[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 532 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 532

  To establish the Patriot Express Loan Program under which the Small 
   Business Administration may make loans to members of the military 
 community wanting to start or expand small business concerns, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 9, 2011

 Mr. Pryor (for himself and Ms. Snowe) introduced the following bill; 
 which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business 
                          and Entrepreneurship

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish the Patriot Express Loan Program under which the Small 
   Business Administration may make loans to members of the military 
 community wanting to start or expand small business concerns, 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 ``Patriot Express Authorization Act of 
2011''.

SEC. 2. PATRIOT EXPRESS LOAN PROGRAM.

    (a) Program.--
            (1) In general.--Section 7(a)(31) of the Small Business Act 
        (15 U.S.C. 636(a)(31)) is amended by adding at the end the 
        following:
                    ``(G) Patriot express loan program.--
                            ``(i) Definition.--In this subparagraph, 
                        the term `eligible member of the military 
                        community'--
                                    ``(I) means--
                                            ``(aa) a veteran, including 
                                        a service-disabled veteran;
                                            ``(bb) a member of the 
                                        Armed Forces on active duty who 
                                        is eligible to participate in 
                                        the Transition Assistance 
                                        Program;
                                            ``(cc) a member of a 
                                        reserve component of the Armed 
                                        Forces;
                                            ``(dd) the spouse of an 
                                        individual described in item 
                                        (aa), (bb), or (cc) who is 
                                        alive;
                                            ``(ee) the widowed spouse 
                                        of a deceased veteran, member 
                                        of the Armed Forces, or member 
                                        of a reserve component of the 
                                        Armed Forces who died because 
                                        of a service-connected (as 
                                        defined in section 101(16) of 
                                        title 38, United States Code) 
                                        disability; and
                                            ``(ff) the widowed spouse 
                                        of a deceased member of the 
                                        Armed Forces or member of a 
                                        reserve component of the Armed 
                                        Forces relating to whom the 
                                        Department of Defense may 
                                        provide for the recovery, care, 
                                        and disposition of the remains 
                                        of the individual under 
                                        paragraph (1) or (2) of section 
                                        1481(a) of title 10, United 
                                        States Code; and
                                    ``(II) does not include an 
                                individual who was discharged or 
                                released from the active military, 
                                naval, or air service under 
                                dishonorable conditions.
                            ``(ii) Loan guarantees.--The Administrator 
                        shall establish a Patriot Express Loan Program, 
                        under which the Administrator may guarantee 
                        loans under this paragraph made by express 
                        lenders to eligible members of the military 
                        community.
                            ``(iii) Loan terms.--
                                    ``(I) In general.--Except as 
                                provided in this clause, a loan under 
                                this subparagraph shall be made on the 
                                same terms as other loans under the 
                                Express Loan Program.
                                    ``(II) Use of funds.--A loan 
                                guaranteed under this subparagraph may 
                                be used for any business purpose, 
                                including start-up or expansion costs, 
                                purchasing equipment, working capital, 
                                purchasing inventory, or purchasing 
                                business-occupied real estate.
                                    ``(III) Maximum amount.--The 
                                Administrator may guarantee a loan 
                                under this subparagraph of not more 
                                than $1,000,000.
                                    ``(IV) Guarantee rate.--The 
                                guarantee rate for a loan under this 
                                subparagraph shall be the greater of--
                                            ``(aa) the rate otherwise 
                                        applicable under paragraph 
                                        (2)(A);
                                            ``(bb) 85 percent for a 
                                        loan of not more than $500,000; 
                                        and
                                            ``(cc) 80 percent for a 
                                        loan of more than $500,000.''.
            (2) GAO report.--
                    (A) Definition.--In this paragraph, the term 
                ``programs'' means--
                            (i) the Patriot Express Loan Program under 
                        section 7(a)(31)(G) of the Small Business Act, 
                        as added by paragraph (1); and
                            (ii) the increased veteran participation 
                        pilot program under section 7(a)(33) of the 
                        Small Business Act, as in effect on the day 
                        before the date of enactment of this Act.
                    (B) Report requirement.--Not later than 1 year 
                after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
                Comptroller General of the United States 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 on the programs.
                    (C) Contents.--The report submitted under 
                subparagraph (B) shall include--
                            (i) the number of loans made under the 
                        programs;
                            (ii) a description of the impact of the 
                        programs on members of the military community 
                        eligible to participate in the programs;
                            (iii) an evaluation of the efficacy of the 
                        programs;
                            (iv) an evaluation of the actual or 
                        potential fraud and abuse under the programs; 
                        and
                            (v) recommendations for improving the 
                        Patriot Express Loan Program under section 
                        7(a)(31)(G) of the Small Business Act, as added 
                        by paragraph (1).
    (b) Fee Reduction.--Section 7(a)(18) of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 636(a)(18)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A), in the matter preceding clause 
        (i), by striking ``With respect to'' and inserting ``Except as 
        provided in subparagraph (C), with respect to''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(C) Military community.--For an eligible member 
                of the military community (as defined in paragraph 
                (31)(G)(i)), the fee for a loan guaranteed under this 
                subsection, except for a loan guaranteed under 
                subparagraph (G) of paragraph (31), shall be equal to 
                75 percent of the fee otherwise applicable to the loan 
                under subparagraph (A).''.
    (c) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Small business act.--Section 7(a) of the Small Business 
        Act (15 U.S.C. 636(a)) is amended--
                    (A) by striking paragraph (33); and
                    (B) by redesignating paragraphs (34) and (35) as 
                paragraphs (33) and (34), respectively.
            (2) Small business jobs act of 2010.--Section 1133(b) of 
        the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-240; 124 
        Stat. 2515) is amended by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and 
        inserting the following:
            ``(1) by striking paragraph (33), as redesignated by 
        section 2(c) of the Patriot Express Authorization Act of 2011; 
        and
            ``(2) by redesignating paragraph (34), as redesignated by 
        section 2(c) of the Patriot Express Authorization Act of 2011, 
        as paragraph (33).''.

SEC. 3. REDUCTION OF GOVERNMENT PRINTING COSTS.

    (a) Strategy and Guidelines.--Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Management 
and Budget shall coordinate with the heads of the Executive departments 
and independent establishments, as those terms are defined in chapter 1 
of title 5, United States Code--
            (1) to develop a strategy to reduce Government printing 
        costs during the 10-year period beginning on September 1, 2011; 
        and
            (2) to issue Government-wide guidelines for printing that 
        implements the strategy developed under paragraph (1).
    (b) Considerations.--
            (1) In general.--In developing the strategy under 
        subsection (a)(1), the Director of the Office of Management and 
        Budget and the heads of the Executive departments and 
        independent establishments shall consider guidelines for--
                    (A) duplex and color printing;
                    (B) the use of digital file systems by Executive 
                departments and independent establishments; and
                    (C) determine which Government publications might 
                be made available on Government Web sites instead of 
                being printed.
            (2) Essential printed documents.--The Director of the 
        Office of Management and Budget shall ensure that printed 
        versions of documents that the Director determines are 
        essential to individuals entitled to or enrolled for benefits 
        under part A of title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 
        U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) or enrolled for benefits under part B of 
        such title, individuals who receive old-age survivors' or 
        disability insurance payments under title II of such Act (42 
        U.S.C. 401 et seq.), and other individuals with limited ability 
        to use or access the Internet have access to printed versions 
        of documents that the Director are available after the issuance 
        of the guidelines under subsection (a)(2).
                                 <all>