofit organizations to conduct 3-year projects
for the benefit of small business concerns owned and controlled
by women. At the end of the initial 3-year grant period, and
every 3 years thereafter, the grant recipient may apply to
renew the grant in accordance with this subsection and
subsection (e)(2).
``(2) Contract authority.--
``(A) In general.--The Administration may enter
into annual contracts with grant recipients under this
subsection to perform the services described under
paragraph (3) only to the extent and in the amount
provided by appropriated funds.
``(B) Termination.--If any grant recipient under
this subsection does not fulfill its contractual
obligations during the 3-year period of the grant, the
Administration may terminate the grant.
``(3) Use of funds.--Grants awarded under paragraph (1)
shall be used to provide--
``(A) financial assistance, including training and
counseling in how to apply for and secure business
credit and investment capital, preparing and presenting
financial statements, and managing cash flow and other
financial operations of a business concern;
``(B) management assistance, including training and
counseling in how to plan, organize, staff, direct, and
control each major activity and function of a small
business concern; and
``(C) marketing assistance, including training and
counseling in identifying and segmenting domestic and
international market opportunities, preparing and
executing marketing plans, developing pricing
strategies, locating contract opportunities,
negotiating contracts, and utilizing varying public
relations and advertising techniques.
``(4) Matching requirement.--
``(A) Women's business center grants.--As a
condition of receiving financial assistance under this
section, the grant recipient shall agree to obtain,
after its application has been approved and notice of
award has been issued, cash contributions from non-
Federal sources as follows:
``(i) In the first and second years, 1 non-
Federal dollar for each 2 Federal dollars
provided under the grant.
``(ii) In the third year, 1 non-Federal
dollar for each Federal dollar provided under
the grant.
``(iii) In each renewal period, 1 non-
Federal dollar for each Federal dollar provided
under the grant.
``(B) Form of non-federal contributions.--Not more
than \1/2\ of the non-Federal sector matching
assistance may be in the form of in-kind contributions
that are budget line items only, including office
equipment and office space.
``(C) Failure to obtain non-federal funding.--If
any grant recipient fails to obtain the required non-
Federal contribution during any project, it shall not
be eligible thereafter for advance disbursements
pursuant to subparagraph (D) during the remainder of
that project, or for any other project for which it is
or may be funded by the Administration. Before
approving assistance to the grant recipient for any
other projects, the Administration shall specifically
determine whether the Administration believes that the
grant recipient will be able to obtain the requisite
non-Federal funding and enter a written finding setting
forth the reasons for making such determination.
``(D) Form of federal contributions.--The financial
assistance authorized pursuant to this section may be
made by grant, contract, or cooperative agreement and
may contain such provision, as necessary, to provide
for payments in lump sum or installments, and in
advance or by way of reimbursement. The Administration
may disburse up to 25 percent of each year's Federal
share awarded to a grant recipient after notice of the
award has been issued and before the non-Federal sector
matching funds are obtained.
``(5) Application submission.--Each organization desiring a
grant under this subsection, shall submit to the Administration
an application that contains--
``(A) a certification that the applicant--
``(i) is a private nonprofit organization;
``(ii) employs an executive director or
program manager to manage the center; and
``(iii) as a condition of receiving a grant
under this subsection, agrees--
``(I) to receive a site visit as
part of the final selection process;
``(II) to undergo an annual
programmatic and financial examination;
and
``(III) to the maximum extent
practicable, to remedy any problems
identified pursuant to the site visit
or examination under subclauses (I) and
(II);
``(B) information demonstrating that the applicant
has the ability and resources to meet the needs of the
market to be served by the women's business center site
for which a grant is sought, including the ability to
comply with the matching requirement under paragraph
(4);
``(C) information relating to assistance provided
by the women's business center site for which a grant
is sought in the area in which the site is located,
including--
``(i) the number of individuals assisted;
``(ii) the number of hours of counseling,
training, and workshops provided; and
``(iii) the number of startup business
concerns created;
``(D) information demonstrating the effective
experience of the applicant in--
``(i) conducting financial, management, and
marketing assistance programs, as described
under paragraph (3), which are designed to
teach or upgrade the business skills of women
who are business owners or potential business
owners;
``(ii) providing training and services to a
representative number of women who are both
socially and economically disadvantaged; and
``(iii) using resource partners of the
Administration and other entities, such as
universities;
``(E) a 3-year plan that projects the ability of
the women's business center site for which a grant is
sought--
``(i) to serve women business owners or
potential owners in the future by improving
training and counseling activities; and
``(ii) to provide training and services to
a representative number of women who are both
socially and economically disadvantaged; and
``(F) any additional information that the
Administration may reasonably require.
``(6) Review and approval of applications.--
``(A) In general.--The Administration shall--
``(i) review each application submitted
under paragraph (5) based on the information
provided in such paragraph and the criteria set
forth under subparagraph (B); and
``(ii) as part of the final selection
process, conduct a site visit at each women's
business center for which a grant is sought.
``(B) Selection criteria.--
``(i) In general.--The Administration shall
evaluate and rank applicants in accordance with
predetermined selection criteria that shall be
stated in terms of relative importance. Such criteria and their
relative importance shall be made publicly available and stated in each
solicitation for applications made by the Administration.
``(ii) Required criteria.--The selection
criteria under clause (i) shall include--
``(I) the experience of the
applicant in conducting programs or
ongoing efforts designed to impart or
upgrade the business skills of women
business owners or potential owners;
``(II) the ability of the applicant
to commence a project within a minimum
amount of time;
``(III) the ability of the
applicant to provide training and
services to a representative number of
women who are both socially and
economically disadvantaged; and
``(IV) the location for the women's
business center site proposed by the
applicant.
``(C) Record retention.--The Administration shall
maintain a copy of each application submitted under
this subsection for not less than 7 years.
``(7) Data collection.--Consistent with the annual report
to Congress under subsection (g), each women's business center
site that is awarded a grant shall, to the maximum extent
practicable, collect information relating to--
``(A) the number of individuals assisted;
``(B) the number of hours of counseling and
training provided and workshops conducted;
``(C) the number of startup business concerns
formed;
``(D) any available gross receipts of assisted
concerns; and
``(E) the number of jobs created, maintained, or
lost at assisted concerns.
``(8) Savings provision.--Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, a contract or cooperative agreement, in
effect on the date of enactment of the Women's Small Business
Programs Improvement Act of 2003, that awards a sustainability
grant to a Women's Business Center, shall remain in full force
and effect under the terms, and for the duration, of such
contract or agreement.
``(c) Association of Women's Business Centers.--
``(1) Recognition.--The Administration shall recognize the
existence and activities of an association formed by the
Women's Business Centers to address matters of common concern.
``(2) Consultation.--The Administration shall consult with
the association described under paragraph (1) to develop--
``(A) a request for proposal to deliver assistance
under this section;
``(B) a training program for the staff of the
Women's Business Centers; and
``(C) policies and procedures for governing the
general operations and administration of the Women's
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