SCORE for Small Business Act of 2015 2015-06-10 Reported to Senate amended SCORE for Small Business Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) Amends the Small Business Act to reauthorize the SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) program for FY2015-FY2018 for Small Business Administration (SBA) grants or cooperative agreements that do not exceed a total of $10.5 million in each such fiscal year.

Requires a SCORE program volunteer, based on business experience and knowledge, to:

  • provide at no cost to individuals who own, or aspire to own, small businesses personal counseling, mentoring, and coaching relating to the process of starting, expanding, managing, buying, and selling a business;
  • facilitate low-cost education workshops for these individuals; and
  • use appropriate tools, resources, and expertise of other organizations to carry out the SCORE program.

Directs the SBA to ensure that the SCORE program and each of its chapters develop and implement plans and goals to more effectively and efficiently provide services to individuals in rural areas, economically disadvantaged communities, and other traditionally underserved communities, including plans for electronic initiatives, web-based initiatives, chapter expansion, partnerships, and development of new skills by SCORE program volunteers.

Bars the SBA and the SCORE Association from disclosing certain personal identifying information on any individual or small business receiving SCORE Association's assistance without the individual's or small business's consent, unless the SBA:

  • is ordered to make such a disclosure by a court in any civil or criminal enforcement action initiated by a federal or state agency; or
  • determines such a disclosure to be necessary to conduct a financial audit of the SCORE program, in which case the disclosure shall be limited to the information necessary for the audit.

Exempts from these privacy requirements SBA access to program activity data or SBA use of client information to conduct client surveys.

Prohibits the SBA, in carrying out the Entrepreneurship Education Program during each of FY2016-FY2018, from obligating: (1) more than $5 million, and (2) less than $2.5 million to carry out the Emerging Leaders Initiatives.

]]> 2015-04-16 Introduced in Senate SCORE for Small Business Act of 2015

Amends the Small Business Act, with respect to the SCORE program (Service Corps of Retired Executives), to: (1) reauthorize such program for FY2015-FY2018; (2) modify requirements of such program with respect to the role of participating volunteers, program plans and goals, and reporting; and (3) outline privacy requirements pertaining to the disclosure of information of businesses assisted under such program.

]]>

text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.