[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3357-S3358]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 6169. Mrs. SHAHEEN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by her to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2027 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 year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the appropriate place, insert the following:
SEC. __. STATE TRADE EXPANSION PROGRAM.
(a) Application Requirements.--Section 22(l)(3) of the
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 649(l)(3)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (D)--
(A) in clause (i), by inserting ``, including a budget plan
for use of funds awarded under this subsection'' before the
period at the end; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(iii) Timing.--The Associate Administrator shall--
``(I) publish information on how to apply for a grant under
this subsection, including specific calculations and other
determinations used to award such a grant, not later than
March 31 of each year;
``(II) establish a deadline for the submission of
applications that is--
``(aa) not earlier than 60 days after the date on which the
information is published under subclause (I); and
``(bb) not later than--
``(AA) May 31 of each year; or
``(BB) in the event that full-year appropriations for the
program for a fiscal year have not been enacted as of
February 1 of such fiscal year, 120 days after full-year
appropriations are enacted; and
``(III) announce grant recipients not later than--
``(aa) September 30 of each year; or
``(bb) in the event that full-year appropriations for the
program for a fiscal year have not been enacted as of
February 1 of such fiscal year, 210 days after full-year
appropriations are enacted.
``(iv) Application streamlining.--The Associate
Administrator shall establish a concise application for
grants under the program that shall--
``(I) encompass all necessary information; and
``(II) to the extent feasible, use forms common to other
Federal trade programs and reduce unnecessary or duplicative
materials.''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(E) Application information.--The Associate Administrator
shall clearly communicate to applicants and grant recipients
any information about the State Trade Expansion Program,
including--
``(i) for each unsuccessful applicant for a grant awarded
under this subsection, recommendations to improve a
subsequent application for such a grant;
``(ii) for each successful applicant for such a grant, an
explanation for the amount awarded, if significantly
different from the amount requested in the application; and
``(iii) a website, which shall be maintained and linked to
from the primary website for the program, that includes the
most up-to-date information about program requirements,
eligible expenditures, and procedures.
``(F) Budget plan revisions.--
``(i) In general.--A State receiving a grant under this
subsection may revise the budget plan of the State submitted
under subparagraph (D) after the disbursal of grant funds
if--
``(I) the revision complies with allowable uses of grant
funds under this subsection; and
``(II) such State submits notification of the revision to
the Associate Administrator.
``(ii) Exception.--If a revision under clause (i)
reallocates 10 percent or more of the amounts described in
the budget plan of the State submitted under subparagraph
(D), the State may not implement the revised budget plan
without the approval of the Associate Administrator, unless
the Associate Administrator fails to approve or deny the
revised plan within 30 calendar days after receipt of such
revised plan.''.
(b) Survey.--Section 22(l) of the Small Business Act (15
U.S.C. 649(l)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (7) through (9) as
paragraphs (8) through (10), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (6) the following:
``(7) Survey.--The Associate Administrator shall conduct an
annual survey of each State that received a grant under this
subsection during the preceding year to solicit feedback on
the program and develop best practices for grantees.''.
(c) Reports.--Paragraph (8) of section 22(l) of the Small
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 649(l)), as so redesignated by
subsection (b), is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (B)--
(A) in clause (i)--
(i) in subclause (I), by inserting ``, as well as the
timing of applications and award announcements'' before the
semicolon at the end;
(ii) in subclause (III), by inserting ``, including the
total number of eligible small business concerns assisted by
the program (disaggregated by socially and economically
disadvantaged small business concerns, small business
concerns owned and controlled by women, and rural small
business concerns)'' before the semicolon at the end;
(iii) in subclause (IV), by striking ``and'' at the end;
[[Page S3358]]
(iv) in subclause (V)--
(I) by striking ``description of best practices'' and
inserting ``detailed description of best practices''; and
(II) by striking the period at the end and inserting a
semicolon; and
(v) by adding at the end the following:
``(VI) an analysis of the performance metrics described in
clause (iii), including a determination of whether or not any
goals relating to such performance metrics were met, and an
analysis of the survey described in paragraph (7); and
``(VII) a description of lessons learned by grant
recipients under this subsection that may apply to other
assistance provided by the Administration.''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(iii) Performance metrics.--Annually, the Associate
Administrator shall collect data on eligible small business
concerns assisted by the program for the following
performance metrics:
``(I) Total number of such concerns, disaggregated by
socially and economically disadvantaged small business
concerns, small business concerns owned and controlled by
women, and rural small business concerns.
``(II) Total dollar amount of export sales by eligible
small business concerns assisted by the program.
``(III) Number of such concerns that have not previously
participated in an activity described in paragraph (2).
``(IV) Number of such concerns that, because of
participation in the program, have accessed a new market.
``(V) Number of such concerns that, because of
participation in the program, have created new jobs.
``(VI) Number of such concerns participating in foreign
trade missions or trade show exhibitions, disaggregated by
socially and economically disadvantaged small business
concerns, small business concerns owned and controlled by
women, and rural small business concerns.''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(C) Reporting by recipients; processing of
reimbursements.--
``(i) In general.--The Associate Administrator shall
establish for recipients of grants under the program a
reporting process, template, or spreadsheet format to report
information regarding the program that reduces duplicative or
unnecessary reporting requirements, except as needed to
report congressionally required key performance indicators,
make funding decisions, or conduct necessary oversight of the
program.
``(ii) Processing of reimbursement requests.--The Associate
Administrator shall--
``(I) process information submitted by a State, territory,
or commonwealth for purposes of obtaining reimbursement for
eligible activities in a timely manner;
``(II) notify a State, territory, or commonwealth if such
information is not processed on or before the date that is 21
days after the date such information is submitted; and
``(III) provide an estimated completion timeline with any
notification under subclause (II)
``(D) Monthly obligations.--Not later than 30 days after
the date of enactment of this subparagraph, and every month
thereafter, the Administration shall submit to the Committee
on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Small
Business and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives a monthly obligations report that includes
information on obligations of funding under the program,
which shall include--
``(i) the Treasury Account Symbols;
``(ii) the period of availability;
``(iii) the unobligated balance for the program at the
beginning of the month;
``(iv) monthly realized recoveries or recaptures;
``(v) monthly obligations;
``(vi) a comparison of the obligations incurred in the
period covered by the report to the obligations incurred in
the same period in the 2 prior fiscal years; and
``(vii) the resulting unobligated balances at the end of
the month.''.
(d) Expansion of Definition of Eligible Small Business
Concern.--
(1) In general.--Section 22(l)(1)(A) of the Small Business
Act (15 U.S.C. 649(l)(1)(A)) is amended--
(A) in clause (iii)(II), by adding ``and'' at the end;
(B) by striking clause (iv); and
(C) by redesignating clause (v) as clause (iv).
(2) Limitation on use of funds for participation in foreign
trade missions.--Section 22(l)(2)(A) of the Small Business
Act (15 U.S.C. 649(l)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting ``by
eligible small business concerns that have been in operation
for not less than 1 year'' after ``trade missions''.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--Paragraph (10) of
section 22(l) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 649(l)),
as so redesignated by subsection (b), is amended by striking
``fiscal years 2016 through 2020'' and inserting ``fiscal
years 2027 through 2031''.
(f) Report to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Associate Administrator
for International Trade of the Small Business Administration
shall submit to Congress a report on the State Trade
Expansion Program established under section 22(l) of the
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 649(l)), as amended by this
section, that includes a description of--
(1) the process developed for review of revised budget
plans submitted under subparagraph (F) of section 22(l)(3) of
the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 649(l)(3)), as added by
this section;
(2) the process through which the Small Business
Administration selects and funds grantees and the criteria
used by the Administration in making such decisions;
(3) any changes made to streamline the application and
reporting processes to remove duplicative requirements and
create a more transparent process;
(4) the process developed to share best practices by States
described in paragraph (8)(B)(i)(V) of section 22(l) of the
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 649(l)), as so redesignated by
this section, particularly for first-time grant recipients
under the State Trade Expansion Program or grant recipients
that are facing problems using grant funds; and
(5) the process developed to communicate, both verbally and
in writing, relevant information about the State Trade
Expansion Program to all grant recipients in a timely manner.
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