[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2333 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2333

     To amend the Small Business Act to provide for the permanent 
 establishment of the State Trade and Export Promotion Grant Program, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 12, 2013

Mr. Larsen of Washington (for himself and Mr. Reichert) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Small Business

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Small Business Act to provide for the permanent 
 establishment of the State Trade and Export Promotion Grant 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 ``Next STEP Act of 2013''.

SEC. 2. STATE TRADE AND EXPORT PROMOTION GRANT PROGRAM.

    The Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating section 47 as section 48; and
            (2) by inserting after section 46 the following:

``SEC. 47. STATE TRADE AND EXPORT PROMOTION GRANT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section--
            ``(1) the term `eligible small business concern' means a 
        small business concern that--
                    ``(A) has been in business for not less than the 1-
                year period ending on the date on which assistance is 
                provided using a grant under this section;
                    ``(B) is operating profitably, based on operations 
                in the United States;
                    ``(C) has demonstrated understanding of the costs 
                associated with exporting and doing business with 
                foreign purchasers, including the costs of freight 
                forwarding, customs brokers, packing and shipping, as 
                determined by the Associate Administrator; and
                    ``(D) has in effect a strategic plan for exporting;
            ``(2) the term `program' means the State Trade and Export 
        Promotion Grant Program established under subsection (b);
            ``(3) the term `small business concern owned and controlled 
        by women' has the meaning given that term in section 3;
            ``(4) the term `socially and economically disadvantaged 
        small business concern' has the meaning given that term in 
        section 8(a)(4)(A); and
            ``(5) the term `State' means each of the several States, 
        the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
        Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and 
        American Samoa.
    ``(b) Establishment of Program.--The Associate Administrator for 
International Trade appointed under section 22(a)(2) (hereinafter in 
this section referred to as the `Associate Administrator') shall 
establish a trade and export promotion program to be known as the State 
Trade and Export Promotion Grant Program, to make grants to States to 
carry out export programs that assist eligible small business concerns 
in--
            ``(1) participation in a foreign trade mission;
            ``(2) a foreign market sales trip;
            ``(3) a subscription to services provided by the Department 
        of Commerce;
            ``(4) the payment of Web site translation fees;
            ``(5) the design of international marketing media;
            ``(6) a trade show exhibition;
            ``(7) participation in training workshops; or
            ``(8) any other export initiative determined appropriate by 
        the Associate Administrator.
    ``(c) Grants.--
            ``(1) Joint review.--In carrying out the program, the 
        Associate Administrator may make a grant to a State to increase 
        the number of eligible small business concerns in the State 
        that export or to increase the value of the exports by eligible 
        small business concerns in the State.
            ``(2) Priority.--In making grants under this section, the 
        Associate Administrator may give priority to an application by 
        a State that proposes a program that--
                    ``(A) focuses on eligible small business concerns 
                as part of an export promotion program;
                    ``(B) demonstrates success in promoting exports 
                by--
                            ``(i) socially and economically 
                        disadvantaged small business concerns;
                            ``(ii) small business concerns owned or 
                        controlled by women; and
                            ``(iii) rural small business concerns;
                    ``(C) promotes exports from a State that is not 1 
                of the 10 States with the highest percentage of 
                exporters that are small business concerns, based upon 
                the latest data available from the Department of 
                Commerce; and
                    ``(D) promotes new-to-market export opportunities 
                to the People's Republic of China for eligible small 
                business concerns in the United States.
            ``(3) Limitations.--
                    ``(A) Single application.--A State may not submit 
                more than 1 application for a grant under the program 
                in any 1 fiscal year.
                    ``(B) Proportion of amounts.--The total value of 
                grants under the program made during a fiscal year to 
                the 10 States with the highest number of exporters that 
                are small business concerns, based upon the latest data 
                available from the Department of Commerce, shall be not 
                more than 40 percent of the amounts appropriated for 
                the program for that fiscal year.
            ``(4) Application.--A State desiring a grant under the 
        program shall submit an application at such time, in such 
        manner, and accompanied by such information as the Associate 
        Administrator may establish.
    ``(d) Competitive Basis.--The Associate Administrator shall award 
grants under the program on a competitive basis.
    ``(e) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of an export 
program carried out using a grant under the program shall be--
            ``(1) for a State that has a high export volume, as 
        determined by the Associate Administrator, not more than 65 
        percent; and
            ``(2) for a State that does not have a high export volume, 
        as determined by the Associate Administrator, not more than 75 
        percent.
    ``(f) Non-Federal Share.--The non-Federal share of the cost of an 
export program carried using a grant under the program shall be 
comprised of not less than 50 percent cash and not more than 50 percent 
of indirect costs and in-kind contributions, except that no such costs 
or contributions may be derived from funds from any other Federal 
program.
    ``(g) Annual Reports.--The Associate Administrator shall submit an 
annual report to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship 
of the Senate and the Committee on Small Business of the House of 
Representatives regarding the program, which shall include--
            ``(1) the number and amount of grants made under the 
        program during the preceding year;
            ``(2) a list of the States receiving a grant under the 
        program during the preceding year, including the activities 
        being performed with that grant; and
            ``(3) the effect of each grant on exports by eligible small 
        business concerns in the State receiving the grant.
    ``(h) Public Web Site.--The Associate Administrator shall establish 
and maintain, on a publicly accessible Internet Web site of the 
Administration--
            ``(1) a list of each grant awarded under the program, the 
        amount of the grant, and the identity of the grantee State; and
            ``(2) grant management guidance for recipients including 
        required forms, no-cost extension and carryover information, 
        and a schedule for reimbursements to recipients.
    ``(i) Enhanced Reporting Requirements.--The Associate Administrator 
shall--
            ``(1) document and maintain all analyses, evaluations, and 
        rationales used to award grants under this section;
            ``(2) ensure that the goals of recipients of those grants 
        are consistent with the purposes of this section and hold them 
        accountable for adhering to reporting requirements established 
        under this section;
            ``(3) perform reviews of quarterly reports submitted by 
        grant recipients under this section; and
            ``(4) in cases where grant recipients do not proposed 
        performance goals, require grant recipients to provide the 
        Associate Administrator with revised work plans and budget 
        estimates to meet those goals.
    ``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
        for each of the fiscal years such sums as may be necessary to 
        carry out this Act and the amendments made by this Act.
            ``(2) Other amounts.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
        authorization of appropriations in paragraph (1) shall be in 
        addition to the amounts otherwise available to carry out this 
        Act and the amendments made by this Act.
            ``(3) Availability.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
        authorization of appropriations in paragraph (1) are authorized 
        to remain available until expended.''.

SEC. 3. REPEAL OF PILOT PROGRAM.

    Section 1207 of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 (15 U.S.C. 649b 
note) is hereby repealed.
                                 <all>