[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 117 (Thursday, June 25, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3579-S3580]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2189. Ms. CORTEZ MASTO (for herself and Mr. Young) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 4049, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for military activities
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military
personnel strengths for such fiscal
[[Page S3580]]
year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as
follows:
At the appropriate place, insert the following:
SEC. __. INNOVATION VOUCHER GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the Small Business Administration.
(2) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
(A) an institution of higher education, as defined in
section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1001); or
(B) a nonprofit research lab, institution, or other similar
organization in the United States associated with educational
or research activities, including a federally funded research
and development center.
(3) Hubzone.--The term ``HUBZone'' has the meaning given
the term in section 31(b) of the Small Business Act (15
U.S.C. 657a(b)).
(4) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the Innovation
Voucher Grant Program established under subsection (b).
(5) Reservist.--The term ``Reservist'' means a member of a
reserve component of the Armed Forces named in section 10101
of title 10, United States Code.
(6) Rural area.--The term ``rural area'' means any county
that the Bureau of the Census has defined as mostly rural or
completely rural in the most recent decennial census.
(7) Service-connected.--The term ``service-connected'' has
the meaning given the term in section 101 of title 38, United
States Code.
(8) Small business concern; small business concern owned
and controlled by veterans; small business concern owned and
controlled by women.--The terms ``small business concern'',
``small business concern owned and controlled by veterans'',
and ``small business concern owned and controlled by women''
have the meanings given those terms in section 3 of the Small
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632).
(9) Small business concern in an underserved market.--The
term ``small business concern in an underserved market''
means a small business concern--
(A) that is located in--
(i) a low- to moderate-income community;
(ii) a HUBZone;
(iii) a community that has been designated as an
empowerment zone or an enterprise community under section
1391 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
(iv) a community that has been designated as a Promise Zone
by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
(v) a community that has been designated as a qualified
opportunity zone under section 1400Z-1 of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986; or
(vi) a rural area;
(B) for which more than 50 percent of the employees reside
in a low- to moderate-income community;
(C) that has been in existence for not more than 2 years;
(D) owned and controlled by socially and economically
disadvantaged individuals, including minorities;
(E) owned and controlled by women;
(F) owned and controlled by veterans;
(G) owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans; or
(H) not less than 51 percent owned and controlled by 1 or
more--
(i) members of the Armed Forces participating in the
Transition Assistance Program of the Department of Defense;
(ii) Reservists;
(iii) spouses of veterans, members of the Armed Forces, or
Reservists; or
(iv) surviving spouses of veterans who died on active duty
or as a result of a service-connected disability.
(10) Small business concern owned and controlled by
socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.--The
term ``small business concern owned and controlled by
socially and economically disadvantaged individuals'' has the
meaning given the term in section 8(d)(3)(C) of the Small
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(3)(C)).
(b) Innovation Voucher Grant Program.--
(1) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall establish a
program to be known as the ``Innovation Voucher Grant
Program'' under which the Administrator shall, on a
competitive basis and in accordance with paragraph (7), award
to small business concerns grants for the Federal share of
the cost of purchasing from eligible entities technical
assistance and services necessary to carry out projects to
advance research, development, or commercialization of new or
innovative products and services.
(2) Purposes of program.--The purposes of the Program are--
(A) to foster collaboration between small business concerns
and research institutions or other similar organizations;
(B) to facilitate access by small business concerns to
capital-intensive infrastructure and advanced research
capabilities;
(C) to enable small business concerns to access technical
expertise and capabilities that will lead to the development
of innovative products;
(D) to promote business dynamism and competition;
(E) to stimulate United States leadership in advanced
research, innovation, and technology;
(F) to accelerate the development of an advanced workforce;
and
(G) to preserve and create new jobs.
(3) Application.--
(A) In general.--A small business concern desiring a grant
under the Program shall submit to the Administrator an
application with the eligible entity from which the small
business concern will purchase technical assistance and
services using funds awarded under the grant.
(B) Selection.--Not later than 180 days after the deadline
established by the Administrator to submit applications under
subparagraph (A), the Administrator shall select the
recipients of the grants under the Program.
(4) Evaluation.--In evaluating an application for a grant
under the Program, the Administrator shall take into
consideration--
(A) the likelihood that funds awarded under the grant will
be used to create or advance a novel product or service;
(B) the feasibility of creating or advancing a novel
product or service proposed to be created or advanced using
funds awarded under the grant; and
(C) whether creating or advancing a product or service
proposed to be created or advanced using funds awarded under
the grant could be accomplished without a grant awarded under
the Program.
(5) Amount.--A grant made under the Program shall be made
in an amount of not less than $15,000 and not more than
$75,000, which shall remain available to the grantee until
expended.
(6) Amounts for small business concerns.--
(A) In general.--Except to the extent that the
Administrator determines otherwise, not less than 40 percent
of the amounts made available for the Program in a fiscal
year shall be set aside and expended through--
(i) a small business concern in an underserved market; or
(ii) a small business concern in a region or State that has
historically been underserved by Federal research and
development funds.
(B) Remaining amount.--Any amount that is set aside under
subparagraph (A) in a fiscal year that is not expended by the
end of the fiscal year shall be--
(i) except as provided in clause (ii), available in the
following fiscal year to make grants to small business
concerns described in clauses (i) and (ii) of subparagraph
(A); and
(ii) on and after October 1, 2024, available to make grants
to all small business concerns under the Program.
(7) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of
purchasing technical assistance and services described in
paragraph (1) using funds awarded under a grant made under
the Program shall be--
(A) not more than 75 percent, if the amount of the grant is
less than $50,000; and
(B) not more than 50 percent, if the amount of the grant is
not less than $50,000.
(8) Reports.--
(A) Reports from grant recipients.--Not later than 180 days
after the date on which a project carried out under a grant
awarded under the Program is completed, the recipient of the
grant shall submit to the Administrator a report on the
project, including--
(i) whether and how the project met the original
expectations for the project;
(ii) how the results of the project were incorporated in
the business of the grant recipient; and
(iii) whether and how the project improved innovation
practices of the grant recipient.
(B) Report of the administrator.--Not later than 2 years
after the date on which the Administrator establishes the
Program, and every 2 years thereafter until the date on which
the amounts appropriated for the Program are expended, the
Administrator 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 grants
awarded under the Program, including--
(i) a description of the grants awarded;
(ii) the estimated number of products or services created
or advanced under grants awarded under the Program that could
have been created or advanced without grants awarded under
the Program; and
(iii) a description of the impact of the Program on
knowledge transfer and commercialization.
(C) Final report of the administrator.--Not later than 180
days after the date on which amounts appropriated for the
Program are expended, the Administrator shall submit to the
committees described in subparagraph (B) a final report
containing the information described in clauses (i), (ii),
and (iii) of that paragraph.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to the Administrator to carry out the
Program $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through
2025, to remain available until expended.
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