[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1896 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1896

       To reauthorize the SCORE program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 8, 2023

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
       To reauthorize 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 Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE SCORE PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Section 8 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
637) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(1)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A)(i)(II)(aa), by inserting 
                ``with relevant knowledge of modern business 
                practices'' after ``institutions''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (B)--
                            (i) by striking ``a Service Corps of 
                        Retired Executives (SCORE) and an Active Corps 
                        of Executive (ACE)'' and inserting ``a 
                        Supporting Coaching Opportunities for Resilient 
                        Entrepreneurs (SCORE) program''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``SCORE may'' and 
                        inserting ``the SCORE Program may''; and
            (2) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:
    ``(c) SCORE Program.--
            ``(1) Cooperative agreement.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after 
                the date of enactment of the SCORE Act of 2023, the 
                Administrator shall enter into a cooperative agreement 
                with an organization described in subparagraph (B) to 
                carry out the SCORE program, which shall provide 
                business coaching to entrepreneurs seeking to form, 
                grow, scale, or sell their small business concern.
                    ``(B) Eligible organization.--The awardee of the 
                cooperative agreement under subparagraph (A) shall be 
                an organization that--
                            ``(i) is well-equipped to provide 
                        fundamental, modern, and relevant business 
                        training and counseling to individuals in both 
                        rural and urban areas; and
                            ``(ii) shall be able to effectively reach 
                        underserved individuals while overseeing the 
                        volunteers participating in the SCORE program.
                    ``(C) Recompete process.--Not later than 5 years 
                after the date on which the Administrator enters into a 
                cooperative agreement under subparagraph (A), and every 
                5 years thereafter, the Administrator shall engage in a 
                competitive bidding process to enter into a cooperative 
                agreement with an organization described in 
                subparagraph (B).
            ``(2) Administrator duties.--The Administrator shall--
                    ``(A) assist the Office of Inspector General of the 
                Administration in conducting their audit of the SCORE 
                program that shall occur once every 3 years; and
                    ``(B) establish a process to certify eligible 
                coaches under the SCORE program, which shall--
                            ``(i) ensure that the business investments, 
                        affiliations, or connections of a coach do not 
                        present a conflict of interest with any 
                        individual participant that the coach is 
                        actively coaching, as determined by the 
                        National Women's Business Coaches; and
                            ``(ii) determine whether the individual 
                        applying to be a coach has--
                                    ``(I) relevant knowledge of modern 
                                business practices, including 
                                accounting, marketing, and hiring 
                                personnel; and
                                    ``(II) a general understanding of 
                                the opportunities for growth that the 
                                internet and e-commerce poses for 
                                owners of small business concerns.
            ``(3) SCORE association duties.--The SCORE Association 
        shall--
                    ``(A) in addition to providing in-person services, 
                maintain and expand online counseling services 
                including webinars, electronic mentoring platforms, e-
                commerce, and online toolkits to further support 
                entrepreneurs; and
                    ``(B) maintain and enforce requirements for 
                volunteers participating in the SCORE program, 
                including requirements that--
                            ``(i) each volunteer shall meet the 
                        performance standards established under 
                        subparagraph (C);
                            ``(ii) if a volunteer fails to meet 
                        performance standards, as evaluated through an 
                        annual review, the volunteer shall adhere to a 
                        performance improvement plan for the duration 
                        of 1 year; and
                            ``(iii) if the volunteer continues to fail 
                        to meet performance standards after conducting 
                        a year-long performance improvement plan 
                        described in clause (ii), the volunteer shall 
                        be terminated and dismissed from all 
                        participation in the SCORE program.
            ``(4) Joint duties.--The Administrator, in consultation 
        with the SCORE Association, shall ensure that the SCORE program 
        and each chapter of the SCORE program--
                    ``(A) develop and implement plans and goals to 
                effectively and efficiently provide services to 
                individuals in rural areas, including plans for virtual 
                and web-based initiatives, chapter expansion, 
                partnerships, and the development of new skills by 
                volunteers participating in the SCORE program;
                    ``(B) recruit diverse volunteers for the chapters 
                of the SCORE program, in conjunction with the National 
                Women's Business Coaches; and
                    ``(C) establish performance standards for all 
                coaches and employees of the SCORE program.
            ``(5) GAO study.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of the SCORE Act of 2023, the Comptroller General of 
        the United States shall--
                    ``(A) conduct a study to identify how many SCORE 
                program chapters are located in rural areas and 
                understand how well the SCORE program is servicing 
                rural areas;
                    ``(B) examine the efficacy of performance standards 
                established under paragraph (3)(C); and
                    ``(C) 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 matters described in subparagraphs (A) and (B).
            ``(6) Reauthorization.--The SCORE program shall sunset on 
        the date that is 4 years after the date of enactment of the 
        SCORE Act of 2023, and shall be subject to reauthorization 
        thereafter.''.
    (b) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Small business act.--The Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
        631 et seq.) is amended--
                    (A) in section 3 (15 U.S.C. 632), by adding at the 
                end the following:
    ``(gg) SCORE Program Definitions.--In this Act:
            ``(1) SCORE program.--The term `SCORE program' means the 
        Supporting Coaching Opportunities for Resilient Entrepreneurs 
        program described in section 8(c).
            ``(2) SCORE association.--The term `SCORE Association' 
        means the Supporting Coaching Opportunities for Resilient 
        Entrepreneurs Association or any successor or other 
        organization that enters into a cooperative agreement described 
        in section 8(c)(1) with the Administrator to operate the SCORE 
        program.'';
                    (B) in section 7 (15 U.S.C. 636)--
                            (i) in subsection (b)(12)--
                                    (I) in the paragraph heading, by 
                                striking ``score'' and inserting 
                                ``SCORE program''; and
                                    (II) in subparagraph (A), by 
                                striking ``Service Corps of Retired 
                                Executives'' and inserting ``SCORE 
                                program''; and
                            (ii) in subsection (m)(3)(A)(i)(VIII), by 
                        striking ``Service Corps of Retired 
                        Executives'' and inserting ``SCORE program'';
                    (C) in section 20(d)(1)(E) (15 U.S.C. 631 note), by 
                striking ``Service Corps of Retired Executives 
                program'' and inserting ``SCORE program''; and
                    (D) in section 22 (15 U.S.C. 649)--
                            (i) in subsection (b)--
                                    (I) in paragraph (1), by striking 
                                ``Service Corps of Retired Executives 
                                authorized by section (8)(b)(1)'' and 
                                inserting ``SCORE program''; and
                                    (II) in paragraph (3), by striking 
                                ``Service Corps of Retired Executives'' 
                                and inserting ``SCORE program''; and
                            (ii) in subsection (c)(12), by striking 
                        ``Service Corps of Retired Executives 
                        authorized by section 8(b)(1)'' and inserting 
                        ``SCORE program''.
            (2) Other laws.--
                    (A) Small business reauthorization act of 1997.--
                Section 707 of the Small Business Reauthorization Act 
                of 1997 (15 U.S.C. 631 note) is amended by striking 
                ``Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) program'' 
                and inserting ``SCORE program described in section 8(c) 
                of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(c))''.
                    (B) Veterans entrepreneurship and small business 
                development act of 1999.--Section 301 of the Veterans 
                Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act of 
                1999 (15 U.S.C. 657b note) is amended--
                            (i) in subsection (a)--
                                    (I) in the matter preceding 
                                paragraph (1), by striking ``Service 
                                Core of Retired Executives (described 
                                in section 8(b)(1)(B) of the Small 
                                Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(b)(1)(B)) 
                                and in this section referred to as 
                                `SCORE')'' and inserting ``SCORE 
                                program described in section 8(c) of 
                                the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
                                637(c)) (in this section referred to as 
                                the `SCORE program')'';
                                    (II) in paragraphs (1), (2), and 
                                (3), by striking ``SCORE'' each place 
                                the term appears and inserting ``the 
                                SCORE program''; and
                                    (III) in paragraph (2), by striking 
                                ``the'' before ``establishing''; and
                            (ii) in subsection (b), by striking 
                        ``SCORE'' each place the term appears and 
                        inserting ``the SCORE program''.
                    (C) Military reservist and veteran small business 
                reauthorization and opportunity act of 2008.--The 
                Military Reservist and Veteran Small Business 
                Reauthorization and Opportunity Act of 2008 (15 U.S.C. 
                636 note) is amended--
                            (i) in section 3, by striking paragraph (5) 
                        and inserting the following:
            ``(5) the term `SCORE program' means the SCORE program 
        described in section 8(c) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
        637(c));''; and
                            (ii) in section 201(c)(2)(B)(i), by 
                        striking ``Service Corps of Retired 
                        Executives'' and inserting ``SCORE program''.
                    (D) Children's health insurance program 
                reauthorization act of 2009.--Section 621 of the 
                Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act 
                of 2009 (15 U.S.C. 657p) is amended--
                            (i) in subsection (a), by striking 
                        paragraph (4) and inserting the following:
            ``(4) the term `SCORE program' means the SCORE program 
        described in section 8(c) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
        637(c));''; and
                            (ii) in subsection (b)(4)(A)(iv), by 
                        striking ``Service Corps of Retired 
                        Executives'' and inserting ``SCORE program''.
                    (E) Energy policy and conservation act.--Section 
                337(d)(2)(A) of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act 
                (42 U.S.C. 6307(d)(2)(A)) is amended by striking 
                ``Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)'' and 
                inserting ``SCORE program described in section 8(c) of 
                the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(c))''.

SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE NATIONAL WOMEN'S BUSINESS COUNCIL.

    (a) In General.--Title IV of the Women's Business Ownership Act of 
1988 (15 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) in section 402(c) (15 U.S.C. 7102(c))--
                    (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 
                ``Council'' and inserting ``NWBC''; and
                    (B) by striking ``Council'' each place that term 
                appears and inserting ``NWBC'';
            (2) in section 403 (15 U.S.C. 7103)--
                    (A) in subsection (a)(2)(B)--
                            (i) by striking ``Small Business''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``National Women's 
                        Business Council established under section 
                        405'' and inserting ``NWBC''; and
                    (B) in subsection (b), by striking ``of the Small 
                Business Administration'';
            (3) by striking sections 405, 406, and 407 (15 U.S.C. 7105, 
        7106, 7107) and inserting the following:

``SEC. 405. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NATIONAL WOMEN'S BUSINESS COACHES.

    ``There is established a group to be known as the National Women's 
Business Coaches, which shall carry out the duties described in section 
406 and be composed of the members and staff described in section 407.

``SEC. 406. DUTIES OF THE NWBC.

    ``The NWBC shall--
            ``(1) collaborate with the SCORE program described in 
        section 8(c) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(c)) to 
        pair women entrepreneurs with coaches under the SCORE program 
        and other members of the NWBC;
            ``(2) promote the online webinars and other tools and 
        programs of the Administration and resource partners of the 
        Administration for women entrepreneurs;
            ``(3) develop workshops on--
                    ``(A) the opportunities of internet sales;
                    ``(B) e-commerce training, in particular how rural 
                businesses can leverage online market platforms to grow 
                their business;
                    ``(C) the different internet-based market platforms 
                that are available to small business concerns;
                    ``(D) utilizing social media for marketing and 
                hiring purposes; and
                    ``(E) how to grow and scale a small business 
                through an increased online presence;
            ``(4) serve as a resource and collaborate for the purposes 
        of information sharing between women's business centers 
        described in section 29 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
        656), small business development centers (as defined in section 
        3 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 632)), regional offices of the 
        Administration, and Veteran Business Outreach Centers described 
        in section 32 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 657b) for--
                    ``(A) best practices for recruiting coaches, 
                mentors, and advisors for women entrepreneurs; and
                    ``(B) developing materials and programs for women 
                entrepreneurs;
            ``(5) promote participation in the SCORE program among 
        aspiring and current entrepreneurs in need of guidance and 
        business owners who are willing to provide coaching services to 
        entrepreneurs;
            ``(6) be responsible for conducting, managing, and 
        overseeing a Coach Match Program under which NWBC members--
                    ``(A) pair individual SCORE program participants 
                with SCORE program coaches that best fit the needs of 
                the SCORE program participants through online and in-
                person events; or
                    ``(B) if preferable to the SCORE program 
                participant, pair an individual SCORE program 
                participant with another SCORE program participant as a 
                peer-to-peer match;
            ``(7) be responsible for recruiting other business leaders 
        to join the SCORE program as coaches, in particular individuals 
        with technical expertise in the fields of science, technology, 
        engineering, and math and individuals who are well versed in 
        utilizing social media as a business tool and who understand 
        and are adept at navigating the internet commerce ecosystem; 
        and
            ``(8) report directly to the Administrator on a semi-annual 
        basis on the activities of the Association, including, with 
        respect to the Coach Match Program described in paragraph (6)--
                    ``(A) the number of matches made by the 
                Association;
                    ``(B) the number of businesses served by the 
                program;
                    ``(C) the number of SCORE program participants 
                seeking to be matched, including women participants; 
                and
                    ``(D) results from an annual survey sent to 
                participants on the efficacy of the assistance provided 
                by their coach.

``SEC. 407. MEMBERSHIP AND STAFF OF THE NWBC.

    ``(a) In General.--The NWBC shall be composed of 30 volunteer 
coaches, who shall--
            ``(1) be women business leaders; and
            ``(2) have a demonstrated track record of coaching and 
        mentoring entrepreneurs on topics including forming, managing, 
        growing, or selling a business.
    ``(b) Role of NWBC Staff.--
            ``(1) Staff.--Not more than 4 full-time employees shall 
        support the duties of the NWBC, in particular the Coach Match 
        Program described in section 406(6).
            ``(2) Applications.--The full-time employees described in 
        paragraph (1) shall review and accept applications submitted by 
        women business leaders to serve as a coach described in 
        subsection (a).
            ``(3) Nonpartisan.--The full-time employees described in 
        paragraph (1) shall prioritize selecting nonpartisan 
        individuals to serve as coaches of the NWBC.
    ``(c) Duration.--Each coach of the NWBC shall serve for a period of 
3 years, which may be renewed after submitting a new application for 
review by the full-time employees described in subsection (b)(1).'';
            (4) in section 408 (15 U.S.C. 7108)--
                    (A) by striking paragraph (4);
                    (B) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph 
                (4); and
                    (C) by inserting after paragraph (4), as so 
                redesignated, the following:
            ``(5) the term `NWBC' means the National Women's Business 
        Coaches established under section 405;'';
            (5) by striking section 409 (15 U.S.C. 7109);
            (6) by redesignating section 410 (15 U.S.C. 7110) as 
        section 409; and
            (7) in section 409, as so redesignated, by striking 
        ``Council'' each place that term appears and inserting 
        ``NWBC''.
    (b) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--Section 29(g)(2)(B)(ii) 
of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(g)(2)(B)(ii)) is amended--
            (1) in subclause (IX), by striking ``Council'' and 
        inserting ``Coaches''; and
            (2) in subclause (X), by striking ``Women's Business 
        Council'' and inserting ``National Women's Business Coaches''.

SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS TO THE INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON WOMEN'S BUSINESS 
              ENTERPRISE.

    Title IV of the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 
7101 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) in section 402 (15 U.S.C. 7102)--
                    (A) in subsection (a)--
                            (i) by striking paragraphs (2) and (5);
                            (ii) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and 
                        (4) as paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively; 
                        and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) advise Congress and the President on the challenges 
        facing the formation of businesses owned and controlled by 
        women and best practices for facilitating the growth and 
        development of women's business enterprises.'';
                    (B) in subsection (b)--
                            (i) by striking ``The Interagency'' and 
                        inserting the following:
            ``(1) In general.--The Interagency'';
                            (ii) by striking ``A majority'' and 
                        inserting the following:
            ``(2) Quorum.--A majority''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Additional procedures relating to meetings.--
                    ``(A) Open to public.--Each meetings of the 
                Interagency Committee shall be open to the public.
                    ``(B) Notice of meetings.--Timely notice of each 
                meeting of the Interagency Committee shall be published 
                in the Federal Register, and the Administrator shall 
                prescribe regulations to provide for other types of 
                public notice to insure that all interested persons are 
                notified of each meeting in advance.
                    ``(C) Participation.--Interested persons shall be 
                permitted to attend any meeting of the Interagency 
                Committee and appear before or file statements with the 
                Interagency Committee, subject to such reasonable rules 
                or regulations as the Administrator may prescribe.
                    ``(D) Public inspection and copying of records.--
                Subject to section 552 of title 5, United States Code, 
                the records, reports, transcripts, minutes, appendixes, 
                working papers, drafts, studies, agenda, or other 
                documents which were made available to or prepared for 
                or by the Interagency Committee shall be available for 
                public inspection and copying at a single location in 
                the office of the Interagency Committee or the 
                Administration until the Interagency Committee ceases 
                to exist.
                    ``(E) Minutes.--Detailed minutes of each meeting of 
                the Interagency Committee shall be--
                            ``(i) kept and shall contain a record of 
                        the persons present, a complete and accurate 
                        description of matters discussed and 
                        conclusions reached, and copies of all reports 
                        received, issued, or approved by the 
                        Interagency Committee; and
                            ``(ii) certified for accuracy by the 
                        chairperson of the Interagency Committee.
                    ``(F) Closed sessions.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Subparagraphs (A) and 
                        (C) shall not apply to any portion of a meeting 
                        of the Interagency Committee for which the 
                        Administrator determines that such portion of 
                        the meeting may be closed to the public in 
                        accordance with section 552b(c) of title 5, 
                        United States Code.
                            ``(ii) Form.--Any determination made under 
                        clause (i) shall--
                                    ``(I) be in writing; and
                                    ``(II) contain the reasons for the 
                                determination.
                            ``(iii) Report.--If a determination is made 
                        under clause (i), the Interagency Committee 
                        shall issue a report, not less frequently than 
                        annually, setting forth a summary of the 
                        activities of the Interagency Committee and 
                        such related matters as would be informative to 
                        the public consistent with the policy of 
                        section 552(b) of title 5, United States Code.
                    ``(G) Designated officer or employee of federal 
                government.--
                            ``(i) In general.--There shall be 
                        designated an officer or employee of the 
                        Federal Government to chair or attend each 
                        meeting of the Interagency Committee, who shall 
                        be authorized, whenever the officer or employee 
                        determines it to be in the public interest, to 
                        adjourn any such meeting.
                            ``(ii) Prohibition.--The Interagency 
                        Committee shall not conduct any meeting in the 
                        absence of the designated officer or employee 
                        of the Federal Government described in clause 
                        (i).''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) Information From Resource Partners.--The SCORE program 
described in section 8(c) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(c)), 
women's business centers described in section 29 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 
656), small business development centers (as defined in section 3 of 
the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)), and State and local resource 
partners of the Administration shall annually submit to the Interagency 
Committee, the Administration, Congress, and the President findings 
related to women's business ownership and challenges forming, 
operating, and growing their business.'';
            (2) in section 403(15 U.S.C. 7103)--
                    (A) in subsection (a)(2)(A), by striking ``Small 
                Business Administration Reauthorization Act of 1997'' 
                and inserting ``SCORE Act of 2023''; and
                    (B) in subsection (b)--
                            (i) by striking ``Not later than 45 days 
                        after enactment of the Small Business 
                        Administration Reauthorization Act of 1997'' 
                        and inserting the following:
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 45 days after the date of 
        enactment of the SCORE Act of 2023''; and
                            (ii) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Vacancy.--In the event that a chairperson is not 
        appointed within the time frame required under paragraph (1), 
        the Deputy Administrator of the Administration shall serve as 
        acting chairperson of the Interagency Committee until a 
        chairperson is appointed under paragraph (1).''; and
            (3) in section 404 (15 U.S.C. 1704), by striking 
        ``September 30, 1995'' and inserting ``1 year after the date of 
        enactment of the SCORE Act of 2023''.
                                 <all>