[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3246 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3246

   To improve the Service Corps of Retired Executives, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 24, 2012

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To improve the Service Corps of Retired Executives, 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 ``SCORE Program Improvement Act of 
2012''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act--
            (1) the terms ``Administration'' and ``Administrator'' mean 
        the Small Business Administration and the Administrator 
        thereof, respectively;
            (2) the term ``SCORE'' means the Service Corps of Retired 
        Executives established under section 8(b)(1) of the Small 
        Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(b)(1));
            (3) the term ``SCORE Advisory Board'' means the SCORE 
        Advisory Board established under section 101 of this Act;
            (4) the term ``SCORE chapter'' means a chapter of the 
        Service Corps of Retired Executives; 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).

                     TITLE I--SCORE ADVISORY BOARD

SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT OF ADVISORY BOARD.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established the SCORE Advisory Board.
    (b) Membership.--
            (1) Composition.--The SCORE Advisory Board shall be 
        composed of 6 members, who shall be appointed from among 
        individuals having outstanding qualifications and known to be 
        familiar with and sympathetic to the needs and problems of 
        small business concerns.
            (2) Limitations.--Of the individuals appointed under 
        paragraph (1)--
                    (A) not more than 3 may be members of a SCORE 
                chapter; and
                    (B) 3 shall be owners or employees of small 
                business concerns or members of an association that 
                represents small business concerns.
            (3) Prohibition.--The members of the SCORE Advisory Board 
        may not be employees of the Federal Government.
            (4) Date.--The appointments of the members of the SCORE 
        Advisory Board shall be made not later than 90 days after the 
        date of enactment of this Act.
    (c) Terms.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), a 
        member of the SCORE Advisory Board shall be appointed for a 
        term of 3 years.
            (2) First members.--Of the members first appointed to the 
        SCORE Advisory Board--
                    (A) 2 shall be appointed for a term of 4 years, of 
                whom 1 shall be a member described in subsection 
                (b)(2)(A) and 1 shall be a member described in 
                subsection (b)(2)(B);
                    (B) 2 shall be appointed for a term of 3 years, of 
                whom 1 shall be a member described in subsection 
                (b)(2)(A) and 1 shall be a member described in 
                subsection (b)(2)(B); and
                    (C) 2 shall be appointed for a term of 2 years, of 
                whom 1 shall be a member described in subsection 
                (b)(2)(A) and 1 shall be a member described in 
                subsection (b)(2)(B).
    (d) Vacancies.--
            (1) In general.--A vacancy on the SCORE Advisory Board 
        shall be filled in the manner in which the original appointment 
        was made and shall be subject to any conditions which applied 
        with respect to the original appointment.
            (2) Filling unexpired term.--An individual chosen to fill a 
        vacancy shall be appointed for the unexpired term of the member 
        replaced.
    (e) Initial Meeting.--Not later than 60 days after the date on 
which all members of the SCORE Advisory Board have been appointed, the 
SCORE Advisory Board shall hold its first meeting.
    (f) Meetings.--The SCORE Advisory Board shall meet--
            (1) not less frequently than semiannually; and
            (2) at the call of the Chairman.
    (g) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the SCORE Advisory Board 
shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may hold 
hearings.
    (h) Chairman.--The SCORE Advisory Board shall select a Chairman 
from among its members.

SEC. 102. DUTIES OF THE SCORE ADVISORY BOARD.

    (a) Duties.--The SCORE Advisory Board shall--
            (1) review and monitor plans and programs developed in the 
        public and private sector which affect SCORE chapters;
            (2) provide advice on improving coordination between plans 
        and programs described in paragraph (1);
            (3) advise SCORE chapters on the use of Federal funds 
        allocated to SCORE;
            (4) develop and promote initiatives, policies, programs, 
        and plans designed to assist with the mentoring services 
        offered by SCORE chapters throughout the United States; and
            (5) advise the Administrator on the development and 
        implementation of an annual comprehensive plan under subsection 
        (b).
    (b) Development of Plan.--The Administrator shall develop and 
implement an annual comprehensive plan for joint efforts by the public 
and private sectors to facilitate the formation and development of 
mentoring by SCORE volunteers.
    (c) Annual Report.--Not later than 30 days after the end of each 
fiscal year, the SCORE Advisory Board shall submit to the President, 
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) the minutes of each meeting of the SCORE Advisory Board 
        during the fiscal year to which the report relates;
            (2) a detailed description of the activities of the SCORE 
        Advisory Board during the fiscal year to which the report 
        relates, including how the SCORE Advisory Board carried out the 
        duties described in subsection (a);
            (3) recommendations for promoting SCORE chapters and 
        mentoring services; and
            (4) any concurring or dissenting views of the 
        Administrator.

SEC. 103. POWERS OF THE SCORE ADVISORY BOARD.

    (a) Hearings.--The SCORE Advisory Board may hold such hearings, sit 
and act at such times and places, take such testimony, and receive such 
evidence as the SCORE Advisory Board considers advisable to carry out 
this Act.
    (b) Task Groups.--The SCORE Advisory Board may establish a 
temporary task group to carry out any duty of the SCORE Advisory Board 
described in section 4.
    (c) Information From Federal Agencies.--The SCORE Advisory Board 
may secure directly from any Federal department or agency such 
information as the SCORE Advisory Board considers necessary to carry 
out this Act. Upon request of the Chairman of the SCORE Advisory Board, 
the head of such department or agency shall furnish such information to 
the SCORE Advisory Board.
    (d) Postal Services.--The SCORE Advisory Board may use the United 
States mails in the same manner and under the same conditions as other 
departments and agencies of the Federal Government.
    (e) Gifts.--The SCORE Advisory Board may accept, use, and dispose 
of gifts or donations of services or property.

SEC. 104. SCORE ADVISORY BOARD PERSONNEL MATTERS.

    (a) Compensation.--Members of the SCORE Advisory Board shall not be 
compensated for services performed on behalf of the SCORE Advisory 
Board.
    (b) Travel Expenses.--The members of the SCORE Advisory Board shall 
be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, 
at rates authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of 
chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from their homes 
or regular places of business in the performance of services for the 
SCORE Advisory Board.
    (c) Detail of Government Employees.--Any Federal Government 
employee may be detailed to the SCORE Advisory Board without 
reimbursement, and such detail shall be without interruption or loss of 
civil service status or privilege.

SEC. 105. INAPPLICABILITY OF THE FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT TO THE 
              SCORE ADVISORY BOARD.

    Section 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) 
shall not apply with respect to the SCORE Advisory Board.

SEC. 106. FUNDING.

    The expenses of the SCORE Advisory Board, including expenses 
relating to personnel, as described in section 104, shall be paid by 
SCORE, from amounts made available to SCORE to carry out section 
8(b)(1)(B) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(b)(1)(B)).

                      TITLE II--FINANCIAL REFORMS

SEC. 201. REAUTHORIZATION.

    Section 20 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 note) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (j) as subsection (f); and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(g) SCORE Program.--The Administrator may make grants and enter 
into cooperative agreements to carry out the SCORE program authorized 
by section 8(b)(1) in a total amount that does not exceed $7,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2013, 2014, and 2015.''.

SEC. 202. CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF SCORE.

    (a) Limitation on Amount of Salary.--The rate of basic pay of the 
chief executive officer of SCORE may not exceed the maximum rate of 
basic pay established under section 5382 of title 5, United States 
Code, for a position in the Senior Executive Service.
    (b) Federal Share of Salary.--For any year during which the chief 
executive officer of SCORE serves in a leadership capacity on a 
foundation affiliated with SCORE, the Federal share of the basic pay of 
the chief executive officer of SCORE may not exceed 80 percent.

SEC. 203. ALLOCATION COMMITTEE.

    (a) Establishment.--SCORE shall establish a committee to determine 
the amount allocated each year to each SCORE chapter.
    (b) Members.--The members of the committee established under 
subsection (a) shall include--
            (1) 1 member of the staff of SCORE who is not the chief 
        executive officer of SCORE; and
            (2) not fewer than 4 members of the SCORE Advisory Board.

SEC. 204. ALLOCATION OF AMOUNTS.

    SCORE shall establish a method for allocating amounts received by 
SCORE from the Federal Government, which shall--
            (1) ensure that not less than 50 percent of the amounts are 
        allocated to SCORE chapters; and
            (2) be subject to the approval of the Administrator and the 
        committee established under section 203.

SEC. 205. GAO STUDY AND REPORT.

    (a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
conduct a study of the technology activities of SCORE that includes an 
examination of each expenditure by SCORE for technology activities and 
the result of each such expenditure.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress and the 
Administrator a report that contains--
            (1) a detailed description of the amounts SCORE has 
        expended for technology activities, including how SCORE 
        expended Federal funds to carry out and sustain technology 
        initiatives during the 4-year period ending on the date of 
        enactment of this Act;
            (2) a determination of whether SCORE has expended Federal 
        funds efficiently and effectively to carry out technology 
        activities;
            (3) an evaluation of--
                    (A) how well SCORE has met objectives relating to 
                technology spending; and
                    (B) the policy that resulted in the establishment 
                of objectives relating to technology spending; and
            (4) recommendations for actions by SCORE to achieve 
        objectives relating to technology spending while safeguarding 
        Federal funds.
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