1.This Act may be cited as the
Small Business Health Education and
Awareness Act of 2006
.
2.The purpose of this Act is to establish a
4-year pilot program to provide information and educational materials to small
business concerns regarding health insurance options, including coverage
options within the small group market.
3.In this Act:
(1)The term Administration means
the Small Business Administration.
(2)The term Administrator means
the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, acting through the
Associate Administrator for Small Business Development Centers.
(3)The term association means an
association established under
section
21(a)(3)(A) of the Small Business
Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(3)(A))
representing a majority of small business development centers.
(4)Participating
small business development centerThe term participating small business
development center means a small business development center described
in section
21 of the Small Business
Act (15
U.S.C. 648) that—
(A)is certified under
section
21(k)(2) of the Small Business
Act (15 U.S.C. 648(k)(2));
and
(B)receives a grant under the pilot
program.
(5)The term pilot
program means the small business health insurance information pilot
program established under this Act.
(6)The term small
business concern has the same meaning as in section 3 of the Small
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632).
(7)The term State means each of
the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,
the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam.
4.Small Business Health
Insurance Information Pilot Program
(a)The Administrator shall establish a pilot
program to make grants to small business development centers to provide
information and educational materials regarding health insurance options,
including coverage options within the small group market, to small business
concerns.
(b)
(1)Not later than 90
days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall post on
the website of the Administration and publish in the Federal Register a
guidance document describing—
(A)the requirements of an application for a
grant under the pilot program; and
(B)the types of informational and educational
materials regarding health insurance options to be created under the pilot
program, including by referencing such materials developed by the Healthcare
Leadership Council.
(2)A small business development center
desiring a grant under the pilot program shall submit an application at such
time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Administrator
may reasonably require.
(c)Selection of
participating SBDCs
(1)The Administrator
shall select not more than 20 small business development centers to receive a
grant under the pilot program.
(2)In selecting small
business development centers under paragraph (1), the Administrator may not
select—
(A)more than 2 programs from each of the
groups of States described in paragraph (3); and
(B)more than 1 program in any State.
(3)The groups of States described in this
paragraph are the following:
(A)Group 1 shall consist of
Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont, and Rhode
Island.
(B)Group 2 shall consist of
New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
(C)Group 3 shall consist of
Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and
Delaware.
(D)Group 4 shall consist of
Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida,
Kentucky, and Tennessee.
(E)Group 5 shall consist of
Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
(F)Group 6 shall consist of
Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana.
(G)Group 7 shall consist of
Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas.
(H)Group 8 shall consist of
Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Utah.
(I)Group 9 shall consist of
California, Guam, American Samoa, Hawaii, Nevada, and Arizona.
(J)Group 10 shall consist of
Washington, Alaska, Idaho, and Oregon.
(4)The Administrator
shall make selections under this subsection not later than 6 months after the
later of the date on which the information described in subsection (b)(1) is
posted on the website of the Administration and the date on which the
information described in subsection (b)(1) is published in the Federal
Register.
(d)
(1)A participating small
business development center shall use funds provided under the pilot program
to—
(A)create and distribute informational
materials; and
(B)conduct training and educational
activities.
(2)In creating
materials under the pilot program, a participating small business development
center shall evaluate and incorporate relevant portions of existing
informational materials regarding health insurance options, such as the
materials created by the Healthcare Leadership Council.
(e)Each participating
small business development center program shall receive a grant in an amount
equal to—
(1)not less than $150,000 per fiscal year;
and
(2)not more than $300,000 per fiscal
year.
(f)Subparagraphs (A)
and (B) of section
21(a)(4) of the Small Business
Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(4)) shall
apply to assistance made available under the pilot program.
5.Each participating small business
development center shall transmit to the Administrator and the Chief Counsel
for Advocacy of the Administration, as the Administrator may direct, a
quarterly report that includes—
(1)a summary of the information and
educational materials regarding health insurance options provided by the
participating small business development center under the pilot program;
and
(2)the number of small business concerns
assisted under the pilot program.
6.Authorization of
appropriations
(a)There are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this Act—
(1)$5,000,000 for the first fiscal year
beginning after the date of enactment of this Act; and
(2)$5,000,000 for each of the 3 fiscal years
following the fiscal year described in paragraph (1).
(b)Limitation on
use of other fundsThe
Administrator may carry out the pilot program only with amounts appropriated in
advance specifically to carry out this Act.