[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1254 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1254

  To amend the Small Business Act to direct the Administrator of the 
 Small Business Administration to establish a vocational and technical 
                 entrepreneurship development program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 12, 2003

   Mr. Kerry introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
    referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Small Business Act to direct the Administrator of the 
 Small Business Administration to establish a vocational and technical 
                 entrepreneurship development program.

    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 ``Vocational and Technical 
Entrepreneurship Development Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

    The Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating section 36 as section 37; and
            (2) by inserting after section 35 the following new 
        section:

``SEC. 36. VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT 
              PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section, the following definitions 
shall apply:
            ``(1) Administrator.--The term `Administrator' means the 
        Administrator of the Small Business Administration.
            ``(2) Association.--The term `Association' means the 
        association of small business development centers recognized 
        under section 21(a)(3)(A).
            ``(3) Program.--The term `program' means the program 
        established under subsection (b).
            ``(4) Small business development center.--The term `small 
        business development center' means a small business development 
        center described in section 21.
            ``(5) State small business development center.--The term 
        `State small business development center' means a small 
        business development center from each State selected by the 
        Administrator, in consultation with the Association and giving 
        substantial weight to the Association's recommendations, to 
        carry out the program on a statewide basis in such State.
    ``(b) Establishment.--In accordance with this section, the 
Administrator shall establish a program under which the Administrator 
shall make grants to State small business development centers to enable 
such centers to provide, on a statewide basis, technical assistance to 
secondary schools, or to postsecondary vocational or technical schools, 
for the development and implementation of curricula designed to promote 
vocational and technical entrepreneurship.
    ``(c) Minimum Grant.--The Administrator may make no grant under the 
program for an amount less than $200,000.
    ``(d) Application.--Each State small business development center 
seeking a grant under the program shall submit to the Administrator an 
application in such form as the Administrator may require. The 
application shall include information regarding the applicant's goals 
and objectives for the educational programs to be assisted.
    ``(e) Report to Administrator.--The Administrator shall make a 
condition of each grant under the program that not later than 18 months 
after the receipt of the grant the recipient shall transmit to the 
Administrator a report describing how the grant funds were used.
    ``(f) Cooperative Agreements and Contracts.--The Administrator may 
enter into a cooperative agreement or contract with any State small 
business development center receiving a grant under this section to 
provide additional assistance that furthers the purposes of this 
section.
    ``(g) Evaluation of Program.--Not later than March 31, 2006, the 
Administrator shall transmit to Congress a report containing an 
evaluation of the program.
    ``(h) Clearinghouse.--The Association shall act as a clearinghouse 
of information and expertise regarding vocational and technical 
entrepreneurship education programs. In each fiscal year in which 
grants are made under the program, the Administrator shall provide 
additional assistance to the Association to carry out the functions 
described in this subsection.
    ``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $7,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2004, 2005, and 2006. Such sums shall remain available until 
expended.''.
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