[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3508 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3508

   To strengthen resources for entrepreneurs by improving the SCORE 
                    program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 2, 2012

Ms. Landrieu (for herself, Mrs. Shaheen, and Mr. Coons) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                  Small Business and Entrepreneurship

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To strengthen resources for entrepreneurs by improving the SCORE 
                    program, 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 for Small Business Act of 
2012''.

SEC. 2. SCORE REAUTHORIZATION.

    (a) In General.--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.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
the Administrator to carry out the SCORE program authorized by section 
8(b)(1) such sums as are necessary for the Administrator to make grants 
or enter into cooperative agreements in a total amount that does not 
exceed--
            ``(1) $13,000,000 in fiscal year 2013;
            ``(2) $15,000,000 in fiscal year 2014; and
            ``(3) $17,000,000 in fiscal year 2015.''.

SEC. 3. SCORE PROGRAM.

    Section 8 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(1)(B), by striking `` a Service Corps 
        of Retired Executives (SCORE)'' and inserting ``the SCORE 
        program described in subsection (c)''; and
            (2) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:
    ``(c) SCORE Program.--
            ``(1) Definition.--In this subsection, the term `SCORE 
        program' means the SCORE program authorized by subsection 
        (b)(1)(B).
            ``(2) Volunteers.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A volunteer participating in the 
                SCORE program shall--
                            ``(i) based on the business experience and 
                        knowledge of the volunteer--
                                    ``(I) provide at no cost to 
                                individuals who own, or aspire to own, 
                                small business concerns personal 
                                counseling, mentoring, and coaching 
                                relating to the process of starting, 
                                expanding, managing, buying, and 
                                selling a business; and
                                    ``(II) facilitate low-cost 
                                education workshops for individuals who 
                                own, or aspire to own, small business 
                                concerns; and
                            ``(ii) as appropriate, use tools, 
                        resources, and expertise of other organizations 
                        to carry out the SCORE program.
                    ``(B) Orientation.--The Administrator, in 
                consultation with the SCORE Association, shall ensure 
                that each volunteer participating in the SCORE program 
                is adequately oriented and trained in the areas and 
                disciplines necessary to ensure successful, outcome-
                oriented client interactions relating to the services 
                provided by the SCORE program.
            ``(3) Plans and goals.--
                    ``(A) Outreach.--The Administrator, in consultation 
                with the SCORE Association, shall ensure that the SCORE 
                program and each chapter of the SCORE program develop 
                and implement plans and goals for outreach to 
                individuals in rural, ethnically diverse, minority, and 
                underserved communities, including a plan to recruit 
                more diverse counselors.
                    ``(B) Service.--The Administrator, in consultation 
                with the SCORE Association, shall ensure that the SCORE 
                program and each chapter of the SCORE program develop 
                and implement plans and goals to more effectively and 
                efficiently provide services to individuals in rural 
                areas, economically disadvantaged communities, and 
                other traditionally underserved communities, including 
                plans for electronic initiatives, web-based 
                initiatives, chapter expansion, partnerships, and the 
                development of new skills by volunteers participating 
                in the SCORE program.
            ``(4) Annual report.--The SCORE Association shall submit to 
        the Administrator an annual report that contains--
                    ``(A) the number of individuals counseled or 
                trained under the SCORE program;
                    ``(B) the number of hours of counseling provided 
                under the SCORE program; and
                    ``(C) to the extent possible--
                            ``(i) the number of small business concerns 
                        formed with assistance from the SCORE program;
                            ``(ii) the number of small business 
                        concerns expanded with assistance from the 
                        SCORE program; and
                            ``(iii) the number of jobs created with 
                        assistance from the SCORE program.
            ``(5) Privacy requirements.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Neither the Administrator nor 
                the SCORE Association may disclose the name, address, 
                or telephone number of any individual or small business 
                concern receiving assistance from the SCORE Association 
                without the consent of such individual or small 
                business concern, unless--
                            ``(i) the Administrator is ordered to make 
                        such a disclosure by a court in any civil or 
                        criminal enforcement action initiated by a 
                        Federal or State agency; or
                            ``(ii) the Administrator determines such a 
                        disclosure to be necessary for the purpose of 
                        conducting a financial audit of the SCORE 
                        program, in which case disclosure shall be 
                        limited to the information necessary for the 
                        audit.
                    ``(B) Administrator use of information.--This 
                subsection shall not--
                            ``(i) restrict the access of the 
                        Administrator to program activity data; or
                            ``(ii) prevent the Administrator from using 
                        client information to conduct client surveys.
                    ``(C) Regulations.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The Administrator shall 
                        issue regulations to establish standards for--
                                    ``(I) disclosures with respect to 
                                financial audits under paragraph 
                                (1)(B); and
                                    ``(II) conducting client surveys, 
                                including standards for oversight of 
                                the surveys and for dissemination and 
                                use of client information.
                            ``(ii) Maximum privacy protection.--The 
                        regulations issued under this paragraph shall, 
                        to the extent practicable, provide for the 
                        maximum amount of privacy protection.
                            ``(iii) Inspector general.--Until the 
                        effective date of the regulations issued under 
                        this paragraph, any client survey and the use 
                        of any client information shall be approved by 
                        the Inspector General of the Administration, 
                        who shall include any such approval in the 
                        semi-annual report of the Inspector General.''.

SEC. 4. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

    (a) Small Business Act.--The Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et 
seq.) is amended--
            (1) in section 7(m)(3)(A)(i)(VIII) (15 U.S.C. 
        636(m)(3)(A)(i)(VIII)), by striking ``Service Corps of Retired 
        Executives'' and inserting ``SCORE program''; and
            (2) in section 33(b)(2) (15 U.S.C. 657c(b)(2)), by striking 
        ``Service Corps of Retired Executives'' and inserting ``SCORE 
        program''.
    (b) Other Laws.--Section 621 of the Children's Health Insurance 
Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (15 U.S.C. 657p) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking paragraph (4) and 
        inserting the following:
            ``(4) the term `SCORE program' means the SCORE program 
        authorized by section 8(b)(1)(B) of the Small Business Act (15 
        U.S.C. 637(b)(1)(B));''; and
            (2) in subsection (b)(4)(A)(iv), by striking ``Service 
        Corps of Retired Executives'' and inserting ``SCORE program''.
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