[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3200 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3200

   To require the Small Business Administration to submit a regular 
    National Small Business Climate Index to Congress to assess how 
     policies provide incentives or impediments to small business 
                              development.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 17, 2012

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require the Small Business Administration to submit a regular 
    National Small Business Climate Index to Congress to assess how 
     policies provide incentives or impediments to small business 
                              development.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS CLIMATE INDEX.

    Title II of Public Law 94-305 (15 U.S.C. 634a et seq.) is amended 
by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 209. NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS CLIMATE INDEX.

    ``(a) Periodic Reports.--Subject to the availability of 
appropriations, not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment 
of this section and not less frequently than once every 735 days 
thereafter, the Chief Counsel for Advocacy, in coordination with the 
regional advocates of the Small Business Administration, 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--
            ``(1) ranks each of the States of the United States, the 
        District of Columbia, and each of the territories of the United 
        States according to how well the regulations and policies of 
        the States, the District, and the territories create optimal 
        environments for the creation and development of small business 
        concerns; and
            ``(2) ranks each of the 50 largest metropolitan statistical 
        areas of the United States (as defined by the Director of the 
        Office of Management and Budget) according to how well the 
        regulations and policies of such areas create optimal 
        environments for the creation and development of small business 
        concerns.
    ``(b) Designation.--Each report required by subsection (a) shall be 
known as the `National Small Business Climate Index' for the period 
covered by the report.
    ``(c) Factors.--Each report submitted under subsection (a) shall, 
for each applicable State, territory, and metropolitan statistical area 
and the District of Columbia, assess how policies provide incentives or 
impediments to small business development by considering the following:
            ``(1) The conduciveness of State and local regulations and 
        policies to small business formation and small business growth.
            ``(2) The accessibility and availability of credit and 
        other forms of financing.
            ``(3) The availability of Federal, State, and local 
        contracting opportunities for small business concerns.
            ``(4) Whether entrepreneurs are able to start small 
        business concerns in a timely manner.
            ``(5) The difficulty of obtaining permits necessary to 
        establish or expand small business concerns.
            ``(6) The accessibility and price of utilities.
            ``(7) The availability and price of real estate.
            ``(8) The rates and structure of taxes and fees.
            ``(9) Such other factors as the Chief Counsel for Advocacy 
        considers appropriate.
    ``(d) Progress Report.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        the enactment of this section, the Chief Counsel for Advocacy 
        shall submit to the committees described in subsection (a) a 
        report on the progress of the Chief Counsel for Advocacy in 
        preparing the first report required by such subsection.
            ``(2) Contents.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include the following:
                    ``(A) A description of the progress the Chief 
                Counsel for Advocacy has made in preparing the first 
                report required by subsection (a).
                    ``(B) A description of the best practices, models, 
                or other reports the Chief Counsel for Advocacy is 
                using, if any, to prepare the first report required by 
                subsection (a).''.
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