[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5832 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5832

To amend the Small Business Act to improve the Office of International 
                     Trade, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 22, 2010

 Mrs. Dahlkemper introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Small Business

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Small Business Act to improve the Office of International 
                     Trade, 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 ``Small Business Export Enhancement 
Act of 2010''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this Act--
            (1) the terms ``Administration'' and ``Administrator'' mean 
        the Small Business Administration and the Administrator 
        thereof, respectively;
            (2) the term ``Associate Administrator'' means the 
        Associate Administrator for International Trade appointed under 
        section 22(a)(2) of the Small Business Act, as amended by this 
        Act;
            (3) the term ``Export Assistance Center'' means a one-stop 
        shop referred to in section 2301(b)(8) of the Omnibus Trade and 
        Competitiveness Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 4721(b)(8));
            (4) the term ``rural small business concern'' means a small 
        business concern located in a rural area, as that term is 
        defined in section 1393(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
        1986; and
            (5) the term ``small business concern'' has the meaning 
        given that term under section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 
        U.S.C. 632).
    (b) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Definitions.--Section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 
        U.S.C. 632) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(t) Small Business Development Center.--In this Act, the term 
`small business development center' means a small business development 
center described in section 21.
    ``(u) Region of the Administration.--In this Act, the term `region 
of the Administration' means the geographic area served by a regional 
office of the Administration established under section 4(a).''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 4(b)(3)(B)(x) of the 
        Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 633(b)(3)(B)(x)) is amended by 
        striking ``Administration district and region'' and inserting 
        ``district and region of the Administration''.

SEC. 3. OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE.

    (a) Establishment.--Section 22 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
649) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Sec. 22. (a) There'' and inserting the 
        following:

``SEC. 22. OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE.

    ``(a) Establishment.--
            ``(1) Office.--There''; and
            (2) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), as so designated, by striking 
                the period and inserting ``for the primary purposes of 
                increasing--
                    ``(A) the number of small business concerns that 
                export; and
                    ``(B) the volume of exports by small business 
                concerns.''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Associate administrator.--The head of the Office 
        shall be the Associate Administrator for International Trade, 
        who shall be responsible to the Administrator.''.
    (b) Authority for Additional Associate Administrator.--Section 
4(b)(1) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 633(b)(1)) is amended--
            (1) in the fifth sentence, by striking ``five Associate 
        Administrators'' and inserting ``Associate Administrators''; 
        and
            (2) by adding at the end the following: ``One such 
        Associate Administrator shall be the Associate Administrator 
        for International Trade, who shall be the head of the Office of 
        International Trade established under section 22.''.
    (c) Discharge of International Trade Responsibilities of 
Administration.--Section 22 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 649) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(h) Discharge of International Trade Responsibilities of 
Administration.--The Administrator shall ensure that--
            ``(1) the responsibilities of the Administration regarding 
        international trade are carried out by the Associate 
        Administrator;
            ``(2) the Associate Administrator has sufficient resources 
        to carry out such responsibilities; and
            ``(3) the Associate Administrator has direct supervision 
        and control over--
                    ``(A) the staff of the Office; and
                    ``(B) any employee of the Administration whose 
                principal duty station is an Export Assistance Center, 
                or any successor entity.''.
    (d) Role of Associate Administrator in Carrying Out International 
Trade Policy.--Section 2(b)(1) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
631(b)(1)) is amended in the matter preceding subparagraph (A)--
            (1) by inserting ``the Administrator of'' before ``the 
        Small Business Administration''; and
            (2) by inserting ``through the Associate Administrator for 
        International Trade, and'' before ``in cooperation with''.
    (e) Implementation Date.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Small Business 
Administration shall appoint an Associate Administrator for 
International Trade under section 22(a) of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 649(a)), as added by this section.

SEC. 4. DUTIES OF THE OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE.

    (a) Amendments to Section 22.--Section 22 of the Small Business Act 
(15 U.S.C. 649) is amended--
            (1) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following:
    ``(b) Trade Distribution Network.--The Associate Administrator, 
working in close cooperation with the Secretary of Commerce, the United 
States Trade Representative, the Export-Import Bank of the United 
States, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and other relevant 
Federal agencies, small business development centers engaged in export 
promotion efforts, Export Assistance Centers, regional and district 
offices of the Administration, the small business community, and 
relevant State and local export promotion programs, shall--
            ``(1) maintain a distribution network, using regional and 
        district offices of the Administration, the small business 
        development center network, networks of women's business 
        centers, the Service Corps of Retired Executives authorized by 
        section 8(b)(1), and Export Assistance Centers, for programs 
        relating to--
                    ``(A) trade promotion;
                    ``(B) trade finance;
                    ``(C) trade adjustment assistance;
                    ``(D) trade remedy assistance; and
                    ``(E) trade data collection;
            ``(2) aggressively market the programs described in 
        paragraph (1) and disseminate information, including 
        computerized marketing data, to small business concerns on 
        exporting trends, market-specific growth, industry trends, and 
        international prospects for exports;
            ``(3) promote export assistance programs through the 
        district and regional offices of the Administration, the small 
        business development center network, Export Assistance Centers, 
        the network of women's business centers, chapters of the 
        Service Corps of Retired Executives, State and local export 
        promotion programs, and partners in the private sector; and
            ``(4) give preference in hiring or approving the transfer 
        of any employee into the Office or to a position described in 
        subsection (c)(9) to otherwise qualified applicants who are 
        fluent in a language in addition to English, to--
                    ``(A) accompany small business concerns on foreign 
                trade missions; and
                    ``(B) translate documents, interpret conversations, 
                and facilitate multilingual transactions, including by 
                providing referral lists for translation services, if 
                required.'';
            (2) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) by striking ``(c) The Office'' and inserting 
                the following:
    ``(c) Promotion of Sales Opportunities.--The Associate 
Administrator'';
                    (B) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (8) as 
                paragraphs (2) through (9), respectively;
                    (C) by inserting before paragraph (2), as so 
                redesignated, the following:
            ``(1) establish annual goals for the Office relating to--
                    ``(A) enhancing the exporting capability of small 
                business concerns and small manufacturers;
                    ``(B) facilitating technology transfers;
                    ``(C) enhancing programs and services to assist 
                small business concerns and small manufacturers to 
                compete effectively and efficiently against foreign 
                entities;
                    ``(D) increasing the ability of small business 
                concerns to access capital;
                    ``(E) disseminating information concerning Federal, 
                State, and private programs and initiatives; and
                    ``(F) ensuring that the interests of small business 
                concerns are adequately represented in trade 
                negotiations;'';
                    (D) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated, by 
                striking ``mechanism for'' and all that follows through 
                ``(D) assisting'' and inserting the following: 
                ``mechanism for--
                    ``(A) identifying subsectors of the small business 
                community with strong export potential;
                    ``(B) identifying areas of demand in foreign 
                markets;
                    ``(C) prescreening foreign buyers for commercial 
                and credit purposes; and
                    ``(D) assisting'';
                    (E) in paragraph (3), as so redesignated, by 
                striking ``assist small businesses in the formation and 
                utilization of'' and inserting ``assist small business 
                concerns in forming and using'';
                    (F) in paragraph (4), as so redesignated--
                            (i) by striking ``local'' and inserting 
                        ``district'';
                            (ii) by striking ``existing'';
                            (iii) by striking ``Small Business 
                        Development Center network'' and inserting 
                        ``small business development center network''; 
                        and
                            (iv) by striking ``Small Business 
                        Development Center Program'' and inserting 
                        ``small business development center program'';
                    (G) in paragraph (5), as so redesignated--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
                        ``Gross State Produce'' and inserting ``Gross 
                        State Product'';
                            (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
                        ``SIC'' each place it appears and inserting 
                        ``North American Industry Classification 
                        System''; and
                            (iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 
                        ``small businesses'' and inserting ``small 
                        business concerns'';
                    (H) in paragraph (6), as so redesignated, by 
                striking the period at the end and inserting a 
                semicolon;
                    (I) in paragraph (7), as so redesignated--
                            (i) in the matter preceding subparagraph 
                        (A)--
                                    (I) by inserting ``concerns'' after 
                                ``small business''; and
                                    (II) by striking ``current'' and 
                                inserting ``up to date'';
                            (ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
                        ``Administration's regional offices'' and 
                        inserting ``regional and district offices of 
                        the Administration'';
                            (iii) in subparagraph (B) by striking 
                        ``current'';
                            (iv) in subparagraph (C), by striking 
                        ``current''; and
                            (v) by striking ``small businesses'' each 
                        place that term appears and inserting ``small 
                        business concerns'';
                    (J) in paragraph (8), as so redesignated, by 
                striking and at the end;
                    (K) in paragraph (9), as so redesignated--
                            (i) in the matter preceding subparagraph 
                        (A)--
                                    (I) by striking ``full-time export 
                                development specialists to each 
                                Administration regional office and 
                                assigning''; and
                                    (II) by striking ``person in each 
                                district office. Such specialists'' and 
                                inserting ``individual in each district 
                                office and providing each 
                                Administration regional office with a 
                                full-time export development 
                                specialist, who'';
                            (ii) in subparagraph (B)--
                                    (I) by striking ``current''; and
                                    (II) by striking ``with'' and 
                                inserting ``in'';
                            (iii) in subparagraph (D)--
                                    (I) by striking ``Administration 
                                personnel involved in granting'' and 
                                inserting ``personnel of the 
                                Administration involved in making''; 
                                and
                                    (II) by striking ``and'' at the 
                                end;
                            (iv) in subparagraph (E)--
                                    (I) by striking ``small businesses' 
                                needs'' and inserting ``the needs of 
                                small business concerns''; and
                                    (II) by striking the period at the 
                                end and inserting a semicolon;
                            (v) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(F) participate, jointly with employees of the 
                Office, in an annual training program that focuses on 
                current small business needs for exporting; and
                    ``(G) develop and conduct training programs for 
                exporters and lenders, in cooperation with the Export 
                Assistance Centers, the Department of Commerce, small 
                business development centers, women's business centers, 
                the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the 
                Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and other 
                relevant Federal agencies;''; and
                            (vi) by striking ``small businesses'' each 
                        place that term appears and inserting ``small 
                        business concerns''; and
                    (L) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(10) make available on the website of the Administration 
        the name and contact information of each individual described 
        in paragraph (9);
            ``(11) carry out a nationwide marketing effort using 
        technology, online resources, training, and other strategies to 
        promote exporting as a business development opportunity for 
        small business concerns;
            ``(12) disseminate information to the small business 
        community through regional and district offices of the 
        Administration, the small business development center network, 
        Export Assistance Centers, the network of women's business 
        centers, chapters of the Service Corps of Retired Executives 
        authorized by section 8(b)(1), State and local export promotion 
        programs, and partners in the private sector regarding 
        exporting trends, market-specific growth, industry trends, and 
        prospects for exporting; and
            ``(13) establish and carry out training programs for the 
        staff of the regional and district offices of the 
        Administration and resource partners of the Administration on 
        export promotion and providing assistance relating to 
        exports.'';
            (3) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (5) as 
                clauses (i) through (v), respectively, and adjusting 
                the margins accordingly;
                    (B) by striking ``(d) The Office'' and inserting 
                the following:
    ``(d) Export Financing Programs.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Associate Administrator''; and
                    (C) by striking ``To accomplish this goal, the 
                Office shall work'' and inserting the following:
            ``(2) Trade finance specialist.--To accomplish the goal 
        established under paragraph (1), the Associate Administrator 
        shall--
                    ``(A) designate at least 1 individual within the 
                Administration as a trade finance specialist to oversee 
                international loan programs and assist Administration 
                employees with trade finance issues; and
                    ``(B) work'';
            (4) in subsection (e), by striking ``(e) The Office'' and 
        inserting the following:
    ``(e) Trade Remedies.--The Associate Administrator'';
            (5) by amending subsection (f) to read as follows:
    ``(f) Reporting Requirement.--The Associate Administrator shall 
submit an annual report to the Committee on Small Business and 
Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Committee on Small Business of 
the House of Representatives that contains--
            ``(1) a description of the progress of the Office in 
        implementing the requirements of this section;
            ``(2) a detailed account of the results of export growth 
        activities of the Administration, including the activities of 
        each district and regional office of the Administration, based 
        on the performance measures described in subsection (i);
            ``(3) an estimate of the total number of jobs created or 
        retained as a result of export assistance provided by the 
        Administration and resource partners of the Administration;
            ``(4) for any travel by the staff of the Office, the 
        destination of such travel and the benefits to the 
        Administration and to small business concerns resulting from 
        such travel; and
            ``(5) a description of the participation by the Office in 
        trade negotiations.'';
            (6) in subsection (g), by striking ``(g) The Office'' and 
        inserting the following:
    ``(g) Studies.--The Associate Administrator''; and
            (7) by adding after subsection (h), as added by section 3 
        of this Act, the following:
    ``(i) Export and Trade Counseling.--
            ``(1) Definition.--In this subsection--
                    ``(A) the term `lead small business development 
                center' means a small business development center that 
                has received a grant from the Administration; and
                    ``(B) the term `lead women's business center' means 
                a women's business center that has received a grant 
                from the Administration.
            ``(2) Certification program.--The Administrator shall 
        establish an export and trade counseling certification program 
        to certify employees of lead small business development centers 
        and lead women's business centers in providing export 
        assistance to small business concerns.
            ``(3) Number of certified employees.--The Administrator 
        shall ensure that the number of employees of each lead small 
        business development center who are certified in providing 
        export assistance is not less than the lesser of--
                    ``(A) 5; or
                    ``(B) 10 percent of the total number of employees 
                of the lead small business development center.
            ``(4) Reimbursement for certification.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to the availability of 
                appropriations, the Administrator shall reimburse a 
                lead small business development center or a lead 
                women's business center for costs relating to the 
                certification of an employee of the lead small business 
                center or lead women's business center in providing 
                export assistance under the program established under 
                paragraph (2).
                    ``(B) Limitation.--The total amount reimbursed by 
                the Administrator under subparagraph (A) may not exceed 
                $350,000 in any fiscal year.
    ``(j) Performance Measures.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Associate Administrator shall 
        develop performance measures for the Administration to support 
        export growth goals for the activities of the Office under this 
        section that include--
                    ``(A) the number of small business concerns that--
                            ``(i) receive assistance from the 
                        Administration;
                            ``(ii) had not exported goods or services 
                        before receiving the assistance described in 
                        clause (i); and
                            ``(iii) export goods or services;
                    ``(B) the number of small business concerns 
                receiving assistance from the Administration that 
                export goods or services to a market outside the United 
                States into which the small business concern did not 
                export before receiving the assistance;
                    ``(C) export revenues by small business concerns 
                assisted by programs of the Administration;
                    ``(D) the number of small business concerns 
                referred to an Export Assistance Center or a small 
                business development center by the staff of the Office;
                    ``(E) the number of small business concerns 
                referred to the Administration by an Export Assistance 
                Center or a small business development center; and
                    ``(F) the number of small business concerns 
                referred to the Export-Import Bank of the United States 
                or to the Overseas Private Investment Corporation by 
                the staff of the Office, an Export Assistance Center, 
                or a small business development center.
            ``(2) Consistency of tracking.--The Associate 
        Administrator, in coordination with the departments and 
        agencies that are represented on the Trade Promotion 
        Coordinating Committee established under section 2312 of the 
        Export Enhancement Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 4727) and the small 
        business development center network, shall develop a system to 
        track exports by small business concerns, including information 
        relating to the performance measures developed under paragraph 
        (1), that is consistent with systems used by the departments 
        and agencies and the network.''.
    (b) Trade Disputes.--The Administrator shall carry out a 
comprehensive program to provide technical assistance, counseling, and 
reference materials to small business concerns relating to resources, 
procedures, and requirements for mechanisms to resolve international 
trade disputes or address unfair international trade practices under 
international trade agreements or Federal law, including--
            (1) directing the district offices of the Administration to 
        provide referrals, information, and other services to small 
        business concerns relating to the mechanisms;
            (2) entering agreements and partnerships with providers of 
        legal services relating to the mechanisms, to ensure small 
        business concerns may affordably use the mechanisms; and
            (3) in consultation with the Director of the United States 
        Patent and Trademark Office and the Register of Copyrights, 
        designing counseling services and materials for small business 
        concerns regarding intellectual property protection in other 
        countries.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Administrator shall submit a report to the Committee on 
Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Committee on 
Small Business of the House of Representatives on any travel by the 
staff of the Office of International Trade of the Administration, 
during the period beginning on October 1, 2004, and ending on the date 
of enactment of the Act, including the destination of such travel and 
the benefits to the Administration and to small business concerns 
resulting from such travel.

SEC. 5. EXPORT ASSISTANCE CENTERS.

    (a) Export Assistance Centers.--Section 22 of the Small Business 
Act (15 U.S.C. 649), as amended by this Act, is amended by adding at 
the end the following:
    ``(k) Export Assistance Centers.--
            ``(1) Export finance specialists.--
                    ``(A) Minimum number of export finance 
                specialists.--On and after January 1, 2011, the 
                Administrator, in coordination with the Secretary of 
                Commerce, shall ensure that the number of export 
                finance specialists is not less than the number of such 
                employees so assigned on January 1, 2003.
                    ``(B) Export finance specialists assigned to each 
                region of the administration.--On and after the date 
                that is 2 years after the date of enactment of this 
                subsection, the Administrator, in coordination with the 
                Secretary of Commerce, shall ensure that there are not 
                fewer than 3 export finance specialists in each region 
                of the Administration.
            ``(2) Placement of export finance specialists.--
                    ``(A) Priority.--The Administrator shall give 
                priority, to the maximum extent practicable, to placing 
                employees of the Administration at any Export 
                Assistance Center that--
                            ``(i) had an Administration employee 
                        assigned to the Export Assistance Center before 
                        January 2003; and
                            ``(ii) has not had an Administration 
                        employee assigned to the Export Assistance 
                        Center during the period beginning January 
                        2003, and ending on the date of enactment of 
                        this subsection, either through retirement or 
                        reassignment.
                    ``(B) Needs of exporters.--The Administrator shall, 
                to the maximum extent practicable, strategically assign 
                Administration employees to Export Assistance Centers, 
                based on the needs of exporters.
                    ``(C) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this 
                subsection may be construed to require the 
                Administrator to reassign or remove an export finance 
                specialist who is assigned to an Export Assistance 
                Center on the date of enactment of this subsection.
            ``(3) Goals.--The Associate Administrator shall work with 
        the Department of Commerce, the Export-Import Bank of the 
        United States, and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation 
        to establish shared annual goals for the Export Assistance 
        Centers.
            ``(4) Oversight.--The Associate Administrator shall 
        designate an individual within the Administration to oversee 
        all activities conducted by Administration employees assigned 
        to Export Assistance Centers.
    ``(l) Definitions.--In this section--
            ``(1) the term `Associate Administrator' means the 
        Associate Administrator for International Trade described in 
        subsection (a)(2);
            ``(2) the term `Export Assistance Center' means a one-stop 
        shop for United States exporters established by the United 
        States and Foreign Commercial Service of the Department of 
        Commerce pursuant to section 2301(b)(8) of the Omnibus Trade 
        and Competitiveness Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 4721(b)(8));
            ``(3) the term `export finance specialist' means a full-
        time equivalent employee of the Office assigned to an Export 
        Assistance Center to carry out the duties described in 
        subsection (e); and
            ``(4) the term `Office' means the Office of International 
        Trade established under subsection (a)(1).''.
    (b) Study and Report on Filling Gaps in High-and-Low-Export Volume 
Areas.--
            (1) Study and report.--Not later than 6 months after the 
        date of enactment of this Act, and every 2 years thereafter, 
        the Administrator shall--
                    (A) conduct a study of--
                            (i) the volume of exports for each State;
                            (ii) the availability of export finance 
                        specialists in each State;
                            (iii) the number of exporters in each State 
                        that are small business concerns;
                            (iv) the percentage of exporters in each 
                        State that are small business concerns;
                            (v) the change, if any, in the number of 
                        exporters that are small business concerns in 
                        each State--
                                    (I) for the first study conducted 
                                under this subparagraph, during the 10-
                                year period ending on the date of 
                                enactment of this Act; and
                                    (II) for each subsequent study, 
                                during the 10-year period ending on the 
                                date the study is commenced;
                            (vi) the total value of the exports in each 
                        State by small business concerns;
                            (vii) the percentage of the total volume of 
                        exports in each State that is attributable to 
                        small business concerns; and
                            (viii) the change, if any, in the 
                        percentage of the total volume of exports in 
                        each State that is attributable to small 
                        business concerns--
                                    (I) for the first study conducted 
                                under this subparagraph, during the 10-
                                year period ending on the date of 
                                enactment of this Act; and
                                    (II) for each subsequent study, 
                                during the 10-year period ending on the 
                                date the study is commenced; and
                    (B) submit to the Committee on Small Business and 
                Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Committee on 
                Small Business of the House of Representatives a report 
                containing--
                            (i) the results of the study under 
                        subparagraph (A);
                            (ii) to the extent practicable, a 
                        recommendation regarding how to eliminate gaps 
                        between the supply of and demand for export 
                        finance specialists in the 15 States that have 
                        the greatest volume of exports, based upon the 
                        most recent data available from the Department 
                        of Commerce;
                            (iii) to the extent practicable, a 
                        recommendation regarding how to eliminate gaps 
                        between the supply of and demand for export 
                        finance specialists in the 15 States that have 
                        the lowest volume of exports, based upon the 
                        most recent data available from the Department 
                        of Commerce; and
                            (iv) such additional information as the 
                        Administrator determines is appropriate.
            (2) Definition.--In this subsection, the term ``export 
        finance specialist'' has the meaning given that term in section 
        22(l) of the Small Business Act, as added by this Act.

SEC. 6. RURAL EXPORT PROMOTION.

    Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture 
and the Secretary of Commerce, shall submit to the Committee on Small 
Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Committee on Small 
Business of the House of Representatives a report that contains--
            (1) a description of each program of the Administration 
        that promotes exports by rural small business concerns, 
        including--
                    (A) the number of rural small business concerns 
                served by the program;
                    (B) the change, if any, in the number of rural 
                small business concerns as a result of participation in 
                the program during the 10-year period ending on the 
                date of enactment of this Act;
                    (C) the volume of exports by rural small business 
                concerns that participate in the program; and
                    (D) the change, if any, in the volume of exports by 
                rural small businesses that participate in the program 
                during the 10-year period ending on the date of 
                enactment of this Act;
            (2) a description of the coordination between programs of 
        the Administration and other Federal programs that promote 
        exports by rural small business concerns;
            (3) recommendations, if any, for improving the coordination 
        described in paragraph (2);
            (4) a description of any plan by the Administration to 
        market the international trade financing programs of the 
        Administration through lenders that--
                    (A) serve rural small business concerns; and
                    (B) are associated with financing programs of the 
                Department of Agriculture;
            (5) recommendations, if any, for improving coordination 
        between the counseling programs and export financing programs 
        of the Administration, in order to increase the volume of 
        exports by rural small business concerns; and
            (6) any additional information the Administrator determines 
        is necessary.

SEC. 7. INTERNATIONAL TRADE COOPERATION BY SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 
              CENTERS.

    Section 21(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``(2) The Small Business Development 
        Centers'' and inserting the following:
            ``(2) Cooperation to provide international trade 
        services.--
                    ``(A) Information and services.--The small business 
                development centers''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A), as so designated, by 
                inserting ``(including State trade agencies),'' after 
                ``local agencies''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) Cooperation with state trade agencies and 
                export assistance centers.--A small business 
                development center that counsels a small business 
                concern on issues relating to international trade 
                shall--
                            ``(i) consult with State trade agencies and 
                        Export Assistance Centers to provide 
                        appropriate services to the small business 
                        concern; and
                            ``(ii) as necessary, refer the small 
                        business concern to a State trade agency or an 
                        Export Assistance Center for further counseling 
                        or assistance.
                    ``(C) Definition.--In this paragraph, the term 
                `Export Assistance Center' has the same meaning as in 
                section 22.''.
                                 <all>