[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2809 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2809

 To amend the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement 
  Act of 1994 to improve the microenterprise technical assistance and 
   capacity building grant program, to establish an Office of Youth 
 Entrepreneurship in the Small Business Administration, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 5, 2011

               Mr. Richmond introduced the following bill

                           September 6, 2011

Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the 
 Committees on Small Business, and Education and the Workforce, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement 
  Act of 1994 to improve the microenterprise technical assistance and 
   capacity building grant program, to establish an Office of Youth 
 Entrepreneurship in the Small Business Administration, 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 ``Microenterprise and Youth 
Entrepreneurship Development Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. MICROENTERPRISE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND CAPACITY BUILDING 
              PROGRAM.

    (a) Definitions.--Section 172(5) of the Riegle Community 
Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 (15 U.S.C. 6901(5)) 
is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (B) by striking ``or'' at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (C) by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; or''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(D) an entrepreneur that operates a business or 
                intends to operate a business in an investment area (as 
                such term is defined in section 103(16) of this 
                Act).''.
    (b) Uses of Assistance.--Section 174 of the Riegle Community 
Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 (15 U.S.C. 6903) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (3) by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (5); and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
            ``(4) to advertise in print, electronic, and other media 
        the training and technical assistance provided under paragraph 
        (1); and''.
    (c) Targeted Assistance.--Section 176(b) of the Riegle Community 
Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 (15 U.S.C. 6905(b)) 
is amended by striking ``50 percent'' and inserting ``60 percent''.
    (d) Matching Requirements.--Section 177(c) of the Riegle Community 
Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 (15 U.S.C. 6906(c)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Consideration.--In determining whether to reduce or 
        eliminate matching requirements under paragraph (1), the 
        Administrator shall consider the impact of the economic crisis 
        of 2007 through 2009 on the geographic area in which an 
        applicant operates.''.
    (e) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration shall 
submit to the Committee on Small Business of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Small Business and 
Entrepreneurship of the Senate a report describing recommendations for 
improving the application and grant making process of the 
microenterprise technical assistance and capacity building grant 
program (carried out under subtitle C of title I of the Riegle 
Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994), 
including recommendations, developed in consultation with stakeholders, 
for streamlining the application and grant making process of that 
program.
    (f) Microenterprise Coordinator.--
            (1) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall establish in the 
        Small Business Administration the position of Microenterprise 
        Coordinator.
            (2) Duties.--The Microenterprise Coordinator shall--
                    (A) work to ensure that the contributions of 
                microenterprises to the economy are maximized;
                    (B) work to enhance, support, and coordinate the 
                programs of the Federal Government providing assistance 
                to microenterprises, including Federal technical 
                assistance programs;
                    (C) work to ensure that underserved entrepreneurs 
                are included in the programs of the Federal Government 
                providing assistance to microenterprises;
                    (D) make available to the public annually a 
                comprehensive list and description of each Federal 
                program that provides assistance to microenterprises; 
                and
                    (E) encourage public-private partnerships that 
                support entrepreneurship.
            (3) Microenterprise defined.--In this subsection, the term 
        ``microenterprise'' has the meaning given that term in section 
        172(10) of the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory 
        Improvement Act of 1994 (15 U.S.C. 6901(10)).

SEC. 3. OFFICE OF YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Small Business 
Administration shall establish an Office of Youth Entrepreneurship (in 
this section referred to as the ``Office'') in the Small Business 
Administration.
    (b) Director.--The Administrator shall appoint a Director of Youth 
Entrepreneurship (in this section referred to as the ``Director'') to 
serve as the head of the Office.
    (c) Duties.--The Director shall--
            (1) carry out the youth entrepreneurship technical 
        assistance grant program described in subsection (d);
            (2) carry out the youth entrepreneurship curriculum grant 
        program described in subsection (e);
            (3) promote the growth of youth entrepreneurship by 
        establishing public-private partnerships and carrying out 
        advertising campaigns;
            (4) sponsor and support State and national youth 
        entrepreneurship competitions that raise awareness of the 
        importance of small business development;
            (5) study and promote Federal activities that support 
        entrepreneurship education; and
            (6) support the establishment of public and private youth 
        entrepreneurship education and mentoring opportunities.
    (d) Youth Entrepreneurship Technical Assistance Grant Program.--The 
Director shall establish a program under which the Director may make 
grants to assist entities, including nonprofit microenterprise 
development organizations, to provide individuals under 25 years of age 
with technical assistance related to entrepreneurship.
    (e) Youth Entrepreneurship Curriculum Grant Program.--
            (1) In general.--The Director shall establish a program 
        under which the Director may make grants to a covered entity to 
        assist the development, improvement, or implementation of a 
        youth entrepreneurship curriculum that includes information on 
        the topics of--
                    (A) securing capital and borrowing;
                    (B) business plan conception and drafting;
                    (C) accounting;
                    (D) management; and
                    (E) marketing.
            (2) Application process.--To be eligible for a grant 
        described in paragraph (1), a covered entity shall submit to 
        the Director an application at such time, in such manner, and 
        containing such information as the Director may require, except 
        that the application shall include at least--
                    (A) a description of the curriculum to be 
                developed, improved, or implemented;
                    (B) a description of how grant funds will be used;
                    (C) a description of goals relating to the use of 
                grant funds and the curriculum to be developed, 
                improved, or implemented; and
                    (D) a description of how progress will be measured 
                with respect to the goals described in subparagraph 
                (C).
            (3) Covered entity defined.--In this subsection, the term 
        ``covered entity'' means a local educational agency in any of 
        the several States, the District of Columbia, or a territory or 
        possession of the United States and a local educational agency 
        of a federally recognized Indian tribe.
    (f) Investment Areas.--
            (1) In general.--The Director shall ensure that at least 25 
        percent of the amounts made available to carry out the Office 
        each fiscal year are used to assist youth in investment areas.
            (2) Investment area defined.--In this subsection, the term 
        ``investment area'' has the meaning given that term in section 
        103(16) of the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory 
        Improvement Act of 1994 (12 U.S.C. 4702(16)).
    (g) Student Loan Assistance.--Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Director, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Education, shall submit to Congress a report that includes 
detailed recommendations for legislation--
            (1) establishing a program to forgive student loans in a 
        manner that assists youth entrepreneurship by making available 
        capital for business formation; and
            (2) establishing a program to defer student loan repayments 
        in a manner that assists youth entrepreneurship by making 
        available capital for business formation.

SEC. 4. GAO STUDY AND REPORT.

    (a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
conduct a study on--
            (1) the economic impact of allowing youth entrepreneurs to 
        defer student loan repayments to make available capital for 
        business formation;
            (2) the economic impact of increasing the participation of 
        individuals under 25 years of age in the microloan program of 
        the Small Business Administration (carried out under section 
        7(m) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(m)), 
        notwithstanding the limited collateral and formal business 
        experience of such individuals;
            (3) alternative methods for measuring creditworthiness that 
        may assist youth entrepreneurship; and
            (4) actions Congress should consider to promote youth 
        entrepreneurship.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee on 
Small Business of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate a report on the 
results of the study conducted under subsection (a).
                                 <all>