[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2419 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2419

 To amend the Small Business Act to improve the technical and business 
         assistance services under the SBIR and STTR programs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 13, 2018

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Small Business Act to improve the technical and business 
         assistance services under the SBIR and STTR programs.

    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 ``Support Startup Businesses Act of 
2018''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS TO TECHNICAL AND BUSINESS ASSISTANCE.

    (a) In General.--Section 9(q) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
638(q)) is amended--
            (1) in the subsection heading, by inserting ``and 
        Business'' after ``Technical'';
            (2) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A)--
                            (i) by striking ``a vendor selected under 
                        paragraph (2)'' and inserting ``1 or more 
                        vendors selected under paragraph (2)(A)'';
                            (ii) by inserting ``and business'' before 
                        ``assistance services''; and
                            (iii) by inserting ``assistance with 
                        product sales, intellectual property 
                        protections, market research, market 
                        validation, and development of regulatory plans 
                        and manufacturing plans,'' after 
                        ``technologies,''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (D), by inserting ``, including 
                intellectual property protections'' before the period 
                at the end;
            (3) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) by striking ``Each agency may select a vendor 
                to assist small business concerns to meet'' and 
                inserting the following:
                    ``(A) In general.--Each agency may select 1 or more 
                vendors from which small business concerns may obtain 
                assistance in meeting''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) Selection by small business concern.--A small 
                business concern may, by contract or otherwise, select 
                1 or more vendors to assist the small business concern 
                in meeting the goals listed in paragraph (1).'';
            (4) in paragraph (3)--
                    (A) by inserting ``(A)'' after ``paragraph (2)'' 
                each place it appears;
                    (B) by striking ``$5,000 per year'' each place it 
                appears and inserting ``5 percent of the amount of the 
                award'';
                    (C) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking ``which 
                shall be in addition to the amount of the recipient's 
                award'' and inserting ``which may, as determined 
                appropriate by the head of the Federal agency, be 
                included as part of the recipient's award or be in 
                addition to the amount of the recipient's award'';
                    (D) in subparagraph (C)--
                            (i) by inserting ``or business'' after 
                        ``technical'';
                            (ii) by striking ``the vendor'' and 
                        inserting ``a vendor''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following: 
                        ``Business-related services aimed at improving 
                        the commercialization success of a small 
                        business concern may be obtained from an 
                        entity, such as a public or private 
                        organization or an agency of or other entity 
                        established or funded by a State that 
                        facilitates or accelerates the 
                        commercialization of technologies or assists in 
                        the creation and growth of private enterprises 
                        that are commercializing technology.'';
                    (E) in subparagraph (D)--
                            (i) by inserting ``or business'' after 
                        ``technical'' each place it appears; and
                            (ii) in clause (i), by striking ``the 
                        vendor'' and inserting ``1 or more vendors''; 
                        and
                    (F) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(E) Multiple award recipients.--The Administrator 
                shall establish a limit on the amount of technical and 
                business assistance services that may be received or 
                purchased under subparagraph (B) by small business 
                concerns with respect to multiple Phase II SBIR or STTR 
                awards for a fiscal year.''; and
            (5) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Annual reporting.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A small business concern that 
                receives technical or business assistance from a vendor 
                under this subsection during a fiscal year shall submit 
                to the Federal agency contracting with the vendor a 
                description of the technical or business assistance 
                provided.
                    ``(B) Use of existing reporting mechanism.--The 
                information required under subparagraph (A) shall be 
                collected by a Federal agency as part of a report 
                required to be submitted by small business concerns 
                engaged in SBIR or STTR projects of the Federal agency 
                for which the requirement was in effect on the date of 
                enactment of this paragraph.''.
    (b) Review.--Not later than the end of fiscal year 2019, the 
Administrator of the Small Business Administration 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 
reviewing the efficacy of the provision of technical and business 
assistance under section 9(q) of the Small Business Act (2 U.S.C. 
638(q)), as amended by subsection (a).
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