[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1488 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1488

   To establish the Native American Entrepreneurs Program to provide 
  $3,000,000 in grants annually to qualified organizations to provide 
  training and technical assistance to disadvantaged Native American 
                             entrepreneurs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                July 29 (legislative day, July 21), 2003

 Mr. Bingaman introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
              referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish the Native American Entrepreneurs Program to provide 
  $3,000,000 in grants annually to qualified organizations to provide 
  training and technical assistance to disadvantaged Native American 
                             entrepreneurs.

    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 American Entrepreneurs Act of 
2003.''.

SEC. 2. NATIVE AMERICAN ENTREPRENEURS PROGRAM.

    Subtitle C of title I of the Riegle Community Development and 
Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 (15 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating section 181 as section 182; and
            (2) by striking section 180 and inserting the following:

``SEC. 180. NATIVE AMERICAN ENTREPRENEURS PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Authorization.--The Administrator, through the Office of 
Native American Affairs, shall establish a Native American 
entrepreneurs program to provide grants to qualified organizations to 
provide training and technical assistance to disadvantaged Native 
American entrepreneurs who are seeking to start their own small 
businesses.
    ``(b) Use of Funds.--Grants provided under this subsection shall be 
used to--
            ``(1) provide training and technical assistance to low and 
        very-low income Native American entrepreneurs and prospective 
        entrepreneurs; and
            ``(2) assist in the creation, development, and expansion of 
        small business concerns owned by Native Americans.
    ``(c) Qualified Organizations.--For purposes of eligibility for 
assistance under this subsection, a qualified organization shall be--
            ``(1) a nonprofit microenterprise development organization 
        or program (or a group or collaborative thereof) that has a 
        demonstrated record of delivering microenterprise services to 
        Native American entrepreneurs;
            ``(2) an intermediary;
            ``(3) a microenterprise development organization or program 
        that is accountable to an Indian tribe; or
            ``(4) an Indian tribe acting on its own, if the Indian 
        tribe can certify that no private organization or program 
        referred to in paragraphs (1) through (3) exists within its 
        jurisdiction.

``SEC. 181. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``(a) Microenterprise Technical Assistance and Capacity Building 
Grant Program.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
Administrator, to carry out the microenterprise technical assistance 
and capacity building grant program established pursuant to section 
173, to remain available until expended--
            ``(1) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2004;
            ``(2) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; and
            ``(3) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.
    ``(b) Native American Entrepreneurs Program.--There are authorized 
to be appropriated to the Administrator, to carry out the Native 
American entrepreneurs program established pursuant to section 180, to 
remain available until expended--
            ``(1) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2004;
            ``(2) $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; and
            ``(3) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.''.
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