[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2855 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2855

To increase outreach for women and minority-owned businesses under the 
   Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology 
               Transfer programs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 26, 2016

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To increase outreach for women and minority-owned businesses under the 
   Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology 
               Transfer programs, 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 ``Small Business Innovation Research 
and Technology Transfer Inclusive Outreach Improvement Act of 2016''.

SEC. 2. SBA COORDINATION ON INCREASING OUTREACH FOR WOMEN AND MINORITY-
              OWNED BUSINESSES.

    Section 9(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638(b)) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (8), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (9), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(10) to coordinate with participating agencies on efforts 
        to increase outreach and awards under each of the SBIR and STTR 
        programs to small business concerns owned and controlled by 
        women and socially and economically disadvantaged small 
        business concerns, as defined in section 8(a)(4).''.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL AGENCY OUTREACH REQUIREMENTS FOR WOMEN AND MINORITY-
              OWNED BUSINESSES.

    Section 9 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (g)--
                    (A) in paragraph (11), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in paragraph (12), by striking the period at 
                the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(13) implement an outreach program to small business 
        concerns for the purpose of enhancing its SBIR program, under 
        which the Federal agency shall--
                    ``(A) provide outreach to small business concerns 
                owned and controlled by women and socially and 
                economically disadvantaged small business concerns, as 
                defined in section 8(a)(4); and
                    ``(B) establish goals for outreach by the Federal 
                agency to the small business concerns described in 
                subparagraph (A).''; and
            (2) in subsection (o)(14), by striking ``SBIR program;'' 
        and inserting ``SBIR program, under which the Federal agency 
        shall--
                    ``(A) provide outreach to small business concerns 
                owned and controlled by women and socially and 
                economically disadvantaged small business concerns, as 
                defined in section 8(a)(4); and
                    ``(B) establish goals for outreach by the Federal 
                agency to the small business concerns described in 
                subparagraph (A).''.

SEC. 4. STTR POLICY DIRECTIVE MODIFICATION.

    Section 9(p) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638(p)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Additional modifications.--Not later than 120 days 
        after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the 
        Administrator shall modify the policy directive issued pursuant 
        to this subsection to provide for enhanced outreach efforts to 
        increase the participation of small business concerns owned and 
        controlled by women and socially and economically disadvantaged 
        small business concerns, as defined in section 8(a)(4), in 
        technological innovation and in STTR programs.''.

SEC. 5. INTERAGENCY SBIR/STTR POLICY COMMITTEE.

    Section 5124 of the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2011 (Public 
Law 112-81; 125 Stat. 1837) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following:
    ``(d) Meetings.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Interagency SBIR/STTR Policy 
        Committee shall meet not less than twice per year to carry out 
        the duties under subsection (c).
            ``(2) Outreach and technical assistance activities.--If the 
        Interagency SBIR/STTR Policy Committee meets to discuss 
        outreach and technical assistance activities to increase the 
        participation of small business concerns that are 
        underrepresented in the SBIR and STTR programs, the Committee 
        shall invite to the meeting--
                    ``(A) a representative of the Minority Business 
                Development Agency; and
                    ``(B) relevant stakeholders that work to advance 
                the interests of--
                            ``(i) small business concerns owned and 
                        controlled by women, as defined in section 3 of 
                        the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632); and
                            ``(ii) socially and economically 
                        disadvantaged small business concerns, as 
                        defined in section 8(a)(4) of the Small 
                        Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(a)(4)).''.

SEC. 6. DIVERSITY AND STEM WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of 
        the Small Business Administration;
            (2) the term ``covered STEM intern'' means a student at, or 
        recent graduate from, an institution of higher education 
        serving as an intern--
                    (A) whose course of study studied is focused on the 
                STEM fields; and
                    (B) who is a woman or a person from an 
                underrepresented population in the STEM fields;
            (3) the term ``eligible entity'' means a small business 
        concern that--
                    (A) is receiving amounts under an award under the 
                SBIR program or the STTR program of a Federal agency on 
                the date on which the Federal agency awards a grant to 
                the small business concern under subsection (b); and
                    (B) provides internships for covered STEM interns;
            (4) the terms ``Federal agency'', ``SBIR'', and ``STTR'' 
        have the meanings given those terms under section 9(e) of the 
        Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638(e));
            (5) the term ``institution of higher education'' has the 
        meaning given the term under section 101(a) of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a));
            (6) the term ``person from an underrepresented population 
        in the STEM fields'' means a person from a group that is 
        underrepresented in the population of STEM students, as 
        determined by the Administrator;
            (7) the term ``pilot program'' means the Diversity and STEM 
        Workforce Development Pilot Program established under 
        subsection (b);
            (8) the term ``recent graduate'', relating to a woman or a 
        person from an underrepresented population in the STEM fields, 
        means that the woman or person from an underrepresented 
        population in the STEM fields earned an associate degree, 
        baccalaureate degree, or postbaccalaureate from an institution 
        of higher education during the 1-year period beginning on the 
        date of the internship;
            (9) the term ``small business concern'' has the meaning 
        given the term under section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 
        U.S.C. 632); and
            (10) the term ``STEM fields'' means the fields of science, 
        technology, engineering, and math.
    (b) Pilot Program for Internships for Women and People From 
Underrepresented Populations.--The Administrator shall establish a 
Diversity and STEM Workforce Development Pilot Program to encourage the 
business community to provide workforce development opportunities for 
covered STEM interns, under which a Federal agency participating in the 
SBIR program or STTR program may make a grant to one or more eligible 
entities for the costs of internships for covered STEM interns.
    (c) Amount and Use of Grants.--
            (1) Amount.--A grant under subsection (b)--
                    (A) may not be in an amount of more than $15,000 
                per fiscal year; and
                    (B) shall be in addition to the amount of the award 
                to the recipient under the SBIR program or the STTR 
                program.
            (2) Use.--Not less than 90 percent of the amount of a grant 
        under subsection (b) shall be used by the eligible entity to 
        provide stipends or other similar payments to interns.
    (d) Evaluation.--Not later than January 31 of the first calendar 
year after the third fiscal year during which the Administrator carries 
out the pilot program, the Administrator shall submit to Congress--
            (1) data on the results of the pilot program, such as the 
        number and demographics of the covered STEM interns 
        participating in an internship funded under the pilot program 
        and the amount spent on such internships; and
            (2) an assessment of whether the pilot program helped the 
        SBIR program and STTR program achieve the congressional 
        objective of fostering and encouraging the participation of 
        women and persons from underrepresented populations in the STEM 
        fields.
    (e) Termination.--The pilot program shall terminate after the end 
of the fourth fiscal year during which the Administrator carries out 
the pilot program.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the pilot 
program.
                                 <all>