[House Report 111-112]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


111th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session                                                    111-112

======================================================================



 
           JOB CREATION THROUGH ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACT OF 2009

                                _______
                                

  May 15, 2009.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

  Ms. Velazquez, from the Committee on Small Business, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 2352]

    The Committee on Small Business, to whom was referred the 
bill (H.R. 2352) to amend the Small Business Act, and for other 
purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon 
with an amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do 
pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
  I. Purpose and Summary.............................................14
 II. Background and Need for Legislation.............................16
III. Hearings........................................................19
 IV. Committee Consideration.........................................19
  V. Committee Votes.................................................19
 VI. Section-by-Section Analysis of H.R. 2352........................19
VIII.Committee Estimate of Costs.....................................32

 IX. Oversight Findings..............................................34
  X. Statement of Constitutional Authority...........................34
 XI. Compliance With Public Law 104-4................................34
XII. Congressional Accountability Act................................34
XIII.Federal Advisory Committee Statement............................34

XIV. Statement of No Earmarks........................................34
 XV. Performance Goals and Objectives................................34
XVI. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported...........34

    The amendment is as follows:
  Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

  (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Job Creation Through 
Entrepreneurship Act of 2009''.
  (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

       TITLE I--ESTABLISHMENT OF VETERANS BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM

Sec. 101. Veterans Business Center program.
Sec. 102. Reporting requirement for interagency task force.

   TITLE II--EDUCATING AND NETWORKING ENTREPRENEURS THROUGH TODAY'S 
                               TECHNOLOGY

Sec. 201. Educating entrepreneurs through technology.

         TITLE III--ENHANCING NATIVE AMERICAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Sec. 301. Office of Native American Affairs; Tribal Business 
Information Centers program.
Sec. 302. Small Business Development Center assistance to Indian tribe 
members, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians.

        TITLE IV--BROADENING THE WOMEN'S BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM

Sec. 401. Notification of grants; publication of grant amounts.
Sec. 402. Communications.
Sec. 403. Funding.
Sec. 404. Performance and planning.
Sec. 405. National Women's Business Council.

                  TITLE V--SCORE PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS

Sec. 501. Expansion of volunteer representation and benchmark reports.
Sec. 502. Mentoring and networking.
Sec. 503. Name of program changed to SCORE.
Sec. 504. Authorization of appropriations.

                  TITLE VI--EXPANDING ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Sec. 601. Expanding entrepreneurship.

  TITLE VII--MODERNIZING THE SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER PROGRAM

Sec. 701. Small business development centers operational changes.
Sec. 702. Access to credit and capital.
Sec. 703. Procurement training and assistance.
Sec. 704. Green entrepreneurs training program.
Sec. 705. Main street stabilization.
Sec. 706. Prohibition on program income being used as matching funds.
Sec. 707. Authorization of appropriations.

       TITLE I--ESTABLISHMENT OF VETERANS BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM

SEC. 101. VETERANS BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM.

  Section 32 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657b) is amended--
          (1) in subsection (f), by inserting ``(other than subsections 
        (g), (h), and (i))'' after ``this section''; and
          (2) by adding at the end the following:
  ``(g) Veterans Business Center Program.--
          ``(1) In general.--The Administrator shall establish a 
        Veterans Business Center program within the Administration to 
        provide entrepreneurial training and counseling to veterans in 
        accordance with this subsection.
          ``(2) Director.--The Administrator shall appoint a Director 
        of the Veterans Business Center program, who shall implement 
        and oversee such program and who shall report directly to the 
        Associate Administrator for Veterans Business Development.
          ``(3) Designation of veterans business centers.--The Director 
        shall establish by regulation an application, review, and 
        notification process to designate entities as veterans business 
        centers for purposes of this section. The Director shall make 
        publicly known the designation of an entity as a veterans 
        business center and the award of a grant to such center under 
        this subsection.
          ``(4) Funding for veterans business centers.--
                  ``(A) Initial grants.--The Director is authorized to 
                make a grant (hereinafter in this subsection referred 
                to as an `initial grant') to each veterans business 
                center each year for not more than 5 years in the 
                amount of $150,000.
                  ``(B) Growth funding grants.--After a veterans 
                business center has received 5 years of initial grants 
                under subparagraph (A), the Director is authorized to 
                make a grant (hereinafter in this subsection referred 
                to as a `growth funding grant') to such center each 
                year for not more than 3 years in the amount of 
                $100,000. After such center has received 3 years of 
                growth funding grants, the Director shall require such 
                center to meet performance benchmarks established by 
                the Director to be eligible for growth funding grants 
                in subsequent years.
          ``(5) Center responsibilities.--Each veterans business center 
        receiving a grant under this subsection shall use the funds 
        primarily on veteran entrepreneurial development, counseling of 
        veteran-owned small businesses through one-on-one instruction 
        and classes, and providing government procurement assistance to 
        veterans.
          ``(6) Matching funds.--Each veterans business center 
        receiving a grant under this subsection shall be required to 
        provide a non-Federal match of 50 percent of the Federal funds 
        such center receives under this subsection. The Director may 
        issue to a veterans business center, upon request, a waiver 
        from all or a portion of such matching requirement upon a 
        determination of hardship.
          ``(7) Targeted areas.--The Director shall give priority to 
        applications for designations and grants under this subsection 
        that will establish a veterans business center in a geographic 
        area, as determined by the Director, that is not currently 
        served by a veterans business center and in which--
                  ``(A) the population of veterans exceeds the national 
                median of such measure; or
                  ``(B) the population of veterans of Operation Iraqi 
                Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom exceeds the 
                national median of such measure.
          ``(8) Training program.--The Director shall develop and 
        implement, directly or by contract, an annual training program 
        for the staff and personnel of designated veterans business 
        centers to provide education, support, and information on best 
        practices with respect to the establishment and operation of 
        such centers. The Director shall develop such training program 
        in consultation with veterans business centers, the interagency 
        task force established under subsection (c), and veterans 
        service organizations.
          ``(9) Inclusion of other organizations in program.--Upon the 
        date of the enactment of this subsection, each Veterans 
        Business Outreach Center established by the Administrator under 
        the authority of section 8(b)(17) and each center that received 
        funds during fiscal year 2006 from the National Veterans 
        Business Development Corporation established under section 33 
        and that remains in operation shall be treated as designated as 
        a veterans business center for purposes of this subsection and 
        shall be eligible for grants under this subsection.
          ``(10) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $10,000,000 for 
        fiscal year 2010 and $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2011.
  ``(h) Additional Grants Available to Veterans Business Centers.--
          ``(1) Access to capital grant program.--
                  ``(A) In general.--The Director of the Veterans 
                Business Center program shall establish a grant program 
                under which the Director is authorized to make, to 
                veterans business centers designated under subsection 
                (g), grants for the following:
                          ``(i) Developing specialized programs to 
                        assist veteran-owned small businesses to secure 
                        capital and repair damaged credit.
                          ``(ii) Providing informational seminars on 
                        securing loans to veteran-owned small 
                        businesses.
                          ``(iii) Providing one-on-one counseling to 
                        veteran-owned small businesses to improve the 
                        financial presentations of such businesses to 
                        lenders.
                          ``(iv) Facilitating the access of veteran-
                        owned small businesses to both traditional and 
                        non-traditional financing sources.
                  ``(B) Award size.--The Director may not award a 
                veterans business center more than $75,000 in grants 
                under this paragraph.
                  ``(C) Authorization of appropriations.--There is 
                authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
                paragraph $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 and 
                2011.
          ``(2) Procurement assistance grant program.--
                  ``(A) In general.--The Director shall establish a 
                grant program under which the Director is authorized to 
                make, to veterans business centers designated under 
                subsection (g), grants for the following:
                          ``(i) Assisting veteran-owned small 
                        businesses to identify contracts that are 
                        suitable to such businesses.
                          ``(ii) Preparing veteran-owned small 
                        businesses to be ready as subcontractors and 
                        prime contractors for contracts made available 
                        through the American Recovery and Reinvestment 
                        Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) through training 
                        and business advisement, particularly with 
                        respect to the construction trades.
                          ``(iii) Providing veteran-owned small 
                        businesses technical assistance with respect to 
                        the Federal procurement process, including 
                        assisting such businesses to comply with 
                        Federal regulations and bonding requirements.
                  ``(B) Award size.--The Director may not award a 
                veterans business center more than $75,000 in grants 
                under this paragraph.
                  ``(C) Authorization of appropriations.--There is 
                authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
                paragraph $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 and 
                2011.
          ``(3) Service-disabled veteran-owned small business grant 
        program.--
                  ``(A) In general.--The Director shall establish a 
                grant program under which the Director is authorized to 
                make, to veterans business centers designated under 
                subsection (g), grants for the following:
                          ``(i) Developing outreach programs for 
                        service-disabled veterans with respect to the 
                        benefits of self-employment.
                          ``(ii) Providing tailored training to 
                        service-disabled veterans with respect to 
                        business plan development, marketing, 
                        budgeting, accounting, and merchandising.
                          ``(iii) Assisting service-disabled veteran-
                        owned small businesses to locate and secure 
                        business opportunities.
                  ``(B) Award size.--The Director may not award a 
                veterans business center more than $75,000 in grants 
                under this paragraph.
                  ``(C) Authorization of appropriations.--There is 
                authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
                paragraph $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 and 
                2011.
  ``(i) Veterans Entrepreneurial Development Summit.--
          ``(1) In general.--The Director of the Veterans Business 
        Center program is authorized to carry out an event, once every 
        two years, for the purpose of providing networking 
        opportunities, outreach, education, training, and support to 
        veterans business centers funded under this section, veteran-
        owned small businesses, veterans service organizations, and 
        other entities as determined appropriate for inclusion by the 
        Director.
          ``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $450,000 for 
        fiscal years 2010 and 2011.
  ``(j) Inclusion of Surviving Spouses.--For purposes of subsections 
(g), (h), and (i) the following apply:
          ``(1) The term `veteran' includes a surviving spouse of the 
        following:
                  ``(A) A member of the Armed Forces, including a 
                reserve component thereof.
                  ``(B) A veteran.
          ``(2) The term `veteran-owned small business' includes a 
        small business owned by a surviving spouse of the following:
                  ``(A) A member of the Armed Forces, including a 
                reserve component thereof.
                  ``(B) A veteran.
  ``(k) Inclusion of Reserve Components.--For purposes of subsections 
(g), (h), and (i) the following apply:
          ``(1) The term `veteran' includes a member of the reserve 
        components of the armed forces as specified in section 10101 of 
        title 10, United States Code.
          ``(2) The term `veteran-owned small business' includes a 
        small business owned by a member of the reserve components of 
        the armed forces as specified in section 10101 of title 10, 
        United States Code.''.

SEC. 102. REPORTING REQUIREMENT FOR INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE.

  Section 32(c) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657b(c)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
          ``(4) Report.--The Administrator shall submit to Congress 
        biannually a report on the appointments made to and activities 
        of the task force.''.

   TITLE II--EDUCATING AND NETWORKING ENTREPRENEURS THROUGH TODAY'S 
                               TECHNOLOGY

SEC. 201. EDUCATING ENTREPRENEURS THROUGH TECHNOLOGY.

  The Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.) is amended by 
redesignating section 44 as section 46 and by inserting the following 
new section after section 43:

``SEC. 44. EDUCATING AND NETWORKING ENTREPRENEURS THROUGH TECHNOLOGY.

  ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to provide high-
quality distance learning and opportunities for the exchange of peer-
to-peer technical assistance through online networking to potential and 
existing entrepreneurs through the use of technology.
  ``(b) Definition.--As used in this section, the term `qualified 
third-party vendor' means an entity with experience in distance 
learning content or communications technology, or both, with the 
ability to utilize on-line, satellite, video-on-demand, and connected 
community-based organizations to distribute and conduct distance 
learning and establish an online network for use by potential and 
existing entrepreneurs to facilitate the exchange of peer-to-peer 
technical assistance related to entrepreneurship, credit management, 
financial literacy, and Federal small business development programs.
  ``(c) Authority.--The Administrator shall contract with qualified 
third-party vendors for entrepreneurial training content, the 
development of communications technology that can distribute content 
under this section throughout the United States, and the establishment 
of a nationwide, online network for the exchange of peer-to-peer 
technical assistance. The Administrator shall contract with at least 2 
qualified third-party vendors to develop content.
  ``(d) Content.--The Administrator shall ensure that the content 
referred to in subsection (c) is timely and relevant to entrepreneurial 
development and can be successfully communicated remotely to an 
audience through the use of technology. The Administrator shall, to the 
maximum extent practicable, promote content that makes use of 
technologies that allow for remote interaction by the content provider 
with an audience. The Administrator shall ensure that the content is 
catalogued and accessible to small businesses on-line or through other 
remote technologies.
  ``(e) Communications Technology.--The Administrator shall ensure that 
the communications technology referred to in subsection (c) is able to 
distribute content throughout all 50 States and the territories of the 
United States to small business concerns, home-based businesses, Small 
Business Development Centers, Women's Business Centers, Veterans 
Business Centers, and the Small Business Administration and network 
entrepreneurs throughout all 50 States and the territories of the 
United States to allow for peer-to-peer learning through the creation 
of a location online that allows entrepreneurs and small business 
owners the opportunity to exchange technical assistance through the 
sharing of information. To the extent possible, the qualified third-
party vendor should deliver the content and facilitate the networking 
using broadband technology.
  ``(f) Reports to Congress.--The Administrator shall submit a report 
to Congress 6 months after the date of the enactment of this section 
containing an analysis of the Small Business Administration's progress 
in implementing this section. The Administrator shall submit a report 
to Congress one year after the date of the enactment of this section 
and annually thereafter containing the number of presentations made 
under this section, the number of small businesses served under this 
section, the extent to which this section resulted in the establishment 
of new businesses, and feedback on the usefulness of this medium in 
presenting entrepreneurial education and facilitating the exchange of 
peer-to-peer technical assistance throughout the United States.
  ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $2,000,000 for each of the 
fiscal years 2010 and 2011.''.

         TITLE III--ENHANCING NATIVE AMERICAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

SEC. 301. OFFICE OF NATIVE AMERICAN AFFAIRS; TRIBAL BUSINESS 
                    INFORMATION CENTERS PROGRAM.

  (a) Associate Administrator.--Section 4(b)(1) of the Small Business 
Act (15 U.S.C. 633(b)(1)) is amended--
          (1) by striking ``five Associate Administrators'' and 
        inserting ``six Associate Administrators''; and
          (2) by inserting after ``vested in the Administration.'' the 
        following: ``One such Associate Administrator shall be the 
        Associate Administrator for Native American Affairs, who shall 
        administer the Office of Native American Affairs established 
        under section 45.''.
  (b) Establishment.--The Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.) is 
amended by inserting after section 44, as added by section 201 of this 
Act, the following:

``SEC. 45. OFFICE OF NATIVE AMERICAN AFFAIRS AND TRIBAL BUSINESS 
                    INFORMATION CENTERS PROGRAM.

  ``(a) Office of Native American Affairs.--
          ``(1) Establishment.--There is established in the 
        Administration an Office of Native American Affairs 
        (hereinafter referred to in this subsection as the `Office').
          ``(2) Associate administrator.--The Office shall be 
        administered by an Associate Administrator appointed under 
        section 4(b)(1).
          ``(3) Responsibilities.--The Office shall have the following 
        responsibilities:
                  ``(A) Developing and implementing tools and 
                strategies to increase Native American 
                entrepreneurship.
                  ``(B) Expanding the access of Native American 
                entrepreneurs to business training, capital, and 
                Federal small business contracts.
                  ``(C) Expanding outreach to Native American 
                communities and aggressively marketing entrepreneurial 
                development services to such communities.
                  ``(D) Representing the Administration with respect to 
                Native American economic development matters.
          ``(4) Coordination and oversight function.--The Office shall 
        provide oversight with respect to and assist the implementation 
        of all Administration initiatives relating to Native American 
        entrepreneurial development.
          ``(5) Authorization of appropriations.--To carry out this 
        subsection, there is authorized to be appropriated to the 
        Administrator $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 and 
        2011.
  ``(b) Tribal Business Information Centers Program.--
          ``(1) Establishment.--The Administrator is authorized to 
        operate, alone or in coordination with other Federal 
        departments and agencies, a Tribal Business Information Centers 
        program that provides Native American populations with business 
        training and entrepreneurial development assistance.
          ``(2) Designation of centers.--The Administrator shall 
        designate entities as centers under the Tribal Business 
        Information Centers program.
          ``(3) Administration support.--The Administrator may 
        contribute agency personnel and resources to the centers 
        designated under paragraph (2) to carry out this subsection.
          ``(4) Grant program.--The Administrator is authorized to make 
        grants of not more than $300,000 to centers designated under 
        paragraph (2) for the purpose of providing Native Americans the 
        following:
                  ``(A) Business workshops.
                  ``(B) Individualized business counseling.
                  ``(C) Entrepreneurial development training.
                  ``(D) Access to computer technology and other 
                resources to start or expand a business.
          ``(5) Regulations.--The Administrator shall by regulation 
        establish a process for designating centers under paragraph (2) 
        and making the grants authorized under paragraph (4).
          ``(6) Definition of administrator.--In this subsection, the 
        term `Administrator' means the Administrator, acting through 
        the Associate Administrator administering the Office of Native 
        American Affairs.
          ``(7) Authorization of appropriations.--To carry out this 
        subsection, there is authorized to be appropriated to the 
        Administrator $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 and $17,000,000 
        for fiscal year 2011.
  ``(c) Definition of Native American.--The term `Native American' 
means an Indian tribe member, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian as such 
are defined in section 21(a)(8) of this Act.''.

SEC. 302. SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER ASSISTANCE TO INDIAN TRIBE 
                    MEMBERS, ALASKA NATIVES, AND NATIVE HAWAIIANS.

  (a) In General.--Section 21(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
648(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
          ``(8) Additional grant to assist indian tribe members, alaska 
        natives, and native hawaiians.--
                  ``(A) In general.--Any applicant in an eligible State 
                that is funded by the Administration as a Small 
                Business Development Center may apply for an additional 
                grant to be used solely to provide services described 
                in subsection (c)(3) to assist with outreach, 
                development, and enhancement on Indian lands of small 
                business startups and expansions owned by Indian tribe 
                members, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians.
                  ``(B) Eligible states.--For purposes of subparagraph 
                (A), an eligible State is a State that has a combined 
                population of Indian tribe members, Alaska Natives, and 
                Native Hawaiians that comprises at least 1 percent of 
                the State's total population, as shown by the latest 
                available census.
                  ``(C) Grant applications.--An applicant for a grant 
                under subparagraph (A) shall submit to the 
                Administration an application that is in such form as 
                the Administration may require. The application shall 
                include information regarding the applicant's goals and 
                objectives for the services to be provided using the 
                grant, including--
                          ``(i) the capability of the applicant to 
                        provide training and services to a 
                        representative number of Indian tribe members, 
                        Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians;
                          ``(ii) the location of the Small Business 
                        Development Center site proposed by the 
                        applicant;
                          ``(iii) the required amount of grant funding 
                        needed by the applicant to implement the 
                        program; and
                          ``(iv) the extent to which the applicant has 
                        consulted with local tribal councils.
                  ``(D) Applicability of grant requirements.--An 
                applicant for a grant under subparagraph (A) shall 
                comply with all of the requirements of this section, 
                except that the matching funds requirements under 
                paragraph (4)(A) shall not apply.
                  ``(E) Maximum amount of grants.--No applicant may 
                receive more than $300,000 in grants under this 
                paragraph for any fiscal year.
                  ``(F) Regulations.--After providing notice and an 
                opportunity for comment and after consulting with the 
                Association recognized by the Administration pursuant 
                to paragraph (3)(A) (but not later than 180 days after 
                the date of enactment of this paragraph), the 
                Administration shall issue final regulations to carry 
                out this paragraph, including regulations that 
                establish--
                          ``(i) standards relating to educational, 
                        technical, and support services to be provided 
                        by Small Business Development Centers receiving 
                        assistance under this paragraph; and
                          ``(ii) standards relating to any work plan 
                        that the Administration may require a Small 
                        Business Development Center receiving 
                        assistance under this paragraph to develop.
                  ``(G) Advice of local tribal organizations.--A Small 
                Business Development Center receiving a grant under 
                this paragraph shall request the advice of a tribal 
                organization on how best to provide assistance to 
                Indian tribe members, Alaska Natives, and Native 
                Hawaiians and where to locate satellite centers to 
                provide such assistance.
                  ``(H) Definitions.--In this paragraph, the following 
                definitions apply:
                          ``(i) Indian lands.--The term `Indian lands' 
                        has the meaning given the term `Indian country' 
                        in section 1151 of title 18, United States 
                        Code, the meaning given the term `Indian 
                        reservation' in section 151.2 of title 25, Code 
                        of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the 
                        date of enactment of this paragraph), and the 
                        meaning given the term `reservation' in section 
                        4 of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (25 
                        U.S.C. 1903).
                          ``(ii) Indian tribe.--The term `Indian tribe' 
                        means any band, nation, or organized group or 
                        community of Indians located in the contiguous 
                        United States, and the Metlakatla Indian 
                        Community, whose members are recognized as 
                        eligible for the services provided to Indians 
                        by the Secretary of the Interior because of 
                        their status as Indians.
                          ``(iii) Indian tribe member.--The term 
                        `Indian tribe member' means a member of an 
                        Indian tribe (other than an Alaska Native).
                          ``(iv) Alaska native.--The term `Alaska 
                        Native' has the meaning given the term `Native' 
                        in section 3(b) of the Alaska Native Claims 
                        Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602(b)).
                          ``(v) Native hawaiian.--The term `Native 
                        Hawaiian' means any individual who is--
                                  ``(I) a citizen of the United States; 
                                and
                                  ``(II) a descendant of the aboriginal 
                                people, who prior to 1778, occupied and 
                                exercised sovereignty in the area that 
                                now constitutes the State of Hawaii.
                          ``(vi) Tribal organization.--The term `tribal 
                        organization' has the meaning given that term 
                        in section 4(l) of the Indian Self-
                        Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 
                        U.S.C. 450b(l)).
                  ``(I) Authorization of appropriations.--There is 
                authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
                paragraph $7,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 and 
                2011.
                  ``(J) Funding limitations.--
                          ``(i) Nonapplicability of certain 
                        limitations.--Funding under this paragraph 
                        shall be in addition to the dollar program 
                        limitations specified in paragraph (4).
                          ``(ii) Limitation on use of funds.--The 
                        Administration may carry out this paragraph 
                        only with amounts appropriated in advance 
                        specifically to carry out this paragraph.''.

        TITLE IV--BROADENING THE WOMEN'S BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM

SEC. 401. NOTIFICATION OF GRANTS; PUBLICATION OF GRANT AMOUNTS.

  Section 29 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection:
  ``(o) Notification of Grants; Publication of Grant Amounts.--The 
Administrator shall disburse funds to a women's business center not 
later than one month after the center's application is approved under 
this section. At the end of each fiscal year the Administrator (acting 
through the Office of Women's Business ownership) shall publish on the 
Administration's website a report setting forth the total amount of the 
grants made under this Act to each women's business center in the 
fiscal year for which the report is issued, the total amount of such 
grants made in each prior fiscal year to each such center, and the 
total amount of private matching funds provided by each such center 
over the lifetime of the center.''.

SEC. 402. COMMUNICATIONS.

  Section 29 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656), as amended, is 
further amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
  ``(p) Communications.--The Administrator shall establish, by rule, a 
standardized process to communicate with women's business centers 
regarding program administration matters, including reimbursement, 
regulatory matters, and programmatic changes. The Administrator shall 
notify each women's business center of the opportunity for notice and 
comment on the proposed rule.''.

SEC. 403. FUNDING.

  (a) Formula.--Section 29(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
656(b)) is amended to read as follows:
  ``(b) Authority.--
          ``(1) In general.--The Administrator may provide financial 
        assistance to private nonprofit organizations to conduct 
        projects for the benefit of small business concerns owned and 
        controlled by women. The projects shall provide--
                  ``(A) financial assistance, including training and 
                counseling in how to apply for and secure business 
                credit and investment capital, preparing and presenting 
                financial statements, and managing cash flow and other 
                financial operations of a business concern;
                  ``(B) management assistance, including training and 
                counseling in how to plan, organize, staff, direct, and 
                control each major activity and function of a small 
                business concern; and
                  ``(C) marketing assistance, including training and 
                counseling in identifying and segmenting domestic and 
                international market opportunities, preparing and 
                executing marketing plans, developing pricing 
                strategies, locating contract opportunities, 
                negotiating contracts, and utilizing varying public 
                relations and advertising techniques.
          ``(2) Tiers.--The Administrator shall provide assistance 
        under paragraph (1) in 3 tiers of assistance as follows:
                  ``(A) The first tier shall be to conduct a 5-year 
                project in a situation where a project has not 
                previously been conducted. Such a project shall be in a 
                total amount of not more than $150,000 per year.
                  ``(B) The second tier shall be to conduct a 3-year 
                project in a situation where a first-tier project is 
                being completed. Such a project shall be in a total 
                amount of not more than $100,000 per year.
                  ``(C) The third tier shall be to conduct a 3-year 
                project in a situation where a second-tier project is 
                being completed. Such a project shall be in a total 
                amount of not more than $100,000 per year. Third-tier 
                grants shall be renewable subject to established 
                eligibility criteria as well as criteria in subsection 
                (b)(4).
          ``(3) Allocation of funds.--Of the amounts made available for 
        assistance under this subsection, the Administrator shall 
        allocate--
                  ``(A) at least 40 percent for first-tier projects 
                under paragraph (2)(A);
                  ``(B) 20 percent for second-tier projects under 
                paragraph (2)(B); and
                  ``(C) the remainder for third-tier projects under 
                paragraph (2)(C).
          ``(4)  Benchmarks for third-tier projects.--In awarding 
        third-tier projects under paragraph (2)(C), the Administrator 
        shall use benchmarks based on socio-economic factors in the 
        community and on the performance of the applicant. The 
        benchmarks shall include--
                  ``(A) the total number of women served by the 
                project;
                  ``(B) the proportion of low income women and socio-
                economic distribution of clients served by the project;
                  ``(C) the proportion of individuals in the community 
                that are socially or economically disadvantaged (based 
                on median income);
                  ``(D) the future fund-raising and service 
                coordination plans;
                  ``(E) the diversity of services provided; and
                  ``(F) geographic distribution within and across the 
                10 regions of the Small Business Administration.''.
  (b) Matching.--Subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 29(c)(1) of the 
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(c)(1)) are amended to read as 
follows:
                  ``(A) For the first and second years of the project, 
                1 non-Federal dollar for each 2 Federal dollars.
                  ``(B) Each year after the second year of the 
                project--
                          ``(i) 1 non-Federal dollar for each Federal 
                        dollar; or
                          ``(ii) if the center is in a community at 
                        least 50 percent of the population of which is 
                        below the median income for the State or United 
                        States territory in which the center is 
                        located, 1 non-Federal dollar for each 2 
                        Federal dollars.''.
  (c) Authorization.--Section 20 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
631 note) is amended by inserting the following new subsection after 
subsection (e):
  ``(f) Women's Business Centers.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated for purposes of grants under section 29 to women's 
business centers not more than $20,000,000 in fiscal year 2010 and not 
more than $22,000,000 in fiscal year 2011.''.

SEC. 404. PERFORMANCE AND PLANNING.

  (a) In General.--Section 29(h)(1) of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 656(h)(1)) is amended--
          (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph (A);
          (2) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (D); 
        and
          (3) by inserting the following new subparagraphs after 
        subparagraph (A):
                  ``(B) establish performance measures, taking into 
                account the demographic differences of populations 
                served by women's business centers, which measures 
                shall include--
                          ``(i) outcome-based measures of the amount of 
                        job creation or economic activity generated in 
                        the local community as a result of efforts made 
                        and services provided by each women's business 
                        center, and
                          ``(ii) service-based measures of the amount 
                        of services provided to individuals and small 
                        business concerns served by each women's 
                        business center;
                  ``(C) require each women's business center to submit 
                an annual plan for the next year that includes the 
                center's funding sources and amounts, strategies for 
                increasing outreach to women-owned businesses, 
                strategies for increasing job growth in the community, 
                and other content as determined by the Administrator; 
                and''.
  (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 29(h)(1) of the Small Business Act 
(15 U.S.C. 656(h)(1)), as amended, is further amended by adding the 
following at the end thereof:
        ``The Administrator's evaluation of each women's business 
        center as required by this subsection shall be in part based on 
        the performance measures under subparagraphs (B) and (C). These 
        measures and the Administrator's evaluations thereof shall be 
        made publicly available.''.

SEC. 405. NATIONAL WOMEN'S BUSINESS COUNCIL.

  The Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988 is amended as follows:
          (1) In section 409(a) (15 U.S.C. 7109(a)), by adding the 
        following at the end thereof: ``Such studies shall include a 
        study on the impact of the 2008-2009 financial markets crisis 
        on women-owned businesses, and a study of the use of the Small 
        Business Administration's programs by women-owned 
        businesses.''.
          (2) In section 410(a) (15 U.S.C. 7110(a)), by striking ``2001 
        through 2003'' and insert ``2010 and 2011''.

                  TITLE V--SCORE PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS

SEC. 501. EXPANSION OF VOLUNTEER REPRESENTATION AND BENCHMARK REPORTS.

  (a) Expansion of Volunteer Representation.--Section 8(b)(1)(B) of the 
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(b)(1)(B)) is amended--
          (1) by inserting ``(i)'' after ``(B)''; and
          (2) by adding at the end the following:
          ``(ii) The Administrator shall ensure that SCORE, established 
        under this subparagraph, carries out a plan to increase the 
        proportion of mentors who are from socially or economically 
        disadvantaged backgrounds and, on an annual basis, reports to 
        the Administrator on the implementation of this 
        subparagraph.''.
  (b) Benchmark Reports.--Section 8(b)(1)(B) of the Small Business Act 
(15 U.S.C. 637(b)(1)(B)), as amended, is further amended by adding at 
the end the following:
          ``(iii) The Administrator shall ensure that SCORE, 
        established under this subparagraph, establishes benchmarks for 
        use in evaluating the performance of its activities and the 
        performance of its volunteers. The benchmarks shall include 
        benchmarks relating to the demographic characteristics and the 
        geographic characteristics of persons assisted by SCORE, 
        benchmarks relating to the hours spent mentoring by volunteers, 
        and benchmarks relating to the performance of the persons 
        assisted by SCORE. SCORE shall report, on an annual basis, to 
        the Administrator the extent to which the benchmarks 
        established under this clause are being attained.''.

SEC. 502. MENTORING AND NETWORKING.

  Section 8(b)(1)(B) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
637(b)(1)(B)), as amended, is further amended by adding at the end the 
following:
          ``(iv) The Administrator shall ensure that SCORE, established 
        under this subparagraph, establishes a mentoring program for 
        small business concerns that provides one-on-one advice to 
        small business concerns from qualified counselors. For purposes 
        of this clause, qualified counselors are counselors with at 
        least 10 years experience in the industry sector or area of 
        responsibility of the small business concern seeking advice.
          ``(v) The Administrator shall carry out a networking program 
        through SCORE, established under this subparagraph, that 
        provides small business concerns with the opportunity to make 
        business contacts in their industry or geographic region.''.

SEC. 503. NAME OF PROGRAM CHANGED TO SCORE.

  (a) Name Change.--The Small Business Act is amended as follows:
          (1) In section 8(b)(1)(B) (15 U.S.C. 637(b)(1)(B)), by 
        striking ``Executives (SCORE)'' and inserting ``Executives (in 
        this Act referred to as `SCORE')''.
          (2) In section 7(m)(3)(A)(i)(VIII) (15 U.S.C. 
        636(m)(3)(A)(i)(VIII)), by striking ``the Service Corps of 
        Retired Executives'' and inserting ``SCORE''.
          (3) In section 20 (15 U.S.C. 631 note)--
                  (A) in subsection (d)(1)(E), by striking ``the 
                Service Corps of Retired Executives program'' and 
                inserting ``SCORE''; and
                  (B) in subsection (e)(1)(E), by striking ``the 
                Service Corps of Retired Executives program'' and 
                inserting ``SCORE''.
          (4) In section 33(b)(2) (15 U.S.C. 657c(b)(2)), by striking 
        ``Service Corps of Retired Executives'' and inserting 
        ``SCORE''.
  (b) Elimination of ACE.--Section 8(b)(1)(B) of the Small Business Act 
(15 U.S.C. 637(b)(1)(B)), as amended, is further amended by striking 
``and an Active Corps of Executive (ACE)''.

SEC. 504. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

  Section 20 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 note), as amended 
by section 403(c) of this Act, is further amended by inserting the 
following new subsection after subsection (f):
  ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations for SCORE.--There is authorized 
to be appropriated $7,000,000 for SCORE under section 8(b)(1) for each 
of the fiscal years 2010 and 2011.''.

                  TITLE VI--EXPANDING ENTREPRENEURSHIP

SEC. 601. EXPANDING ENTREPRENEURSHIP.

  Section 4 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 633) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
  ``(g) Management and Direction.--
          ``(1) Plan for entrepreneurial development and job creation 
        strategy.--The Administrator shall develop and submit to 
        Congress a plan, in consultation with a representative from 
        each of the agency's entrepreneurial development programs, for 
        using the Small Business Administration's entrepreneurial 
        development programs as a catalyst for job creation for fiscal 
        years 2009 and 2010. The plan shall include the 
        Administration's plan for drawing on existing programs, 
        including Small Business Development Centers, Women's Business 
        Centers, SCORE, Veterans Business Centers, Native American 
        Outreach, and other appropriate programs. The Administrator 
        shall identify a strategy for each Administration region to 
        create or retain jobs through Administration programs. The 
        Administrator shall identify, in consultation with appropriate 
        personnel from entrepreneurial development programs, 
        performance measures and criteria, including job creation, job 
        retention, and job retraining goals, to evaluate the success of 
        the Administration's actions regarding these efforts.
          ``(2) Data collection process.--The Administrator shall, 
        after notice and opportunity for comment, promulgate a rule to 
        develop and implement a consistent data collection process to 
        cover all entrepreneurial development programs. Such data 
        collection process shall include data relating to job creation, 
        performance, and any other data determined appropriate by the 
        Administrator with respect to the Administration's 
        entrepreneurial development programs.
          ``(3) Coordination and alignment of sba entrepreneurial 
        development programs.--The Administrator shall submit annually 
        to Congress, in consultation with other Federal departments and 
        agencies as appropriate, a report on opportunities to foster 
        coordination, limit duplication, and improve program delivery 
        for Federal entrepreneurial development programs.
          ``(4) Database of entrepreneurial development service 
        providers.--The Administrator shall, after a period of 60 days 
        for public comment, establish a database of providers of 
        entrepreneurial development services and, make such database 
        available through the Administration's Web site. The database 
        shall be searchable by industry, geography, and service 
        required.
          ``(5) Community specialist.--The Administrator shall 
        designate not less than one staff member in each Administration 
        district office as a community specialist who has as their 
        full-time responsibility working with local entrepreneurial 
        development service providers to increase coordination with 
        Federal resources. The Administrator shall develop benchmarks 
        for measuring the performance of community specialists under 
        this subsection.
          ``(6) Entrepreneurial development portal.--The Administrator 
        shall publish a design for a Web-based portal to provide 
        comprehensive information on the Administration's 
        entrepreneurial development programs. After a period of 60 days 
        for public comment, the Administrator shall establish such 
        portal and--
                  ``(A) integrate under one Web portal, Small Business 
                Development Centers, Women's Business Centers, SCORE, 
                Veterans Business Centers, the Administration's 
                distance learning program, and other programs as 
                appropriate;
                  ``(B) revise the Administration's primary Web site so 
                that the Web portal described in subparagraph (A) is 
                available as a link on the main Web page of the Web 
                site;
                  ``(C) increase consumer-oriented content on the 
                Administration's Web site and focus on promoting access 
                to business solutions, including marketing, financing, 
                and human resources planning;
                  ``(D) establish relevant Web content aggregated by 
                industry segment, stage of business development, level 
                of need, and include referral links to appropriate 
                Administration services, including financing, training 
                and counseling, and procurement assistance; and
                  ``(E) provide style guidelines and links for visitors 
                to the Administration's Web site to be able to comment 
                on and evaluate the materials in terms of their 
                usefulness.
          ``(7) Pilot programs.--The Administrator may not conduct any 
        pilot program for a period of greater than 3 years if the 
        program conflicts with, or uses the resources of, any of the 
        entrepreneurial development programs authorized under section 
        8(b)(1)(B), 21, 29, 32, or any other provision of this Act.''.

  TITLE VII--MODERNIZING THE SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER PROGRAM

SEC. 701. SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS OPERATIONAL CHANGES.

  (a) Accreditation Requirement.--Section 21(a)(1) of the Small 
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(1)) is amended as follows:
          (1) In the proviso, by inserting before ``institution'' the 
        following: ``accredited''.
          (2) In the sentence beginning ``The Administration shall'', 
        by inserting before ``institutions'' the following: 
        ``accredited''.
          (3) By adding at the end the following new sentence: ``In 
        this paragraph, the term `accredited institution of higher 
        education' means an institution that is accredited as described 
        in section 101(a)(5) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001(a)(5)).''.
  (b) Program Negotiations.--Section 21(a)(3) of the Small Business Act 
(15 U.S.C. 648(a)(3)) is amended in the matter preceding subparagraph 
(A), by inserting before ``agreed'' the following: ``mutually''.
  (c) Contract Negotiations.--Section 21(a)(3)(A) of the Small Business 
Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(3)(A)) is amended by inserting after ``uniform 
negotiated'' the following: ``mutually agreed to''.
  (d) SBDC Hiring.--Section 21(c)(2)(A) of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 648(c)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting after ``full-time staff'' 
the following: ``, the hiring of which shall be at the sole discretion 
of the center without the need for input or approval from any officer 
or employee of the Administration''.
  (e) Content of Consultations.--Section 21(a)(7)(A) of the Small 
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(7)(A)) is amended in the matter 
preceding clause (i) by inserting after ``under this section'' the 
following: ``, or the content of any consultation with such an 
individual or small business concern,''.
  (f) Amounts for Administrative Expenses.--Section 21(a)(4)(C)(v)(I) 
of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(4)(C)(v)(I)) is amended to 
read as follows:
                          ``(I) In general.--Of the amounts made 
                        available in any fiscal year to carry out this 
                        section, not more than $500,000 may be used by 
                        the Administration to pay expenses enumerated 
                        in subparagraphs (B) through (D) of section 
                        20(a)(1).''.
  (g) Non-Matching Portability Grants.--Section 21(a)(4)(C)(viii) of 
the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(4)(C)(viii)) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: ``In the event of a disaster, the 
dollar limitation in the preceding sentence shall not apply.''.
  (h) Distribution to SBDCs.--Section 21(b) of the Small Business Act 
(15 U.S.C. 648(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph:
  ``(4) Limitation on Distribution to Small Business Development 
Centers.--
          ``(A) In general.--Except as otherwise provided in this 
        paragraph, the Administration shall not distribute funds to a 
        Small Business Development Center if the State in which the 
        Small Business Development Center is located is served by more 
        than one Small Business Development Center.
          ``(B) Unavailability exception.--The Administration may 
        distribute funds to a maximum of 2 Small Business Development 
        Centers in any State if no applicant has applied to serve the 
        entire State.
          ``(C) Grandfather clause.--The limitations in this paragraph 
        shall not apply to any State in which more than one Small 
        Business Development Center received funding prior to January 
        1, 2007.
          ``(D) Definition.--For the purposes of this paragraph, the 
        term `Small Business Development Center' means the entity 
        selected by the Administration to receive funds pursuant to the 
        funding formula set forth in subsection (a)(4), without regard 
        to the number of sites for service delivery such entity 
        establishes or funds.''.
  (i) Women's Business Centers.--Section 21(a)(1) of the Small Business 
Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(1)), as amended, is further amended--
          (1) by striking ``and women's business centers operating 
        pursuant to section 29''; and
          (2) by striking ``or a women's business center operating 
        pursuant to section 29''.

SEC. 702. ACCESS TO CREDIT AND CAPITAL.

  Section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection:
  ``(o) Access to Credit and Capital Program.--
          ``(1) In general.--The Administration shall establish a grant 
        program for small business development centers in accordance 
        with this subsection. To be eligible for the program, a small 
        business development center must be in good standing and comply 
        with the other requirements of this section. Funds made 
        available through the program shall be used to--
                  ``(A) develop specialized programs to assist local 
                small business concerns in securing capital and 
                repairing damaged credit;
                  ``(B) provide informational seminars on securing 
                credit and loans;
                  ``(C) provide one-on-one counseling with potential 
                borrowers to improve financial presentations to 
                lenders; and
                  ``(D) facilitate borrowers' access to non-traditional 
                financing sources, as well as traditional lending 
                sources.
          ``(2) Award size limit.--The Administration may not award an 
        entity more than $300,000 in grant funds under this subsection.
          ``(3) Authority.--Subject to amounts approved in advance in 
        appropriations Acts and separate from amounts approved to carry 
        out the program established in subsection (a)(1), the 
        Administration may make grants or enter into cooperative 
        agreements to carry out this subsection.
          ``(4) Authorization.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
        not more than $2,500,000 for the purposes of carrying out this 
        subsection for each of the fiscal years 2010 and 2011.''.

SEC. 703. PROCUREMENT TRAINING AND ASSISTANCE.

  Section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648), as amended, is 
further amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
  ``(p) Procurement Training and Assistance.--
          ``(1) In general.--The Administration shall establish a grant 
        program for small business development centers in accordance 
        with this subsection. To be eligible for the program, a small 
        business development center must be in good standing and comply 
        with the other requirements of this section. Funds made 
        available through the program shall be used to--
                  ``(A) work with local agencies to identify contracts 
                that are suitable for local small business concerns;
                  ``(B) prepare small businesses to be ready as 
                subcontractors and prime contractors for contracts made 
                available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment 
                Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) through training and 
                business advisement, particularly in the construction 
                trades; and
                  ``(C) provide technical assistance regarding the 
                Federal procurement process, including assisting small 
                business concerns to comply with federal regulations 
                and bonding requirements.
          ``(2) Award size limit.--The Administration may not award an 
        entity more than $300,000 in grant funds under this subsection.
          ``(3) Authority.--Subject to amounts approved in advance in 
        appropriations Acts and separate from amounts approved to carry 
        out the program established in subsection (a)(1), the 
        Administration may make grants or enter into cooperative 
        agreements to carry out this subsection.
          ``(4) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated not more than $2,500,000 for the purposes of 
        carrying out this subsection for each of the fiscal years 2010 
        and 2011.''.

SEC. 704. GREEN ENTREPRENEURS TRAINING PROGRAM.

  Section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648), as amended, is 
further amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
  ``(q) Green Entrepreneurs Training Program.--
          ``(1) In general.--The Administration shall establish a grant 
        program for small business development centers in accordance 
        with this subsection. To be eligible for the program, a small 
        business development center must be in good standing and comply 
        with the other requirements of this section. Funds made 
        available through the program shall be used to--
                  ``(A) provide education classes and one-on-one 
                instruction in starting a business in the fields of 
                energy efficiency, green technology, or clean 
                technology;
                  ``(B) coordinate such classes and instruction, to the 
                extent practicable, with local community colleges and 
                local professional trade associations; and
                  ``(C) assist and provide technical counseling to 
                individuals seeking to start a business in the fields 
                of energy efficiency, green technology, or clean 
                technology.
          ``(2) Award size limit.--The Administration may not award an 
        entity more than $300,000 in grant funds under this subsection.
          ``(3) Authority.--Subject to amounts approved in advance in 
        appropriations Acts and separate from amounts approved to carry 
        out the program established in subsection (a)(1), the 
        Administration may make grants or enter into cooperative 
        agreements to carry out this subsection.
          ``(4) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated not more than $2,500,000 for the purposes of 
        carrying out this subsection for each of the fiscal years 2010 
        and 2011.''.

SEC. 705. MAIN STREET STABILIZATION.

  Section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648), as amended, is 
further amended by adding the following new subsection at the end 
thereof:
  ``(r) Main Street Stabilization.--
          ``(1) In general.--The Administration shall establish a grant 
        program for small business development centers in accordance 
        with this subsection. To be eligible for the program, a small 
        business development center must be in good standing and comply 
        with the other requirements of this section. Funds made 
        available through the program shall be used to--
                  ``(A) establish a statewide small business helpline 
                within every State and United States territory to 
                provide immediate expert information and assistance to 
                small business concerns;
                  ``(B) develop a portfolio of online survival and 
                growth tools and resources that struggling small 
                business concerns can utilize through the Internet;
                  ``(C) develop business advisory capacity to provide 
                expert consulting and education to assist small 
                businesses at-risk of failure and to, in areas of high 
                demand, shorten the response time of small business 
                development centers, and, in rural areas, support added 
                outreach in remote communities;
                  ``(D) deploy additional resources to help specific 
                industry sectors with a high presence of small business 
                concerns, which shall be targeted toward clusters of 
                small businesses with similar needs and build upon best 
                practices from earlier assistance;
                  ``(E) develop a formal listing of financing options 
                for small business capital access; and
                  ``(F) deliver services that help dislocated workers 
                start new businesses.
          ``(2) Award size limit.--The Administration may not award an 
        entity more than $250,000 in grant funds under this subsection.
          ``(3) Authority.--Subject to amounts approved in advance in 
        appropriations Acts and separate from amounts approved to carry 
        out the program established in subsection (a)(1), the 
        Administration may make grants or enter into cooperative 
        agreements to carry out this subsection.
          ``(4) Authorization.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
        not more than $2,500,000 for the purposes of carrying out this 
        subsection for each of the fiscal years 2010 and 2011.''.

SEC. 706. PROHIBITION ON PROGRAM INCOME BEING USED AS MATCHING FUNDS.

  Section 21(a)(4)(B) (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(4)(B)) is amended by inserting 
after ``Federal program'' the following: ``and shall not include any 
funds obtained through the assessment of fees to small business 
clients''.

SEC. 707. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

  Section 20 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 note), as amended 
by sections 403(c) and 504 of this Act, is further amended by inserting 
after subsection (g) the following new subsection:
  ``(h) Small Business Development Centers.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out the Small Business Development Center Program 
under section 21 $150,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 and $160,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2011.''.

                         I. Purpose and Summary

    Providing entrepreneurial development assistance is one of 
the Small Business Administration's (SBA) most critical 
missions for those Americans seeking to start a new enterprise. 
Through the agency's efforts, small businesses are provided 
with assistance with regard to their need for start-up capital, 
business plans, and other basic management skills.\1\ Access to 
technical assistance and business development services plays an 
important role in small business success. These services are 
also essential for most firms attempting to grow during an 
economic downturn, as enterprises require assistance to 
maintain their market share, innovate, and access financing. 
Currently, there are many gaps in business development services 
provided through the SBA. This is due in part to the lack of 
major improvements since the program's last comprehensive 
reauthorization in 1999 and the increasing demand for new tools 
and resources to address the current economic environment. The 
Job Creation Through Entrepreneurship Act of 2009, H.R. 2352, 
extends the scope and modifies the delivery of SBA's business 
development services, and as a result, addresses 
entrepreneurial needs, particularly those related to the 
current economic conditions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\P.L. 85-536, Section 2(a).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    H.R. 2352 updates SBA's entrepreneurial development 
resources to reflect the changing needs of small firms by 
providing them with new tools for adjusting to and expanding 
within the current recession. The bill addresses existing 
operational deficiencies of these programs by enhancing service 
delivery methods. Finally, to increase their relevance to 
address current economic conditions, the legislation expands 
the entrepreneurial development programs' emphasis on promoting 
growth.
    Title I expands entrepreneurial development assistance to 
veterans by increasing outreach facilities across the country; 
establishing specialized assistance programs; and updating the 
institutional structure designed to customize policies and 
programs targeted to the sector. Title II increases access to 
entrepreneurial development services through the use of 
communication technologies to facilitate the creation of high-
quality distance learning resources through public-private 
business development experts. Title III ensures entrepreneurial 
development services are customized to Native American 
entrepreneurs' needs and communities by formalizing in statute 
the SBA's Office of Native American Affairs and establishing 
grants for business development outreach facilities in regions 
with high concentrations of these enterprises. Title IV 
improves and expands business development resources for women 
entrepreneurs by increasing counseling and training facilities 
for this sector, particularly targeting underserved areas; 
enhancing the operating procedures for the Women's Business 
Program; and mandating a more targeted approach to the National 
Women's Business Council's research program. Title V increases 
the effectiveness of the SCORE program by establishing new 
performance and benchmark requirements for the agency's 
business mentoring resources. Title VI updates the structure of 
the SBA's entrepreneurial development portfolio by requiring 
increased coordination and planning by program operators. Title 
VII authorizes the development of specialized assistance 
programs at Small Business Development Centers, which are 
responsive to the issues facing entrepreneurs today, and 
updates operational procedures to improve the delivery of 
services through the centers.
    H.R. 2352 strengthens SBA's entrepreneurial development 
programs so that small businesses can not only survive the 
current downturn, but also expand and create new jobs. The 
proposed initiatives to broaden and customize business 
development assistance are also likely to promote 
entrepreneurship in underserved areas, such as rural America 
and inner cities, while spurring private investment in all 
communities. The Committee further expects the legislation to 
improve small firms' access to quality entrepreneurial 
assistance by relying upon existing agency expertise and 
infrastructure, thereby serving as a cost effective investment 
mechanism.

                II. Background and Need for Legislation


       A. ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT NEEDS AND EXISTING PROGRAMS

    Small business owners often seek assistance across an array 
of issues, from accessing capital to drafting business plans. 
SBA's entrepreneurial development (ED) programs are a critical 
tool for providing this aid. In fact, numerous studies have 
shown small firms that receive the necessary technical 
assistance are twice as likely to succeed.
    ED programs also assist entrepreneurs to weather 
recessions. These programs aid in ways such as helping small 
firms maintain their market share or providing access to the 
resources they need to grow and innovate. They therefore play a 
vital role in boosting the U.S. economy by expanding the 
population of entrepreneurs and increasing their capacity for 
success.
    To assist entrepreneurs to build competitive enterprises 
through an array of services, SBA's ED programs were developed 
over the past several decades. Those services include 
counseling, workshops and educational training, all of which 
are accessible through a network of facilities across the 
country. Administration of these programs is facilitated 
through SBA, which acts in a public/private partnership with 
organizational providers.
    Small Business Development Centers, or SBDC's, provide some 
of the most critical resources within SBA's ED toolbox. These 
facilities serve rural, suburban, and urban communities with 
management, technical, and research resources to both existing 
and prospective startups. Specifically, they provide assistance 
with everything from marketing and financial planning to 
organizational and technical problems. With nearly a thousand 
service centers and numerous additional outreach offices in the 
network, SBDC's operate in a partnership between SBA, 
educational institutions, and state and local governments.
    Entrepreneurs have access to general business counseling 
through the agency's SCORE program, which provides mentoring 
services. Nearly 400 chapters across the country connect 
experienced and emerging entrepreneurs to provide one-on-one 
business counseling.
    A wide array of business development services is also 
available to entrepreneurs through the agency's Small Business 
Training Network. This resource offers online courses, 
workshops, publications, information resources, learning tools 
and direct access to electronic counseling and other forms of 
technical assistance.
    On top of this, SBA targets business development assistance 
to serve the expanding entrepreneurial population. Assistance 
is customized according to the socio-economic and demographic 
backgrounds of various cohorts of the small business sector. ED 
assistance is targeted to women entrepreneurs through the 
Women's Business Center (WBC) Program. That particular 
initiative was designed to address the unique needs of women 
entrepreneurs by addressing capital access issues, procurement 
assistance, and management training. Currently, there are 96 
WBCs in 46 states and territories, co-located at other 
entrepreneurial development centers or existing as stand-alone 
operations.
    Access to services for veterans to initiate and expand 
small businesses is provided through the agency's five Veteran 
Business Outreach Centers. These facilities are responsible for 
helping veterans to access capital and procurement 
opportunities through marketing and outreach efforts.
    In addition to strengthening the women and veteran-owned 
business community, SBA customizes entrepreneurial development 
assistance resources for Native American entrepreneurs. Through 
SBA's Office of Native American Affairs, business development 
assistance is designed to address these entrepreneurs' needs in 
accordance with their industry and community-based conditions.
    Given SBA's track record with the ED program, demand for 
these services has surpassed what Congress could have 
predicted. Over the past several decades, growth within the 
entrepreneurial community has also created new business 
development needs. Entrepreneurs today require appropriate 
tools to respond to new and challenging conditions in the 
marketplace.

         B. SBA ED PROGRAMS MUST BE MODERNIZED AND STRENGTHENED

    In the face of a changing economic landscape, the purpose 
and institutional structure of SBA's ED programs have evolved. 
However, despite some minor modifications, the programs' 
services and implementation remain essentially unchanged from 
their original design. Consequently, they lack the capacity to 
address current needs.

Services must reflect current entrepreneurial needs arising from 
        economic downturn

    ED programs must address a range of new needs that firms 
currently face. Historically, the agency's ED programs 
addressed a comprehensive range of traditional issues. As a 
result, SBA developed many one-stop facilities for servicing a 
broad array of entrepreneurs. Accordingly, staff expertise 
tended to be broad in scope, rather than specialized. That 
broad approach has driven the agency's ED program focus over 
the past several decades and is inadequate to meet the 
specialized needs facing today's entrepreneurs.
    Tailoring these services to reflect the specific needs of 
small businesses will increase their success. Major shifts in 
the economy over the past decade have required small firms to 
reduce their cost of production and become more competitive in 
domestic and global markets. Further, recent macroeconomic 
shocks, including the increasing cost of capital, disruptions 
in global trade, and market failures, have created new demands 
for business development assistance.

Improve the implementation of the network's programs

    Given the increasing range and complexity of small business 
owners' needs, the agency's ED programs must be implemented 
more effectively. Each ED program has a unique mandate and 
service delivery approach that is customized to its particular 
clients. However, as a network, the programs have established 
local connections and resources that benefit entrepreneurs 
within a region. Enhanced coordination among this network is 
critical to make the most of scarce resources available for 
small firms. It can also ensure that best practices are shared 
amongst providers that have similar goals but work within 
different contexts.

Increase access to ED services particularly in underserved communities

    To bolster firms in underserved communities, all 
entrepreneurs must have greater access to ED program resources. 
This is critical as many firms from socio-economically 
disadvantaged backgrounds lag behind other businesses in 
several key indicators. In particular, they struggle to access 
affordable capital, which is exacerbated during an economic 
slowdown. Another cohort of entrepreneurs requiring specialized 
assistance is veterans who significantly benefit from resources 
to transfer their military skills into economic opportunities. 
Business development resources must be expanded to accommodate 
veterans, including those with disabilities and women 
separating from the military. This will ensure that following 
their service, they maintain the capacity for productivity and 
contribute to economic growth. Expanded access to ED assistance 
can help these groups stabilize business enterprises and 
maintain economic opportunities.

Improve the distribution of resources to maintain operations and 
        growing demand for ED services

    Resources to fund ED programs in accordance with demand are 
significantly below the necessary levels. This is a result of a 
budgetary approach in which the entrepreneurial development 
programs were funded well below the Congressionally-authorized 
levels. For every one of these programs, the funding level is 
twenty to thirty percent below the authorized level. Cuts to 
the supply of resources through these programs run counter to 
trends in the small business community, given that there has 
been significant growth in both the number and types of 
entrepreneurs over the past several decades. These reductions 
have also occurred simultaneously with new conditions in local 
and national economies, which are altering the types of 
opportunities available for entrepreneurs as well as their 
business development needs.

Enhance connections between program performance standards and economic 
        growth objectives

    As it stands, the ED network has minimal transparency in 
highlighting its contributions to economic growth. Data 
currently gathered by the SBA for this type of reporting does 
not adequately capture ED's economic impact. For example, there 
is an overreliance on capturing data such as participation 
rates; e.g., total conference attendees, a figure that often 
fails to illustrate a program's utility. Similarly, SBA's 
online services share this problem, as it is difficult to 
numerically quantify the system's benefits. As these resources 
can be accessed freely and no follow up is required on their 
use, the agency cannot definitively demonstrate their use for 
growing businesses. Instead, the performance data should 
indicate activities such as the number of jobs created, 
employees hired and sales generated from the outcome of each 
client relationship and service provided. This type of data 
would more accurately reflect the role of these programs in 
economic growth.
    As the economic environment continues to change, ED 
programs must be updated accordingly. The current gaps in 
business development assistance services and emerging 
entrepreneurial needs can be resolved through statutory 
enhancements in the agency's ED portfolio. H.R. 2352 provides 
these programmatic enhancements by improving the services 
available for small businesses to successfully adjust to the 
current economy; updating the institutional structure to 
increase the efficient delivery of these resources; and 
promoting economic growth objectives through these programs.

                             III. Hearings

    The Committee on Small Business has held numerous hearings 
to evaluate the state of entrepreneurial development resources 
at SBA and to consider updates to these programs in order to 
address emerging business assistance needs. On February 11, 
2009, the Committee held a hearing to examine the effectiveness 
of SBA's ED programs, particularly taking into account their 
capacity to assist firms to adjust successfully to the economic 
downturn and considering recommendations to improve these 
services. At a hearing before the Subcommittee on Rural 
Development, Entrepreneurship and Trade, on April 2, 2009, 
legislative initiatives to update and reauthorize SBA's ED 
programs were evaluated to determine their likely impact on 
small businesses and their role in promoting an economic 
recovery. On May 6, 2009, the Committee considered the 
effectiveness of H.R. 2352 in stabilizing and strengthening 
small businesses during the economic downturn. Over the past 
several years, the Committee has also held hearings to evaluate 
the service quality and resource capacity of SBA's ED programs 
available to address business assistance needs.

                      IV. Committee Consideration

    The Committee on Small Business, a quorum being present, 
met in open session on May 13, 2009 to consider H.R. 2352.

                           V. Committee Votes

    The Committee on Small Business ordered H.R. 2352 reported 
to the House, as amended, by a voice vote at 2:34 pm. During 
consideration of the bill, three amendments were considered. 
First, an amendment by Mrs. Dahlkemper, making national guard 
members and reservists eligible for VBC program services, was 
agreed to by voice vote at 2:28 pm. Second, an amendment by Mr. 
King, requiring the establishment of a peer-to-peer technical 
assistance initiative, as part of the distance learning 
program, was agreed to by voice vote at 2:32 pm. Finally, an 
amendment by Mrs. Halvorson, making surviving spouses of 
deceased veterans eligible for VBC program services, was agreed 
to by voice vote at 2:34 pm.

              VI. Section-by-Section Analysis of H.R. 2352


Section 1. Short title; table of contents

    This section includes a short title and the table of 
contents.

Title I--Establishment of Veterans Business Center Program

            Section 101. Veterans Business Center Program
    This section establishes new program and requirements under 
SBA's Office of Veterans Business Development.\2\ It creates a 
Veterans Business Center program to provide entrepreneurial 
training and counseling to veterans. Under this program, 
existing and new veterans' assistance outreach centers are 
required to focus on veterans' entrepreneurial development, 
counseling of veteran-owned businesses through one-on-one 
instruction and classes, and government procurement assistance 
to veterans. This section establishes a Director to oversee and 
implement the program. The Director is required to report to 
the Associate Administrator for Veterans Business Development.
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    \2\SBA's Office of Veterans Business Development was established 
with passage of Public Law 106-50, The Veterans Entrepreneurship and 
Small Business Development Act of 1999, which was enacted to address 
the lack of adequate resources to assist veterans seeking self-
employment and entrepreneurial opportunities.
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    The Administrator is required to establish by regulation a 
process to designate new Veterans Business Centers. This 
process must include an explicit period where entities can 
apply to become a Veterans Business Center, a period where the 
Administrator reviews such applications, and a period where the 
Administrator informs the applicants of the outcome of the 
review. The Administrator is required to make publicly 
available the awards of grants under this section.
    Awards for grants are authorized in this section for the 
establishment of additional Veterans Business Centers. Eligible 
centers may receive an initial grant of $150,000 per year for 
no longer than 5 years. After a Veterans Business Center 
receives five years of initial grants, it may receive a growth 
funding grant of $100,000 per year for no longer than 3 years, 
unless it meets performance benchmarks as established by the 
Administrator. If such performance benchmarks are met, the 
Center can reapply for another growth funding grant. The 
program requires a non-federal match of 50 percent of the 
federal funds each Center receives and permits a Center to 
request a hardship waiver from the Administrator from this 
requirement.
    This section requires SBA to give priority to applications 
that will establish new Veterans Business Centers in geographic 
areas that are not currently served by an existing Veterans 
Business Center where the populations of veterans exceeds the 
national median of such measure; or the populations of veterans 
from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan exceed the national 
median of such measure.
    This section also sets forth that the SBA shall be 
responsible for the development and implementation of an annual 
training program for the staff and personnel of Veterans 
Business Centers. This will include educating, supporting, and 
providing best practices regarding the establishment and on-
going operation of such Centers. The SBA is required to develop 
this training program in consultation with Veterans Business 
Centers, the Interagency Veterans Task Force, and veteran's 
service organizations. The Administrator is authorized to 
contract with qualified third party vendors as necessary to 
develop and implement this program.
    The program grandfathers Veterans Business Outreach Centers 
established by the Administrator under the authority in section 
8(b)(17) of the Small Business Act and veterans entrepreneurial 
training centers that were funded by the National Veterans 
Business Development Corporation established in Section 33 of 
the Small Business Act and that remain in operation on date of 
enactment. Such Centers are fully eligible for grants made 
available in this program.
    The Committee is assured by the SBA's April 16, 2009 
correspondence of their support for designating and providing 
Congressionally-appropriated funds for the establishment of 
additional veteran entrepreneurship training centers through 
SBA's Veteran Business program. In the letter, the agency 
further indicated agreement with the Committee's position on 
the need to maintain the network of existing centers that are 
available to assist veterans, specifically through the three 
existing Regional Hug Community Based Centers, funded by the 
National Veterans Business Development Corporation. The 
Committee supports the SBA's March 31, 2009 publication of a 
special program announcement in www.grants.gov which would 
facilitate the continued operations of the Northeast Veterans 
Business Resource Center, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts; the 
Veterans Advocacy Foundation, St. Louis, Missouri; and Vet Biz 
Central, Flint, Michigan. The agency has committed that 
providing the timely submission of a technical proposal, each 
of the named centers will receive a cooperative agreement award 
of $150,000 for a period of one year, from April 2009 to April 
2010 and in 2010, these centers will have to compete for future 
funding with other organizations seeking to participate in the 
VBOC program.
    The section authorizes to carryout this initiative $10 
million for fiscal year 2010 and $12 million for fiscal year 
2011.
    In addition to the core grant funding, this section 
establishes three supplemental grant programs for specific 
activities carried out by Veterans Business Centers. This 
includes an Access to Capital grant program that will be used 
by Centers to develop specialized programs to assist veteran-
owned small businesses in securing capital and repairing 
damaged credit; provide veteran-owned small businesses 
informational seminars on securing credit and loans; provide 
one-on-one counseling to veteran-owned small businesses to 
improve financial presentations to lenders; and facilitate 
veteran-owned small businesses access to non-traditional 
financing sources, as well as traditional lending sources.
    This section also establishes a Procurement Assistance 
grant program, which will provide Centers with funds to work 
with local agencies to identify contracts that are suitable for 
veteran-owned small businesses; prepare veteran-owned small 
businesses to be project ready as subcontractors and smaller 
primes for contracts made available through the American 
Recovery and Reinvestment Act through training and business 
advisement, especially in the construction trades; and provide 
veteran-owned small businesses technical assistance regarding 
the federal procurement process, including assisting veteran-
owned small businesses comply with federal regulations and 
bonding requirements.
    A Service-Disabled Veterans grant program is also included 
in this section in which Veterans Business Centers will be 
provided with funds to develop outreach programs to local and 
regional service-disabled veterans regarding the benefits of 
self-employment; provide tailored training to service-disabled 
veterans regarding business plan development, marketing, 
budgeting, accounting, and merchandising; and assist veteran-
owned small businesses locate and secure business 
opportunities.
    For each of these three grants, the SBA can award a Center 
up to $75,000. There is authorized $1.5 million for each of 
fiscal years 2010 and 2011 for each of the three grant 
programs.
    The section contains language directing the agency on how 
to fund the new grant initiatives discussed below. The 
Committee expects Veterans Business Center's core program 
funding to remain separate from appropriations for the new 
grant initiatives established in H.R. 2352.
    Finally, the SBA is authorized to carryout an event once 
every two years for the purpose of providing outreach, 
networking opportunities, education, training, and support to 
Veterans Business Centers funded through this Act, veterans 
service organizations, veteran-owned small businesses, and 
other entities as determined by the Administrator. $450,000 is 
authorized to carryout this section in fiscal year 2010.
            Section 102. Reporting requirement for interagency task 
                    force
    This section requires a report to Congress semi-annually on 
appointments made to, progress, and actions items regarding the 
Task Force established under section 32(c) of the Small 
Business Act.

Title II--Educating entrepreneurs through today's technology

            Section 201. Educating entrepreneurs through technology
    The Small Business Act is amended by adding a new section, 
which has as its purpose providing high-quality multilingual 
distance training and education to potential and existing 
entrepreneurs through the use of technology.
    In order to implement this new program, the Administrator 
is required to contract with qualified third-party vendors for 
entrepreneurial training content and the development of a 
communications platform that can broadcast content under this 
Act nationally. The Administrator will develop contract with 
two qualified-third party vendors to develop content.
    This section defines a qualified third-party vendor as an 
entity with experience in distance learning content and/or 
communications technology with the ability to utilize on-line, 
satellite, video on demand and connected community based 
organizations to distribute and conduct distance learning 
related to entrepreneurship, credit management, financial 
literacy and federal small business development programs.
    The content is mandated to be timely and relevant to 
entrepreneurial development and shall be able to be 
successfully communicated remotely to an audience through the 
use of technology. In addition, the SBA to the maximum extent 
practicable must promote content that makes use of technologies 
that allow for remote interaction by the content provider with 
an audience. The SBA must also ensure that the content is 
catalogued and accessible to small businesses on-line or 
through other remote technologies.
    With regard to technology, the SBA is required to ensure 
that the communications technology is able to distribute 
content through all 50 states and U.S. territories to small 
businesses, home-based businesses, Small Business Development 
Centers, Women's Business Centers, Veterans Business Centers, 
and SBA District Offices. Such communication technology must 
make use of broadband to the maximum extent possible.
    The Administrator is required to report to Congress six 
months after the date of enactment of its progress in 
implementing this Act. The Administrator must report to 
Congress, beginning one year after of enactment and annually 
thereafter, on the number of presentations made, the number of 
small businesses served, and feedback on the usefulness of this 
medium in presenting entrepreneurial education nationwide.
    $2 million is authorized to carryout this Act in each of 
fiscal years 2010 and 2011.

Title III--Enhancing Native American entrepreneurship

            Section 301. Establishment of Office of Native American 
                    Affairs and Tribal Business Information Centers 
                    Program
    This section establishes the Office of Native American 
Affairs within SBA and designates an Associate Administrator 
for Native American Affairs to oversee this office. This 
section sets forth responsibilities of the Office, which 
include developing and implementing tools and strategies to 
increase Native American entrepreneurship; expanding the 
availability of business training, access to capital, and 
federal small business contracts for Native American 
entrepreneurs, expanding outreach to Native American 
communities and aggressively marketing entrepreneurial 
development services to this community, and representing the 
agency regarding Native American economic development matters. 
The Office is responsible for oversight and implementation of 
all agency initiatives regarding Native American 
entrepreneurial development. The Office is authorized for $2 
million for each of fiscal years 2010 and 2011.
    In addition, this section authorizes the Administrator to 
operate on a stand-alone basis or in coordination with other 
federal agencies, a Tribal Business Information Center (TBIC) 
program, where the Administrator may provide grants as 
described in this section, contribute agency personnel to the 
Centers, and contribute agency resources to the Centers for the 
purpose of providing Native American populations with business 
training and entrepreneurial development assistance. The 
Administrator shall establish by regulation a process to make 
such designations and grant awards under this program.
    Under the TBIC program, the Administrator is authorized to 
designate and make grants of up to $300,000 to Tribal Business 
Information Centers. Grants shall be used for the purpose of 
providing business workshops, business counseling, 
entrepreneurial development training, access to computer 
technology, and other resources to assist Native American 
Indians start or expand a business. There is authorized $15 
million for fiscal year 2010 and $17 million for fiscal year 
2011.
            Section 302. Small business development center assistance 
                    to Indian tribe members, Alaska Natives, and Native 
                    Hawaiians
    This section sets up a procedure within the Small Business 
Act whereby SBDCs funded by the SBA that are in ``eligible'' 
states can apply for an additional grant to be used solely to 
provide services to assist with outreach, development, and 
enhancement on Indian lands of small business startups and 
expansions owned by Indian tribe members, Alaska Natives, and 
Native Hawaiians. It defines eligible states as those that have 
a combined population of Indian tribe members, Alaska Natives, 
and Native Hawaiians comprising at least 1 percent of the 
state's total population, as shown by the latest available 
census. The section places a cap on the program of $300,000 per 
year but no matching funds are required.
    A Small Business Development Center receiving a grant is 
required to request the advice of tribal organizations on how 
best to provide assistance to Indian tribe members, Alaska 
Natives, and Native Hawaiians and where to locate satellite 
centers to provide such assistance.
    The legislation authorizes $7,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2010 and 2011 for the program. The Administration can 
carry out this program only with amounts appropriated in 
advance specifically to carry it out. The Committee intends 
that any funds appropriated to support this program be in 
addition to funds allocated to SBDCs under the normal formula 
for those funds and that such funds be specifically 
appropriated for this program.

Title IV--Broadening the Women's Business Centers Program

            Section 401. Notification and publication of grant awards
    This section requires SBA to annually report publicly on 
its website the grants made to women's business centers. This 
shall include the amount of the annual grant, the total number 
of years since its inception that a center has won an SBA 
grant, how much funds it has received in total from the SBA 
over its lifetime, as well as the total private matching funds 
raised over its lifetime. The Committee intends that SBA make 
this information widely available as soon as such awards are 
made to the centers.
            Section 402. Communications
    This section requires the SBA to establish by regulation a 
standardized process to communicate with women's business 
centers regarding program administration matters, including 
reimbursement, regulatory matters, and programmatic changes. 
Women's business centers shall be given notice and an 
opportunity to comment on this regulation. In addition, women's 
business centers shall receive funds not later than one month 
after an award has been announced. The Committee intends this 
section to reduce the duration between SBA's announcement of 
awards and centers' receipt of funds from the agency.
            Section 403. Funding
    This section modifies the funding formula for the 
implementation of the Women's Business Center Program created 
by Section 29 of the Small Business Act.\3\ The revised funding 
formula eliminates the distinction in current law between 
funding and the sustainability pilot program. This section 
classifies women's business centers into three separate tiers. 
The Committee intends that this section will place an emphasis 
on opening new centers, while also maintaining minimal long-
term support for existing centers.
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    \3\Currently, the Administrator selects a grantee or grantees from 
numerous applicants, and then enters into a grant agreement covering a 
five-year period specifying how the grantee will deliver the services 
to be provided at a Women's Business Center (WBC). When originally 
created, Congress expected WBCs to become self-sustaining with private 
charitable contributions. WBCs then notified Congress that they were 
having difficulty raising funds from sources other than the federal 
government. Congress reacted by creating a sustainability pilot program 
that authorized some of the funds appropriated for new centers would be 
diverted to sustain existing centers whose five-year grant term was 
expiring. Grants under the sustainability pilot were to last four years 
(a time period which expired some time ago) and were for an additional 
five years. In the 2000 reauthorization, funds for sustainability were 
apportioned at 30.2 percent. In subsequent appropriations bills, 
including the 2007 emergency supplemental appropriation to fund the 
activities of the military in Iraq and Afghanistan, the percentages for 
sustainability have continued to increase thereby making it more 
difficult to balance funds available to offer women in underserved low-
income areas, including rural America, the services of WBCs.
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    The bill allocates 40 percent of available funding to new 
centers, i.e., to areas where an existing center has not been 
funded. Each grant, subject to the revised matching formula, is 
limited to $150,000 per center. Second tier grants (allocated 
20 percent of available funds) will last for three years and 
are available to existing centers that have completed their 
original five years of funding. In recognition of Congressional 
intent that women's business centers were to become self-
sustaining, this section reduces the size of federal grants to 
Second Tier women's business centers from $150,000 to 
$100,000.\4\ The remaining 40 percent of funds will be made 
available to women's business centers that have exhausted their 
Second Tier Grants. Third Tier Grants will last for three years 
but are renewable for as long as the center meets the criteria 
for obtaining a Third Tier Grant. The size of Third Tier Grants 
is limited to $100,000 and certain benchmarks must be met to 
obtain and continue to receive such grants.
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    \4\Permanent non-federal funding will benefit WBCs that no longer 
will have to rely on the caprice of federal appropriators.
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    Performance requirements are established for those centers 
reapplying for Third Tier Grants. In making allocations for 
Third Tier Grants, the Administrator is required to develop 
benchmarks that include the total number of women served by 
center, proportion of low-income women and socioeconomic 
distribution of clients served by center, proportion of 
individuals in the community that are socially and economically 
disadvantaged (based on median income for both rural and urban 
areas), future fundraising and service coordination plans, 
diversity of services provided, and regional distribution 
within SBA's 10 regions.\5\
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    \5\In developing the benchmarks, the Committee expects the 
Administrator to comply with the notice and comment requirements of the 
Administrative Procedure Act as set forth in the SBA's regulations at 
13 C.F.R. Sec. 101.108.
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    In addition, this section makes changes to the matching 
formula. Women's business centers do not receive all of their 
funding from federal grants. Rather, they are required to 
obtain matching funds from non-federal sources. This section 
revises that matching formula to only require women's business 
centers to obtain one dollar in non-federal funds for every two 
dollars in federal funds during the first and second year of 
operations.\6\ Thereafter, the matching requirement is a dollar 
for dollar match unless a center is serving a very low-income 
area (one in which at least 50 percent of the population is 
below the median income for the State or U.S. territory in 
which it is located). For centers serving a high concentration 
of lower income individuals, such women's business centers need 
only obtain one dollar in non-federal dollars for every two 
dollars of federal grant money.
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    \6\The Committee expects that the Administrator shall, in selecting 
First Tier grantees, scrutinize WBC operating plans to ensure they have 
mechanisms in place to ramp up their fundraising efforts beyond year 
two. Furthermore, to the extent that the Administrator has collected or 
knows of best practices for WBC fundraising, the Committee expects that 
information will be made available to applicants as well as operating 
WBCs.
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    This section authorizes funds for women's business centers 
for $20 million in fiscal year 2010 and $22 million in fiscal 
year 2011.
            Section 404. Performance and planning
    This section establishes performance measures for women's 
business centers. The Committee intends such measures to be 
used proactively by the Administrator to determine continued 
funding eligibility for centers. Such measures shall include 
outcome-based measures of the amount of job creation or 
economic activity generated in the local community as a result 
of efforts made and services provided by each women's business 
center and service-based measures of the amount of services 
provided to individuals and small business concerns served by 
each women's business center.\7\ Such measures shall take into 
account the demographic differences of populations served by 
the centers. The Administrator's evaluation of women's business 
centers as required by subsection 29(h) shall be in part based 
on these this subparagraph's performance measures. These 
measures and the Administrator's evaluations thereof shall be 
made publicly available.
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    \7\The Committee expects that the Administration develops 
performance measures that are specific in nature to sufficiently 
evaluate the impacts of the centers' services. These measures can 
include items such as: program effects on jobs retained or expanded by 
the assisted businesses, program effects on sales (domestic and 
international) generated by the assisted businesses, and program 
effects on assisted firms' survival rates.
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    In addition, this section requires women's business center 
to submit an annual plan for the next year that includes the 
center's funding sources and amounts, strategies for increasing 
outreach to women-owned businesses, strategies for increasing 
job growth in the community, and other content as determined by 
the Administrator. The Administrator's evaluation of women's 
business centers as required by subsection 29(h) shall be in 
part based on these this subparagraph's planning requirements. 
These measures and the Administrator's evaluations thereof 
shall be made publicly available.
            Section 405. National Women's Business Council
    This section authorizes funds for the Council at $1 million 
for each of fiscal years 2010 and 2011 and requires specific 
studies on women's entrepreneurship. This includes a study on 
the impact of the 2008-2009 financial markets crisis on women-
owned businesses and a study on the use of SBA's programs by 
women-owned businesses.
    The Committee requires that the Council consult with the 
House and Senate Small Business Committees to ensure that 
proposed studies on women enterprises will examine issues of 
importance not only to the Council but to Congressional 
policymakers. In other words, the Committee intends that the 
studies mandated by this section shall be useful not only to 
the SBA but to legislators as well. In order to ensure the 
utility of these studies to Congress, the Committee expects 
that the Council will consult with the Committee at least 30 
days prior to the commencement of any research.
    While the Committee reauthorizes the Council, the Committee 
expects to see a further demonstration of the utility of the 
Council's research and work products. The Committee expects the 
Council to make greater efforts to link its work with the 
challenges facing today's entrepreneurs.

Title V--SCORE Program Improvements

            Section 501. Expansion of volunteer representation and 
                    benchmark reports
    This section requires SCORE administrators to actively 
recruit and maintain volunteer mentors in order to increasingly 
reflect socially- and economically-disadvantaged sectors of the 
population, while reporting on the status of this effort to the 
SBA every year. The Committee expects SCORE administrators to 
include in the annual reports the total socially-economically 
disadvantaged volunteers as a proportion of the demographic 
composition of each community as well as the length of time 
each volunteer has provided service to the program. It is also 
expected that SBA provides a copy of the annual report to the 
Committee.
    In addition, SCORE administrators are required to establish 
benchmarks reviewed by the SBA regarding service delivery, such 
as the success of assisted entrepreneurs. The Committee expects 
program administrators to include in the report data on the 
geographic distribution of businesses assisted as well as gaps 
in services according to location. Other benchmarks should 
include coordination efforts with public-private entities and 
details on fundraising ventures, including all grants awarded. 
It is also expected that SBA provides a copy of the annual 
report to the Committee.
    The Committee expects this section to provide for greater 
accountability of funding resources direct toward SCORE.
            Section 502. Mentoring and networking
    The Administrator is required to ensure that SCORE program 
establishes a mentoring program and a networking program for 
small business concerns. The mentoring program through SCORE 
will provide one-on-one advice to small business concerns from 
qualified counselors. Qualified counselors are designated as 
those that have at least ten years experience in the industry 
sector or the area of responsibility of the small business 
concern seeking advice.
    The Administrator is also required to ensure that the SCORE 
program carryout a networking program that provides small 
business concerns with the opportunity to make business 
contacts in their industry or geographic region.
            Section 503. Name of program changed to SCORE
    This section updates the Small Business Act by deleting 
inclusion of the ``Active Corps of Executive'' (ACE) program in 
the SCORE statute, due to the defunct nature of this entity 
since 1995. In addition, this change specifies that from the 
date of enactment forward the program shall be known as SCORE.
            Section 504. Authorization
    The SCORE program is authorized in Section 20 of the Small 
Business Act for $7 million per year for each of fiscal years 
2010 and 2011.

Title VI--Expanding Entrepreneurship Act of 2009

            Section 601. Expanding entrepreneurship
    This title adds a new subsection (g) to the section 4 of 
the Small Business Act by mandating the following new 
responsibilities and initiatives be implemented through the 
SBA's ED portfolio.
            (1) Entrepreneurial development planning
    This subsection requires the SBA to develop a plan and 
submit it to Congress for creating jobs through its 
entrepreneurial development programs. It shall include the 
agency's plan for drawing on existing programs, including Small 
Business Development Centers, Women's Business Centers, SCORE, 
Veterans' Business Outreach Centers, Native American Outreach, 
and other appropriate initiatives. The SBA shall also identify 
a strategy for each SBA Region to create or retain jobs through 
agency programs.
    The Committee expects this requirement to be completed in 
addition to the current report performed by the SBA's Office of 
Entrepreneurial Development, which is an annual study on the 
portfolio of programs' performances from the past year. This 
plan must instead formulate future-oriented goals for the 
programs and develop specific implementation strategies to 
realize the objectives.
            (2) Data collection process
    This provision requires that the SBA develops and 
implements a consistent data collection process amongst all ED 
programs. It specifies the types of data to be collected, 
including job creation and program performance measurements. 
The Committee intends that ED program providers be consulted 
before this process is implemented.
            (3) Coordination and alignment of SBA entrepreneurial 
                    development programs
    This subsection requires that SBA coordinate the agency's 
Entrepreneurial Development programs with State and local 
economic development agencies and other federal agencies as 
appropriate. The Administrator must report annually to 
Congress, in consultation with other federal departments and 
agencies as appropriate, on opportunities to foster 
coordination, limit duplication, and improve program delivery 
for federal entrepreneurial development activities.
            (4) Database of entrepreneurial development service 
                    providers
    This subsection establishes a database of providers of 
entrepreneurial development services and requires the 
Administrator to make this resource available via the agency's 
website. This database must be searchable on industry, 
geography, and service required.
    The Committee expects the database to be easily accessible 
on the SBA's website to ensure that entrepreneurs can gain 
information on the resources available nationally and in their 
local communities. The Committee also expects that the 
Administrator seek comment from ED providers on this effort 
before it is implemented.
            (5) Community specialist
    The Administrator is required to designate not less than 
one staff member in each SBA District Office as a Community 
Specialist who has as their full-time responsibility working 
with local entrepreneurial development service providers to 
increase coordination with federal resources. The SBA must 
establish benchmarks to evaluate this position's performance.
    The Committee expects the Community Specialist to work with 
the region's entrepreneurial development service providers, 
including economic development agencies, community development 
associations, business assistance providers, educational 
institutions, and local, regional, and state officials to plan 
for and promote sustainable regional growth through 
entrepreneurship activities.
            (6) Entrepreneurial development portal
    The Administrator is required to establish a web-based 
portal that provides comprehensive information on all of SBA's 
entrepreneurial development resources. This must be available 
with one-click from the SBA's main website. This shall increase 
consumer-oriented webpages on the agency's website and focus on 
promoting access to business solutions, including marketing, 
financing, and human resources planning; establish relevant web 
content aggregated by industry segment, stage of business 
development, level of need, and include referral links to 
appropriate agency services (financing, training and 
counseling, procurement assistance); and provide style 
guidelines and links for visitors to the SBA website to be able 
to comment-on and/or rate the materials in terms of their 
usefulness.
    The Committee expects these resources to be easily accessed 
by businesses seeking assistance online and information on 
entrepreneurial development resources in their communities. 
Currently, the Committee believes that the agency's online 
resources are neither highly transparent nor easily accessible; 
and intends that the agency overhaul these resources to address 
these shortcomings. The Committee also expects that the 
Administrator seek comment from ED providers on this effort 
before it is implemented.
            (7) Prohibition of pilot programs
    This subsection prohibits the SBA from establishing an 
entrepreneurial development pilot program for a period of 
greater than three years. The Committee intends this provision 
to limit unauthorized programs from using scarce ED resources. 
The Committee strongly believes that the agency should seek 
formal statutory language for any program that it believes is 
worthy of regular federal funding and resources. It is not the 
Committee's intent that this provision be used as part of the 
oversight mechanism for ED providers.

  Title VII--Modernizing the Small Business Development Center Program

            Section 701. Small Business Development Center operational 
                    changes
    This section makes several operational and technical 
changes to the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) 
program. The SBA is required to provide grants only to 
universities with academic accreditations. The Committee 
intends to strengthen eligibility criteria for SBDC grantees by 
requiring new award recipients to be institutions of higher 
education that are fully accredited.
    This section clarifies the contract negotiation process 
between the agency and grant recipients, and authorizes the 
latter as equal partners in the process. The provision is 
expected to ensure that the entities are functioning as a 
partnership and that SBDC grant recipients serve a meaningful 
role in the negotiations to determine the programs/services 
they will provide as well as the finalized contract agreement 
with the agency. This section also prohibits SBA interference 
in the hiring practices of the SBDC grant recipient host. The 
intention of the provision is to clarify that the agency does 
not have veto authority over the grant recipient's hiring 
practices. It is required that the hiring process must be based 
upon fair, openly competitive and non-discriminatory hiring 
practices.
    This section expands privacy protection requirements to 
apply to the content of SBDC consultation sessions. Client 
confidentiality protections established in the 2004 SBA 
Reauthorization Act are strengthened to also cover the context 
of the consulting engagement.
    Program administrative costs are addressed in this section, 
limiting the agency to an amount of $500,000 to be taken from 
program resources for administration expenses to examine center 
operations. The Committee intends that the SBDC Program Office 
and the SBA should budget for administrative costs through the 
agency's annual fiscal proposals.
    This section allows exemptions in the event of a federally-
designated natural or human-caused disaster to the cap on non-
matching portability grants. The Committee intends this 
provision will prevent the historically lengthy and 
disconnected process for grant proposals responding to one 
disaster, such as the occurrence in the Gulf Coast.
    This section limits the number of SBDC grantees to one per 
state, unless a single SBDC does not apply to cover the entire 
state. This provision, however, grandfathers the multiple SBDC 
grantees in California and Texas, until they propose to 
consolidate. In addition, for the purpose of this section, an 
SBDC grantee is defined as the entity that received the funds 
from the SBA pursuant to the SBDC funding formula.
    Due to their ability to secure separate federal funding for 
entrepreneurial development activities from the SBA, this 
section eliminates women's business centers from the pool of 
eligible entities for SBDC grants.
            Core funding and specialized grant program sections 
                    established in sections 702, 703, 704, and 705
    Sections 702, 703, 704, and 705 contain language directing 
the agency on how to fund the new grant initiatives they 
establish. This language specifically prevents the SBA from 
using funds from the SBDC core program established in section 
21(a)(1) of the Small Business Act. As a result, the Committee 
fully expects SBDC's core program funding to remain separate 
and independent from appropriations for the new grant 
initiatives established in H.R. 2352. Further, it is expected 
that the SBDC core program be funded at least at its current 
authorization level.
    Full funding is critical to ensure service providers have 
the capacity to fulfill the program's mandate, especially as 
demand for entrepreneurial development assistance has 
increased. However, it is the Committee's judgment that this 
program has been inadequately funded. Despite the success of 
the SBDC program, the program was flat-funded over recent 
years, with the agency requesting only a 2 percent increase in 
its budget during this time. The effect of this cut, on top of 
the effects of inflation over the past six years, means that 
many centers across the United States will have lost up to 
twenty percent of funding since 2001.
    By creating additional authorizations for the grant 
initiatives, the legislation is intended to facilitate the 
development of specialized services for interested and eligible 
centers. However, the grants have not been designed to 
substitute for the comprehensive set of services that SBDCs are 
required to provide in their core program.
            Section 702. Access to Credit and Capital Program
    Section 702 establishes a grant program for SBDCs to 
develop specialized programs to assist local small firms in 
securing capital and repairing damaged credit; provide 
informational seminars on securing credit and loans; provide 
one-on-one counseling with potential borrowers to improve 
financial presentations to lenders; and facilitate borrowers' 
access to non-traditional financing sources, as well as 
traditional lending sources. The award size under this program 
is $300,000. $2.5 million is authorized for each of fiscal 
years 2010 and 2011 for the purposes of carrying out this 
section. Funds for this program are separate and in addition to 
funds provided to the core SBDC program.
            Section 703. Procurement Training and Assistance Program
    This section establishes a procurement training program for 
SBDCs to work with local agencies to identify contracts that 
are suitable for local small firms; prepare small businesses to 
be project ready as subcontractors and smaller primes on for 
contracts made available through the American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act through training and business advisement, 
especially in the construction trades; and provide technical 
assistance regarding the federal procurement process, including 
assisting small firms comply with federal regulations and 
bonding requirements. The award size under this program is 
$300,000. $2.5 million is authorized for each of fiscal years 
2010 and 2011 for the purposes of carrying out this section. 
Funds for this program are separate and in addition to funds 
provided to the core SBDC program.
            Section 704. Green Entrepreneurs Training Program
    This section establishes a green entrepreneurial 
development program, in which SBDCs will provide education 
classes and one-on-one instruction in starting a business in 
the fields of energy efficiency, green technology, or clean 
technology; coordinate such classes and instruction, to the 
extent practicable, with local community colleges and local 
professional trade associations; assist and provide technical 
counsel to individuals seeking to start a business in the 
fields of energy efficiency, green technology, or clean 
technology. The award size under this program is $300,000. $2.5 
million is authorized for each of fiscal years 2010 and 2011 
for the purposes of carrying out this section. Funds for this 
program are separate and in addition to funds provided to the 
core SBDC program.
            Section 705. Main Street Stabilization Program
    Eligible SBDCs are authorized to receive grants through 
this section for the purpose of establishing a statewide Small 
Business Helpline within every state and territory to provide 
immediate expert information and assistance to small firms; 
assist dislocated workers interested in starting their own 
business; developing a portfolio of online survival and growth 
tools and resources struggling small companies can utilize 24/7 
via the Internet; growing business advisory capacity to provide 
expert consulting and education to assist small businesses at-
risk of failure; and deploying additional resources to help 
specific sectors with a high presence of small companies. The 
award size under this program is $250,000. $2.5 million is 
authorized for each of fiscal years 2010 and 2011 for the 
purposes of carrying out this section. Funds for this program 
are separate and in addition to funds provided to the core SBDC 
program.
            Section 706. Prohibition on program income being used as 
                    matching funds
    Entities participating in the SBDC program are prohibited 
from using funds obtained through the assessment of fees to 
small business clients as program matching funds. It is the 
Committee's intent that this section further encourages SBDCs 
to secure matching funds from private resources other than the 
small business clients seeking to use SBDCs' services.
            Section 707. Authorization
    Funds for the SBDC program are authorized for $150 million 
in fiscal year 2010 and $160 million in fiscal year 2011.

                   VIII. Committee Estimate of Costs

    At the time of the filing of the report on H.R. 2352, the 
cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office was not 
available. In compliance with clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of 
the Rules of the House of Representatives and based on the best 
information available at this time, the Committee estimates 
that, should H.R. 2352 be enacted, it would a cost of $234 
million in fiscal year 2010 and $248 million in fiscal year 
2011. Most of the costs fall within budget function 370, 
(commerce and housing credit).

Basis of the estimate

    In Title I of H.R. 2352, authorization is provided for the 
operations of the Veterans Business Center Program, including 
outreach facilities and administrative costs. Additional 
administrative resources for the implementation of a biennial 
Veterans Business Summit at $450,000 are also provided for in 
the legislation. Further, this section authorizes the SBA to 
award a number of grants to Veterans Business Centers to expand 
the range of services provided to this sector. It is estimated 
that implementing the new grant provisions in the section would 
cost $4.5 million.
    Title II costs include $2 million for the establishment and 
operation of Distance Learning programs at the agency in both 
FY 2010 and 2011, which includes resources for the development 
of entrepreneurial training content by third parties. An 
additional $100,000 is authorized for the establishment of 
communications infrastructure and staff resources for the 
development of an online peer-to-peer technical assistance 
online network.
    The costs for Title III include a program authorization for 
the administration of the SBA's Office of Native American 
Affairs. Additionally, this section authorizes the SBA to award 
a number of grants for the establishment of Tribal Business 
Information Centers to expand the range of services provided to 
this sector. It is estimated that implementing the new grant 
provisions in the section would cost $15 million in FY 2010 and 
$17 million in FY 2011. This section further authorizes the SBA 
to award a number of grants to eligible Small Business 
Development Centers located in communities with high Native 
American populations to expand outreach facilities for these 
entrepreneurs. It is estimated that implementing this new grant 
provision would cost $7 million in both FY 2010 and FY 2011.
    Program authorizations levels for Title IV include $20 
million in FY 2010 and $22 million in FY 2011 for the Women's 
Business Center operations. Further, the National Women's 
Business Council is authorized at $1 million for both FY 2010 
and FY 2011.
    Title V authorizes funding for SCORE program operations at 
$7 million for both FY 2010 and 2011.
    It is estimated that costs for Title VI will include 
$100,000 in personnel resources for both FY 2010 and FY 2011 
for planning, database management and coordination requirements 
of the legislation. $3.4 million is expected to be necessary to 
fund personnel resources for the designation of Community 
Specialists as required by the legislation. This cost estimate 
is determined based upon locating one Community Specialist in 
each of the 85 District Offices with an average salary for 
these staff at $40,000 per year. To establish the 
infrastructural and staff resources necessary for the 
development and maintenance of the ED portal on the agency's 
website, it is estimated that $1 million will be required.
    In Title VII, H.R. 2352 authorizes the SBA to award a 
number of grants to Small Business Development Centers to 
expand the range of services provided to entrepreneurs. It is 
estimated that implementing the section would cost $2.5 million 
for the implementation of each of the four new grant programs, 
for a total of $10 million in both FY 2010 and FY 2011. 
Further, authorization is provided for the core operations of 
the Small Business Development Center Program, including 
outreach facilities and administrative costs, at $150 million 
in FY 2010 and $160 million in FY 2011.

                         IX. Oversight Findings

    In accordance with clause (2)(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the oversight findings and 
recommendations of the Committee on Small Business with respect 
to the subject matter contained in H.R. 2352 are incorporated 
into the descriptive portions of this report.

                X. Statement of Constitutional Authority

    Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee finds the authority for 
this legislation in Article I, Section 8, clause 18, of the 
Constitution of the United States.

                  XI. Compliance with Public Law 104-4

    H.R. 2352 contains no unfunded mandates.

                 XII. Congressional Accountability Act

    H.R. 2352 does not relate to the terms and conditions of 
employment or access to public services or accommodations 
within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of P.L. 104-1.

               XIII. Federal Advisory Committee Statement

    H.R. 2352 does not establish or authorize the establishment 
of any new advisory committees.

                     XIV. Statement of No Earmarks

    Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XXI, H.R. 2352 does not 
contain any congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or 
limited tariff benefits as defined in clause 9(d), 9(e), or 
9(f) of rule XXI.

                  XV. Performance Goals and Objectives

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee establishes the 
following performance related goals and objectives for this 
legislation:
    H.R. 2352 includes a number of provisions designed to 
update and to improve the Small Business Administration's 
entrepreneurial development programs.

       XVI. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported

  In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law 
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new 
matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is 
proposed is shown in roman):

SMALL BUSINESS ACT

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


  Sec. 4. (a) * * *
  (b)(1) The management of the Administration shall be vested 
in an Administrator who shall be appointed from civilian life 
by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the 
Senate, and who shall be a person of outstanding qualifications 
known to be familiar and sympathetic with small business needs 
and problems. The Administrator shall not engage in any other 
business, vocation, or employment than that of serving as 
Administrator. In carrying out the programs administered by the 
Small Business Administration including its lending and 
guaranteeing functions, the Administrator shall not 
discriminate on the basis of sex or marital status against any 
person or small business concern applying for or receiving 
assistance from the Small Business Administration, and the 
Small Business Administration shall give special consideration 
to veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States and their 
survivors or dependents. The President also may appoint a 
Deputy Administrator, by and with the advice and consent of the 
Senate. The Administrator is authorized to appoint [five 
Associate Administrators] six Associate Administrators 
(including the Associate Administrator specified in section 201 
of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958) to assist in the 
execution of the functions vested in the Administration. One 
such Associate Administrator shall be the Associate 
Administrator for Native American Affairs, who shall administer 
the Office of Native American Affairs established under section 
45. One such Associate Administrator shall be the Associate 
Administrator for Veterans Business Development, who shall 
administer the Office of Veterans Business Development 
established under section 32. One of the Associate 
Administrators shall be designated at the time of his 
appointment as the Associate Administrator for Minority Small 
Business and Capital Ownership Development who shall be an 
employee in the competitive service or in the Senior Executive 
Service and a career appointee and shall be responsible to the 
Administrator for the formulation and execution of the policies 
and programs under sections 7(j) and 8(a) of this Act which 
provide assistance to minority small business concerns.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (g) Management and Direction.--
          (1) Plan for entrepreneurial development and job 
        creation strategy.--The Administrator shall develop and 
        submit to Congress a plan, in consultation with a 
        representative from each of the agency's 
        entrepreneurial development programs, for using the 
        Small Business Administration's entrepreneurial 
        development programs as a catalyst for job creation for 
        fiscal years 2009 and 2010. The plan shall include the 
        Administration's plan for drawing on existing programs, 
        including Small Business Development Centers, Women's 
        Business Centers, SCORE, Veterans Business Centers, 
        Native American Outreach, and other appropriate 
        programs. The Administrator shall identify a strategy 
        for each Administration region to create or retain jobs 
        through Administration programs. The Administrator 
        shall identify, in consultation with appropriate 
        personnel from entrepreneurial development programs, 
        performance measures and criteria, including job 
        creation, job retention, and job retraining goals, to 
        evaluate the success of the Administration's actions 
        regarding these efforts.
          (2) Data collection process.--The Administrator 
        shall, after notice and opportunity for comment, 
        promulgate a rule to develop and implement a consistent 
        data collection process to cover all entrepreneurial 
        development programs. Such data collection process 
        shall include data relating to job creation, 
        performance, and any other data determined appropriate 
        by the Administrator with respect to the 
        Administration's entrepreneurial development programs.
          (3) Coordination and alignment of sba entrepreneurial 
        development programs.--The Administrator shall submit 
        annually to Congress, in consultation with other 
        Federal departments and agencies as appropriate, a 
        report on opportunities to foster coordination, limit 
        duplication, and improve program delivery for Federal 
        entrepreneurial development programs.
          (4) Database of entrepreneurial development service 
        providers.--The Administrator shall, after a period of 
        60 days for public comment, establish a database of 
        providers of entrepreneurial development services and, 
        make such database available through the 
        Administration's Web site. The database shall be 
        searchable by industry, geography, and service 
        required.
          (5) Community specialist.--The Administrator shall 
        designate not less than one staff member in each 
        Administration district office as a community 
        specialist who has as their full-time responsibility 
        working with local entrepreneurial development service 
        providers to increase coordination with Federal 
        resources. The Administrator shall develop benchmarks 
        for measuring the performance of community specialists 
        under this subsection.
          (6) Entrepreneurial development portal.--The 
        Administrator shall publish a design for a Web-based 
        portal to provide comprehensive information on the 
        Administration's entrepreneurial development programs. 
        After a period of 60 days for public comment, the 
        Administrator shall establish such portal and--
                  (A) integrate under one Web portal, Small 
                Business Development Centers, Women's Business 
                Centers, SCORE, Veterans Business Centers, the 
                Administration's distance learning program, and 
                other programs as appropriate;
                  (B) revise the Administration's primary Web 
                site so that the Web portal described in 
                subparagraph (A) is available as a link on the 
                main Web page of the Web site;
                  (C) increase consumer-oriented content on the 
                Administration's Web site and focus on 
                promoting access to business solutions, 
                including marketing, financing, and human 
                resources planning;
                  (D) establish relevant Web content aggregated 
                by industry segment, stage of business 
                development, level of need, and include 
                referral links to appropriate Administration 
                services, including financing, training and 
                counseling, and procurement assistance; and
                  (E) provide style guidelines and links for 
                visitors to the Administration's Web site to be 
                able to comment on and evaluate the materials 
                in terms of their usefulness.
          (7) Pilot programs.--The Administrator may not 
        conduct any pilot program for a period of greater than 
        3 years if the program conflicts with, or uses the 
        resources of, any of the entrepreneurial development 
        programs authorized under section 8(b)(1)(B), 21, 29, 
        32, or any other provision of this Act.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  Sec. 7. (a) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (m) Microloan Program.--
          (1) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

          (3) Loans to intermediaries.--
                  (A) Intermediary applications.--(i) In 
                general.--As part of its application for a 
                loan, each intermediary shall submit a 
                description to the Administration of--
                          (I) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

                          (VIII) any plan to involve other 
                        technical assistance providers (such as 
                        counselors from [the Service Corps of 
                        Retired Executives] SCORE or small 
                        business development centers) or 
                        private sector lenders in assisting 
                        selected business concerns.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  Sec. 8. (a) * * *
  (b) It shall also be the duty of the Administration and it is 
hereby empowered, whenever it determines such action is 
necessary--
          (1)(A) * * *
          (B)(i) To establish, conduct, and publicize, and to 
        recruit, select, and train volunteers for (and to enter 
        into contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements 
        therefor), volunteer programs, including a Service 
        Corps of Retired [Executives (SCORE) and an Active 
        Corps of Executive (ACE)] Executives (in this Act 
        referred to as ``SCORE'') for the purposes of section 
        8(b)(1)(A) of this Act. To facilitate the 
        implementation of such volunteer programs the 
        Administration shall maintain at its headquarters and 
        pay the salaries, benefits, and expenses of a volunteer 
        and professional staff to manage and oversee the 
        program. Any such payments made pursuant to this 
        subparagraph shall be effective only to such extent or 
        in such amounts as are provided in advance in 
        appropriation Acts. Notwithstanding any other provision 
        of law, SCORE may solicit cash and in-kind 
        contributions from the private sector to be used to 
        carry out its functions under this Act, and may use 
        payments made by the Administration pursuant to this 
        subparagraph for such solicitation and the management 
        of the contributions received.
          (ii) The Administrator shall ensure that SCORE, 
        established under this subparagraph, carries out a plan 
        to increase the proportion of mentors who are from 
        socially or economically disadvantaged backgrounds and, 
        on an annual basis, reports to the Administrator on the 
        implementation of this subparagraph.
          (iii) The Administrator shall ensure that SCORE, 
        established under this subparagraph, establishes 
        benchmarks for use in evaluating the performance of its 
        activities and the performance of its volunteers. The 
        benchmarks shall include benchmarks relating to the 
        demographic characteristics and the geographic 
        characteristics of persons assisted by SCORE, 
        benchmarks relating to the hours spent mentoring by 
        volunteers, and benchmarks relating to the performance 
        of the persons assisted by SCORE. SCORE shall report, 
        on an annual basis, to the Administrator the extent to 
        which the benchmarks established under this clause are 
        being attained.
          (iv) The Administrator shall ensure that SCORE, 
        established under this subparagraph, establishes a 
        mentoring program for small business concerns that 
        provides one-on-one advice to small business concerns 
        from qualified counselors. For purposes of this clause, 
        qualified counselors are counselors with at least 10 
        years experience in the industry sector or area of 
        responsibility of the small business concern seeking 
        advice.
          (v) The Administrator shall carry out a networking 
        program through SCORE, established under this 
        subparagraph, that provides small business concerns 
        with the opportunity to make business contacts in their 
        industry or geographic region.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  Sec. 20. (a) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (d) Fiscal Year 2005.--
          (1) Program levels.--The following program levels are 
        authorized for fiscal year 2005:
                  (A) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

                  (E) The Administration is authorized to make 
                grants or enter into cooperative agreements for 
                a total amount of $7,000,000 for [the Service 
                Corps of Retired Executives program] SCORE 
                authorized by section 8(b)(1).

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (e) Fiscal Year 2006.--
          (1) Program levels.--The following program levels are 
        authorized for fiscal year 2006:
                  (A) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

                  (E) The Administration is authorized to make 
                grants or enter into cooperative agreements for 
                a total amount of $7,000,000 for [the Service 
                Corps of Retired Executives program] SCORE 
                authorized by section 8(b)(1).

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (f) Women's Business Centers.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated for purposes of grants under section 29 to women's 
business centers not more than $20,000,000 in fiscal year 2010 
and not more than $22,000,000 in fiscal year 2011.
  (g) Authorization of Appropriations for SCORE.--There is 
authorized to be appropriated $7,000,000 for SCORE under 
section 8(b)(1) for each of the fiscal years 2010 and 2011.
  (h) Small Business Development Centers.--There is authorized 
to be appropriated to carry out the Small Business Development 
Center Program under section 21 $150,000,000 for fiscal year 
2010 and $160,000,000 for fiscal year 2011.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  Sec. 21. (a)(1) The Administration is authorized to make 
grants (including contracts and cooperative agreements) to any 
State government or any agency thereof, any regional entity, 
any State-chartered development, credit or finance corporation, 
any women's business center operating pursuant to section 29, 
any public or private institution of higher education, 
including but not limited to any land-grant college or 
university, any college or school of business, engineering, 
commerce, or agriculture, community college or junior college, 
or to any entity formed by two or more of the above entities 
(herein referred to as ``applicants'') to assist in 
establishing small business development centers and to any such 
labor for: small business oriented employment or natural 
resources development programs; studies, research, and 
counseling concerning the managing, financing, and operation of 
small business enterprises, management and technical assistance 
regarding small business participation in international 
markets, export promotion and technology transfer; delivery or 
distribution of such services and information; and providing 
access to business analysts who can refer small business 
concerns to available experts: Provided, That after December 
31, 1990, the Administration shall not make a grant to any 
applicant other than an accredited institution of higher 
education [or a women's business center operating pursuant to 
section 29] as a Small Business Development Center unless the 
applicant was receiving a grant (including a contract or 
cooperative agreement) on such date. The Administration shall 
require any applicant for a small business development center 
grant with performance commencing on or after January 1, 1992 
to have its own budget and to primarily utilize accredited 
institutions of higher education [and women's business centers 
operating pursuant to section 29] to provide services to the 
small business community. The term of such grants shall be made 
on a calendar year basis or to coincide with the Federal fiscal 
year. In this paragraph, the term ``accredited institution of 
higher education'' means an institution that is accredited as 
described in section 101(a)(5) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)(5)).

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (3) The Small Business Development Center Program shall be 
under the general management and oversight of the 
Administration for the delivery of programs and services to the 
small business community. Such programs and services shall be 
jointly developed, negotiated, and mutually agreed upon, with 
full participation of both parties, pursuant to an executed 
cooperative agreement between the Small Business Development 
Center applicant and the Administration.
  (A) Small business development centers are authorized to form 
an association to pursue matters of common concern. If more 
than a majority of the small business development centers which 
are operating pursuant to agreements with the Administration 
are members of such an association, the Administration is 
authorized and directed to recognize the existence and 
activities of such an association and to consult with it and 
develop documents (i) announcing the annual scope of activities 
pursuant to this section, (ii) requesting proposals to deliver 
assistance as provided in this section and (iii) governing the 
general operations and administration of the Small Business 
Development Center Program, specifically including the 
development of regulations and a uniform negotiated mutually 
agreed to cooperative agreement for use on an annual basis when 
entering into individual negotiated agreements with small 
business development centers.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (4) Small business development center program level.--
          (A) * * *
          (B) Restriction.--The matching amount described in 
        subparagraph (A) shall not include any indirect costs 
        or in-kind contributions derived from any Federal 
        program and shall not include any funds obtained 
        through the assessment of fees to small business 
        clients.
          (C) Funding formula.--
                  (i) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

                  (v) Use of amounts.--
                          [(I) In general.--Of the amounts made 
                        available in any fiscal year to carry 
                        out this section--
                                  [(aa) not more than $500,000 
                                may be used by the 
                                Administration to pay expenses 
                                enumerated in subparagraphs (B) 
                                through (D) of section 
                                20(a)(1); and
                                  [(bb) not more than $500,000 
                                may be used by the 
                                Administration to pay the 
                                examination expenses enumerated 
                                in section 20(a)(1)(E).]
                          (I) In general.--Of the amounts made 
                        available in any fiscal year to carry 
                        out this section, not more than 
                        $500,000 may be used by the 
                        Administration to pay expenses 
                        enumerated in subparagraphs (B) through 
                        (D) of section 20(a)(1).

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

                  (viii) Limitation.--From the funds 
                appropriated pursuant to clause (vii), the 
                Administration shall reserve not less than 
                $1,000,000 in each fiscal year to develop 
                portable assistance for startup and 
                sustainability non-matching grant programs to 
                be conducted by eligible small business 
                development centers in communities that are 
                economically challenged as a result of a 
                business or government facility down sizing or 
                closing, which has resulted in the loss of jobs 
                or small business instability. A non-matching 
                grant under this clause shall not exceed 
                $100,000, and shall be used for small business 
                development center personnel expenses and 
                related small business programs and services. 
                In the event of a disaster, the dollar 
                limitation in the preceding sentence shall not 
                apply.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (7) Privacy requirements.--
          (A) In general.--A small business development center, 
        consortium of small business development centers, or 
        contractor or agent of a small business development 
        center may not disclose the name, address, or telephone 
        number of any individual or small business concern 
        receiving assistance under this section, or the content 
        of any consultation with such an individual or small 
        business concern, without the consent of such 
        individual or small business concern, unless--
                  (i) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

          (8) Additional grant to assist indian tribe members, 
        alaska natives, and native hawaiians.--
                  (A) In general.--Any applicant in an eligible 
                State that is funded by the Administration as a 
                Small Business Development Center may apply for 
                an additional grant to be used solely to 
                provide services described in subsection (c)(3) 
                to assist with outreach, development, and 
                enhancement on Indian lands of small business 
                startups and expansions owned by Indian tribe 
                members, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians.
                  (B) Eligible states.--For purposes of 
                subparagraph (A), an eligible State is a State 
                that has a combined population of Indian tribe 
                members, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians 
                that comprises at least 1 percent of the 
                State's total population, as shown by the 
                latest available census.
                  (C) Grant applications.--An applicant for a 
                grant under subparagraph (A) shall submit to 
                the Administration an application that is in 
                such form as the Administration may require. 
                The application shall include information 
                regarding the applicant's goals and objectives 
                for the services to be provided using the 
                grant, including--
                          (i) the capability of the applicant 
                        to provide training and services to a 
                        representative number of Indian tribe 
                        members, Alaska Natives, and Native 
                        Hawaiians;
                          (ii) the location of the Small 
                        Business Development Center site 
                        proposed by the applicant;
                          (iii) the required amount of grant 
                        funding needed by the applicant to 
                        implement the program; and
                          (iv) the extent to which the 
                        applicant has consulted with local 
                        tribal councils.
                  (D) Applicability of grant requirements.--An 
                applicant for a grant under subparagraph (A) 
                shall comply with all of the requirements of 
                this section, except that the matching funds 
                requirements under paragraph (4)(A) shall not 
                apply.
                  (E) Maximum amount of grants.--No applicant 
                may receive more than $300,000 in grants under 
                this paragraph for any fiscal year.
                  (F) Regulations.--After providing notice and 
                an opportunity for comment and after consulting 
                with the Association recognized by the 
                Administration pursuant to paragraph (3)(A) 
                (but not later than 180 days after the date of 
                enactment of this paragraph), the 
                Administration shall issue final regulations to 
                carry out this paragraph, including regulations 
                that establish--
                          (i) standards relating to 
                        educational, technical, and support 
                        services to be provided by Small 
                        Business Development Centers receiving 
                        assistance under this paragraph; and
                          (ii) standards relating to any work 
                        plan that the Administration may 
                        require a Small Business Development 
                        Center receiving assistance under this 
                        paragraph to develop.
                  (G) Advice of local tribal organizations.--A 
                Small Business Development Center receiving a 
                grant under this paragraph shall request the 
                advice of a tribal organization on how best to 
                provide assistance to Indian tribe members, 
                Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians and where 
                to locate satellite centers to provide such 
                assistance.
                  (H) Definitions.--In this paragraph, the 
                following definitions apply:
                          (i) Indian lands.--The term ``Indian 
                        lands'' has the meaning given the term 
                        ``Indian country'' in section 1151 of 
                        title 18, United States Code, the 
                        meaning given the term ``Indian 
                        reservation'' in section 151.2 of title 
                        25, Code of Federal Regulations (as in 
                        effect on the date of enactment of this 
                        paragraph), and the meaning given the 
                        term ``reservation'' in section 4 of 
                        the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 
                        (25 U.S.C. 1903).
                          (ii) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian 
                        tribe'' means any band, nation, or 
                        organized group or community of Indians 
                        located in the contiguous United 
                        States, and the Metlakatla Indian 
                        Community, whose members are recognized 
                        as eligible for the services provided 
                        to Indians by the Secretary of the 
                        Interior because of their status as 
                        Indians.
                          (iii) Indian tribe member.--The term 
                        ``Indian tribe member'' means a member 
                        of an Indian tribe (other than an 
                        Alaska Native).
                          (iv) Alaska native.--The term 
                        ``Alaska Native'' has the meaning given 
                        the term ``Native'' in section 3(b) of 
                        the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act 
                        (43 U.S.C. 1602(b)).
                          (v) Native hawaiian.--The term 
                        ``Native Hawaiian'' means any 
                        individual who is--
                                  (I) a citizen of the United 
                                States; and
                                  (II) a descendant of the 
                                aboriginal people, who prior to 
                                1778, occupied and exercised 
                                sovereignty in the area that 
                                now constitutes the State of 
                                Hawaii.
                          (vi) Tribal organization.--The term 
                        ``tribal organization'' has the meaning 
                        given that term in section 4(l) of the 
                        Indian Self-Determination and Education 
                        Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(l)).
                  (I) Authorization of appropriations.--There 
                is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
                this paragraph $7,000,000 for each of fiscal 
                years 2010 and 2011.
                  (J) Funding limitations.--
                          (i) Nonapplicability of certain 
                        limitations.--Funding under this 
                        paragraph shall be in addition to the 
                        dollar program limitations specified in 
                        paragraph (4).
                          (ii) Limitation on use of funds.--The 
                        Administration may carry out this 
                        paragraph only with amounts 
                        appropriated in advance specifically to 
                        carry out this paragraph.
  (b)(1) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (4) Limitation on distribution to small business development 
centers.--
          (A) In general.--Except as otherwise provided in this 
        paragraph, the Administration shall not distribute 
        funds to a Small Business Development Center if the 
        State in which the Small Business Development Center is 
        located is served by more than one Small Business 
        Development Center.
          (B) Unavailability exception.--The Administration may 
        distribute funds to a maximum of 2 Small Business 
        Development Centers in any State if no applicant has 
        applied to serve the entire State.
          (C) Grandfather clause.--The limitations in this 
        paragraph shall not apply to any State in which more 
        than one Small Business Development Center received 
        funding prior to January 1, 2007.
          (D) Definition.--For the purposes of this paragraph, 
        the term ``Small Business Development Center'' means 
        the entity selected by the Administration to receive 
        funds pursuant to the funding formula set forth in 
        subsection (a)(4), without regard to the number of 
        sites for service delivery such entity establishes or 
        funds.
  (c)(1) * * *
  (2) A small business development center shall provide 
services as close as possible to small businesses by providing 
extension services and utilizing satellite locations when 
necessary. The facilities and staff of each Small Business 
Development Center shall be located in such places as to 
provide maximum accessibility and benefits to the small 
businesses which the center is intended to serve. To the extent 
possible, it also shall make full use of other Federal and 
State government programs that are concerned with aiding small 
business. A small business development center shall have--
          (A) a full-time staff, the hiring of which shall be 
        at the sole discretion of the center without the need 
        for input or approval from any officer or employee of 
        the Administration, including a full-time director who 
        shall have the authority to make expenditures under the 
        center's budget and who shall manage the program 
        activities;

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (o) Access to Credit and Capital Program.--
          (1) In general.--The Administration shall establish a 
        grant program for small business development centers in 
        accordance with this subsection. To be eligible for the 
        program, a small business development center must be in 
        good standing and comply with the other requirements of 
        this section. Funds made available through the program 
        shall be used to--
                  (A) develop specialized programs to assist 
                local small business concerns in securing 
                capital and repairing damaged credit;
                  (B) provide informational seminars on 
                securing credit and loans;
                  (C) provide one-on-one counseling with 
                potential borrowers to improve financial 
                presentations to lenders; and
                  (D) facilitate borrowers' access to non-
                traditional financing sources, as well as 
                traditional lending sources.
          (2) Award size limit.--The Administration may not 
        award an entity more than $300,000 in grant funds under 
        this subsection.
          (3) Authority.--Subject to amounts approved in 
        advance in appropriations Acts and separate from 
        amounts approved to carry out the program established 
        in subsection (a)(1), the Administration may make 
        grants or enter into cooperative agreements to carry 
        out this subsection.
          (4) Authorization.--There is authorized to be 
        appropriated not more than $2,500,000 for the purposes 
        of carrying out this subsection for each of the fiscal 
        years 2010 and 2011.
  (p) Procurement Training and Assistance.--
          (1) In general.--The Administration shall establish a 
        grant program for small business development centers in 
        accordance with this subsection. To be eligible for the 
        program, a small business development center must be in 
        good standing and comply with the other requirements of 
        this section. Funds made available through the program 
        shall be used to--
                  (A) work with local agencies to identify 
                contracts that are suitable for local small 
                business concerns;
                  (B) prepare small businesses to be ready as 
                subcontractors and prime contractors for 
                contracts made available under the American 
                Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public 
                Law 111-5) through training and business 
                advisement, particularly in the construction 
                trades; and
                  (C) provide technical assistance regarding 
                the Federal procurement process, including 
                assisting small business concerns to comply 
                with federal regulations and bonding 
                requirements.
          (2) Award size limit.--The Administration may not 
        award an entity more than $300,000 in grant funds under 
        this subsection.
          (3) Authority.--Subject to amounts approved in 
        advance in appropriations Acts and separate from 
        amounts approved to carry out the program established 
        in subsection (a)(1), the Administration may make 
        grants or enter into cooperative agreements to carry 
        out this subsection.
          (4) Authorization of appropriations.--There is 
        authorized to be appropriated not more than $2,500,000 
        for the purposes of carrying out this subsection for 
        each of the fiscal years 2010 and 2011.
  (q) Green Entrepreneurs Training Program.--
          (1) In general.--The Administration shall establish a 
        grant program for small business development centers in 
        accordance with this subsection. To be eligible for the 
        program, a small business development center must be in 
        good standing and comply with the other requirements of 
        this section. Funds made available through the program 
        shall be used to--
                  (A) provide education classes and one-on-one 
                instruction in starting a business in the 
                fields of energy efficiency, green technology, 
                or clean technology;
                  (B) coordinate such classes and instruction, 
                to the extent practicable, with local community 
                colleges and local professional trade 
                associations; and
                  (C) assist and provide technical counseling 
                to individuals seeking to start a business in 
                the fields of energy efficiency, green 
                technology, or clean technology.
          (2) Award size limit.--The Administration may not 
        award an entity more than $300,000 in grant funds under 
        this subsection.
          (3) Authority.--Subject to amounts approved in 
        advance in appropriations Acts and separate from 
        amounts approved to carry out the program established 
        in subsection (a)(1), the Administration may make 
        grants or enter into cooperative agreements to carry 
        out this subsection.
          (4) Authorization of appropriations.--There is 
        authorized to be appropriated not more than $2,500,000 
        for the purposes of carrying out this subsection for 
        each of the fiscal years 2010 and 2011.
  (r) Main Street Stabilization.--
          (1) In general.--The Administration shall establish a 
        grant program for small business development centers in 
        accordance with this subsection. To be eligible for the 
        program, a small business development center must be in 
        good standing and comply with the other requirements of 
        this section. Funds made available through the program 
        shall be used to--
                  (A) establish a statewide small business 
                helpline within every State and United States 
                territory to provide immediate expert 
                information and assistance to small business 
                concerns;
                  (B) develop a portfolio of online survival 
                and growth tools and resources that struggling 
                small business concerns can utilize through the 
                Internet;
                  (C) develop business advisory capacity to 
                provide expert consulting and education to 
                assist small businesses at-risk of failure and 
                to, in areas of high demand, shorten the 
                response time of small business development 
                centers, and, in rural areas, support added 
                outreach in remote communities;
                  (D) deploy additional resources to help 
                specific industry sectors with a high presence 
                of small business concerns, which shall be 
                targeted toward clusters of small businesses 
                with similar needs and build upon best 
                practices from earlier assistance;
                  (E) develop a formal listing of financing 
                options for small business capital access; and
                  (F) deliver services that help dislocated 
                workers start new businesses.
          (2) Award size limit.--The Administration may not 
        award an entity more than $250,000 in grant funds under 
        this subsection.
          (3) Authority.--Subject to amounts approved in 
        advance in appropriations Acts and separate from 
        amounts approved to carry out the program established 
        in subsection (a)(1), the Administration may make 
        grants or enter into cooperative agreements to carry 
        out this subsection.
          (4) Authorization.--There is authorized to be 
        appropriated not more than $2,500,000 for the purposes 
        of carrying out this subsection for each of the fiscal 
        years 2010 and 2011.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


SEC. 29. WOMEN'S BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM.

  (a) * * *
  [(b) Authority.--The Administration may provide financial 
assistance to private nonprofit organizations to conduct 5-year 
projects for the benefit of small business concerns owned and 
controlled by women. The projects shall provide--
          [(1) financial assistance, including training and 
        counseling in how to apply for and secure business 
        credit and investment capital, preparing and presenting 
        financial statements, and managing cash flow and other 
        financial operations of a business concern;
          [(2) management assistance, including training and 
        counseling in how to plan, organize, staff, direct, and 
        control each major activity and function of a small 
        business concern; and
          [(3) marketing assistance, including training and 
        counseling in identifying and segmenting domestic and 
        international market opportunities, preparing and 
        executing marketing plans, developing pricing 
        strategies, locating contract opportunities, 
        negotiating contracts, and utilizing varying public 
        relations and advertising techniques.]
  (b) Authority.--
          (1) In general.--The Administrator may provide 
        financial assistance to private nonprofit organizations 
        to conduct projects for the benefit of small business 
        concerns owned and controlled by women. The projects 
        shall provide--
                  (A) financial assistance, including training 
                and counseling in how to apply for and secure 
                business credit and investment capital, 
                preparing and presenting financial statements, 
                and managing cash flow and other financial 
                operations of a business concern;
                  (B) management assistance, including training 
                and counseling in how to plan, organize, staff, 
                direct, and control each major activity and 
                function of a small business concern; and
                  (C) marketing assistance, including training 
                and counseling in identifying and segmenting 
                domestic and international market 
                opportunities, preparing and executing 
                marketing plans, developing pricing strategies, 
                locating contract opportunities, negotiating 
                contracts, and utilizing varying public 
                relations and advertising techniques.
          (2) Tiers.--The Administrator shall provide 
        assistance under paragraph (1) in 3 tiers of assistance 
        as follows:
                  (A) The first tier shall be to conduct a 5-
                year project in a situation where a project has 
                not previously been conducted. Such a project 
                shall be in a total amount of not more than 
                $150,000 per year.
                  (B) The second tier shall be to conduct a 3-
                year project in a situation where a first-tier 
                project is being completed. Such a project 
                shall be in a total amount of not more than 
                $100,000 per year.
                  (C) The third tier shall be to conduct a 3-
                year project in a situation where a second-tier 
                project is being completed. Such a project 
                shall be in a total amount of not more than 
                $100,000 per year. Third-tier grants shall be 
                renewable subject to established eligibility 
                criteria as well as criteria in subsection 
                (b)(4).
          (3) Allocation of funds.--Of the amounts made 
        available for assistance under this subsection, the 
        Administrator shall allocate--
                  (A) at least 40 percent for first-tier 
                projects under paragraph (2)(A);
                  (B) 20 percent for second-tier projects under 
                paragraph (2)(B); and
                  (C) the remainder for third-tier projects 
                under paragraph (2)(C).
          (4) Benchmarks for third-tier projects.--In awarding 
        third-tier projects under paragraph (2)(C), the 
        Administrator shall use benchmarks based on socio-
        economic factors in the community and on the 
        performance of the applicant. The benchmarks shall 
        include--
                  (A) the total number of women served by the 
                project;
                  (B) the proportion of low income women and 
                socio-economic distribution of clients served 
                by the project;
                  (C) the proportion of individuals in the 
                community that are socially or economically 
                disadvantaged (based on median income);
                  (D) the future fund-raising and service 
                coordination plans;
                  (E) the diversity of services provided; and
                  (F) geographic distribution within and across 
                the 10 regions of the Small Business 
                Administration.
  (c) Conditions of Participation.--
          (1) Non-federal contributions.--As a condition of 
        receiving financial assistance authorized by this 
        section, the recipient organization shall agree to 
        obtain, after its application has been approved and 
        notice of award has been issued, cash contributions 
        from non-Federal sources as follows:
                  [(A) in the first and second years, 1 non-
                Federal dollar for each 2 Federal dollars; and
                  [(B) in the third, fourth, and fifth years, 1 
                non-Federal dollar for each Federal dollar.]
                  (A) For the first and second years of the 
                project, 1 non-Federal dollar for each 2 
                Federal dollars.
                  (B) Each year after the second year of the 
                project--
                          (i) 1 non-Federal dollar for each 
                        Federal dollar; or
                          (ii) if the center is in a community 
                        at least 50 percent of the population 
                        of which is below the median income for 
                        the State or United States territory in 
                        which the center is located, 1 non-
                        Federal dollar for each 2 Federal 
                        dollars.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (h) Program Examination.--
          (1) In general.--The Administration shall--
                  (A) develop and implement an annual 
                programmatic and financial examination of each 
                women's business center established pursuant to 
                this section, pursuant to which each such 
                center shall provide to the Administration--
                          (i) * * *
                          (ii) documentation regarding the 
                        amount of matching assistance from non-
                        Federal sources obtained and expended 
                        by the center during the preceding year 
                        in order to meet the requirements of 
                        subsection (c) and, with respect to any 
                        in-kind contributions described in 
                        subsection (c)(2) that were used to 
                        satisfy the requirements of subsection 
                        (c), verification of the existence and 
                        valuation of those contributions; [and]
                  (B) establish performance measures, taking 
                into account the demographic differences of 
                populations served by women's business centers, 
                which measures shall include--
                          (i) outcome-based measures of the 
                        amount of job creation or economic 
                        activity generated in the local 
                        community as a result of efforts made 
                        and services provided by each women's 
                        business center, and
                          (ii) service-based measures of the 
                        amount of services provided to 
                        individuals and small business concerns 
                        served by each women's business center;
                  (C) require each women's business center to 
                submit an annual plan for the next year that 
                includes the center's funding sources and 
                amounts, strategies for increasing outreach to 
                women-owned businesses, strategies for 
                increasing job growth in the community, and 
                other content as determined by the 
                Administrator; and
                  [(B)] (D) analyze the results of each such 
                examination and, based on that analysis, make a 
                determination regarding the programmatic and 
                financial viability of each women's business 
                center.
        The Administrator's evaluation of each women's business 
        center as required by this subsection shall be in part 
        based on the performance measures under subparagraphs 
        (B) and (C). These measures and the Administrator's 
        evaluations thereof shall be made publicly available.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (o) Notification of Grants; Publication of Grant Amounts.--
The Administrator shall disburse funds to a women's business 
center not later than one month after the center's application 
is approved under this section. At the end of each fiscal year 
the Administrator (acting through the Office of Women's 
Business ownership) shall publish on the Administration's 
website a report setting forth the total amount of the grants 
made under this Act to each women's business center in the 
fiscal year for which the report is issued, the total amount of 
such grants made in each prior fiscal year to each such center, 
and the total amount of private matching funds provided by each 
such center over the lifetime of the center.
  (p) Communications.--The Administrator shall establish, by 
rule, a standardized process to communicate with women's 
business centers regarding program administration matters, 
including reimbursement, regulatory matters, and programmatic 
changes. The Administrator shall notify each women's business 
center of the opportunity for notice and comment on the 
proposed rule.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


SEC. 32. VETERANS PROGRAMS.

  (a) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (c) Interagency Task Force.--
          (1) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

          (4) Report.--The Administrator shall submit to 
        Congress biannually a report on the appointments made 
        to and activities of the task force.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to 
be appropriated to carry out this section (other than 
subsections (g), (h), and (i))--
          (1) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (g) Veterans Business Center Program.--
          (1) In general.--The Administrator shall establish a 
        Veterans Business Center program within the 
        Administration to provide entrepreneurial training and 
        counseling to veterans in accordance with this 
        subsection.
          (2) Director.--The Administrator shall appoint a 
        Director of the Veterans Business Center program, who 
        shall implement and oversee such program and who shall 
        report directly to the Associate Administrator for 
        Veterans Business Development.
          (3) Designation of veterans business centers.--The 
        Director shall establish by regulation an application, 
        review, and notification process to designate entities 
        as veterans business centers for purposes of this 
        section. The Director shall make publicly known the 
        designation of an entity as a veterans business center 
        and the award of a grant to such center under this 
        subsection.
          (4) Funding for veterans business centers.--
                  (A) Initial grants.--The Director is 
                authorized to make a grant (hereinafter in this 
                subsection referred to as an ``initial grant'') 
                to each veterans business center each year for 
                not more than 5 years in the amount of 
                $150,000.
                  (B) Growth funding grants.--After a veterans 
                business center has received 5 years of initial 
                grants under subparagraph (A), the Director is 
                authorized to make a grant (hereinafter in this 
                subsection referred to as a ``growth funding 
                grant'') to such center each year for not more 
                than 3 years in the amount of $100,000. After 
                such center has received 3 years of growth 
                funding grants, the Director shall require such 
                center to meet performance benchmarks 
                established by the Director to be eligible for 
                growth funding grants in subsequent years.
          (5) Center responsibilities.--Each veterans business 
        center receiving a grant under this subsection shall 
        use the funds primarily on veteran entrepreneurial 
        development, counseling of veteran-owned small 
        businesses through one-on-one instruction and classes, 
        and providing government procurement assistance to 
        veterans.
          (6) Matching funds.--Each veterans business center 
        receiving a grant under this subsection shall be 
        required to provide a non-Federal match of 50 percent 
        of the Federal funds such center receives under this 
        subsection. The Director may issue to a veterans 
        business center, upon request, a waiver from all or a 
        portion of such matching requirement upon a 
        determination of hardship.
          (7) Targeted areas.--The Director shall give priority 
        to applications for designations and grants under this 
        subsection that will establish a veterans business 
        center in a geographic area, as determined by the 
        Director, that is not currently served by a veterans 
        business center and in which--
                  (A) the population of veterans exceeds the 
                national median of such measure; or
                  (B) the population of veterans of Operation 
                Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom 
                exceeds the national median of such measure.
          (8) Training program.--The Director shall develop and 
        implement, directly or by contract, an annual training 
        program for the staff and personnel of designated 
        veterans business centers to provide education, 
        support, and information on best practices with respect 
        to the establishment and operation of such centers. The 
        Director shall develop such training program in 
        consultation with veterans business centers, the 
        interagency task force established under subsection 
        (c), and veterans service organizations.
          (9) Inclusion of other organizations in program.--
        Upon the date of the enactment of this subsection, each 
        Veterans Business Outreach Center established by the 
        Administrator under the authority of section 8(b)(17) 
        and each center that received funds during fiscal year 
        2006 from the National Veterans Business Development 
        Corporation established under section 33 and that 
        remains in operation shall be treated as designated as 
        a veterans business center for purposes of this 
        subsection and shall be eligible for grants under this 
        subsection.
          (10) Authorization of appropriations.--There is 
        authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
        subsection $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 and 
        $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2011.
  (h) Additional Grants Available to Veterans Business 
Centers.--
          (1) Access to capital grant program.--
                  (A) In general.--The Director of the Veterans 
                Business Center program shall establish a grant 
                program under which the Director is authorized 
                to make, to veterans business centers 
                designated under subsection (g), grants for the 
                following:
                          (i) Developing specialized programs 
                        to assist veteran-owned small 
                        businesses to secure capital and repair 
                        damaged credit.
                          (ii) Providing informational seminars 
                        on securing loans to veteran-owned 
                        small businesses.
                          (iii) Providing one-on-one counseling 
                        to veteran-owned small businesses to 
                        improve the financial presentations of 
                        such businesses to lenders.
                          (iv) Facilitating the access of 
                        veteran-owned small businesses to both 
                        traditional and non-traditional 
                        financing sources.
                  (B) Award size.--The Director may not award a 
                veterans business center more than $75,000 in 
                grants under this paragraph.
                  (C) Authorization of appropriations.--There 
                is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
                this paragraph $1,500,000 for each of fiscal 
                years 2010 and 2011.
          (2) Procurement assistance grant program.--
                  (A) In general.--The Director shall establish 
                a grant program under which the Director is 
                authorized to make, to veterans business 
                centers designated under subsection (g), grants 
                for the following:
                          (i) Assisting veteran-owned small 
                        businesses to identify contracts that 
                        are suitable to such businesses.
                          (ii) Preparing veteran-owned small 
                        businesses to be ready as 
                        subcontractors and prime contractors 
                        for contracts made available through 
                        the American Recovery and Reinvestment 
                        Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) through 
                        training and business advisement, 
                        particularly with respect to the 
                        construction trades.
                          (iii) Providing veteran-owned small 
                        businesses technical assistance with 
                        respect to the Federal procurement 
                        process, including assisting such 
                        businesses to comply with Federal 
                        regulations and bonding requirements.
                  (B) Award size.--The Director may not award a 
                veterans business center more than $75,000 in 
                grants under this paragraph.
                  (C) Authorization of appropriations.--There 
                is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
                this paragraph $1,500,000 for each of fiscal 
                years 2010 and 2011.
          (3) Service-disabled veteran-owned small business 
        grant program.--
                  (A) In general.--The Director shall establish 
                a grant program under which the Director is 
                authorized to make, to veterans business 
                centers designated under subsection (g), grants 
                for the following:
                          (i) Developing outreach programs for 
                        service-disabled veterans with respect 
                        to the benefits of self-employment.
                          (ii) Providing tailored training to 
                        service-disabled veterans with respect 
                        to business plan development, 
                        marketing, budgeting, accounting, and 
                        merchandising.
                          (iii) Assisting service-disabled 
                        veteran-owned small businesses to 
                        locate and secure business 
                        opportunities.
                  (B) Award size.--The Director may not award a 
                veterans business center more than $75,000 in 
                grants under this paragraph.
                  (C) Authorization of appropriations.--There 
                is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
                this paragraph $1,500,000 for each of fiscal 
                years 2010 and 2011.
  (i) Veterans Entrepreneurial Development Summit.--
          (1) In general.--The Director of the Veterans 
        Business Center program is authorized to carry out an 
        event, once every two years, for the purpose of 
        providing networking opportunities, outreach, 
        education, training, and support to veterans business 
        centers funded under this section, veteran-owned small 
        businesses, veterans service organizations, and other 
        entities as determined appropriate for inclusion by the 
        Director.
          (2) Authorization of appropriations.--There is 
        authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
        subsection $450,000 for fiscal years 2010 and 2011.
  (j) Inclusion of Surviving Spouses.--For purposes of 
subsections (g), (h), and (i) the following apply:
          (1) The term ``veteran'' includes a surviving spouse 
        of the following:
                  (A) A member of the Armed Forces, including a 
                reserve component thereof.
                  (B) A veteran.
          (2) The term ``veteran-owned small business'' 
        includes a small business owned by a surviving spouse 
        of the following:
                  (A) A member of the Armed Forces, including a 
                reserve component thereof.
                  (B) A veteran.
  (k) Inclusion of Reserve Components.--For purposes of 
subsections (g), (h), and (i) the following apply:
          (1) The term ``veteran'' includes a member of the 
        reserve components of the armed forces as specified in 
        section 10101 of title 10, United States Code.
          (2) The term ``veteran-owned small business'' 
        includes a small business owned by a member of the 
        reserve components of the armed forces as specified in 
        section 10101 of title 10, United States Code.

SEC. 33. NATIONAL VETERANS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.

  (a) * * *
  (b) Purposes of the Corporation.--The purposes of the 
Corporation shall be--
          (1) * * *
          (2) to assist veterans, including service-disabled 
        veterans, with the formation and expansion of small 
        business concerns by working with and organizing public 
        and private resources, including those of the Small 
        Business Administration, the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs, the Department of Labor, the Department of 
        Commerce, the Department of Defense, the [Service Corps 
        of Retired Executives] SCORE (described in section 
        8(b)(1)(B) of this Act), the Small Business Development 
        Centers (described in section 21 of this Act), and the 
        business development staffs of each department and 
        agency of the United States.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


SEC. 44. EDUCATING AND NETWORKING ENTREPRENEURS THROUGH TECHNOLOGY.

  (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to provide high-
quality distance learning and opportunities for the exchange of 
peer-to-peer technical assistance through online networking to 
potential and existing entrepreneurs through the use of 
technology.
  (b) Definition.--As used in this section, the term 
``qualified third-party vendor'' means an entity with 
experience in distance learning content or communications 
technology, or both, with the ability to utilize on-line, 
satellite, video-on-demand, and connected community-based 
organizations to distribute and conduct distance learning and 
establish an online network for use by potential and existing 
entrepreneurs to facilitate the exchange of peer-to-peer 
technical assistance related to entrepreneurship, credit 
management, financial literacy, and Federal small business 
development programs.
  (c) Authority.--The Administrator shall contract with 
qualified third-party vendors for entrepreneurial training 
content, the development of communications technology that can 
distribute content under this section throughout the United 
States, and the establishment of a nationwide, online network 
for the exchange of peer-to-peer technical assistance. The 
Administrator shall contract with at least 2 qualified third-
party vendors to develop content.
  (d) Content.--The Administrator shall ensure that the content 
referred to in subsection (c) is timely and relevant to 
entrepreneurial development and can be successfully 
communicated remotely to an audience through the use of 
technology. The Administrator shall, to the maximum extent 
practicable, promote content that makes use of technologies 
that allow for remote interaction by the content provider with 
an audience. The Administrator shall ensure that the content is 
catalogued and accessible to small businesses on-line or 
through other remote technologies.
  (e) Communications Technology.--The Administrator shall 
ensure that the communications technology referred to in 
subsection (c) is able to distribute content throughout all 50 
States and the territories of the United States to small 
business concerns, home-based businesses, Small Business 
Development Centers, Women's Business Centers, Veterans 
Business Centers, and the Small Business Administration and 
network entrepreneurs throughout all 50 States and the 
territories of the United States to allow for peer-to-peer 
learning through the creation of a location online that allows 
entrepreneurs and small business owners the opportunity to 
exchange technical assistance through the sharing of 
information. To the extent possible, the qualified third-party 
vendor should deliver the content and facilitate the networking 
using broadband technology.
  (f) Reports to Congress.--The Administrator shall submit a 
report to Congress 6 months after the date of the enactment of 
this section containing an analysis of the Small Business 
Administration's progress in implementing this section. The 
Administrator shall submit a report to Congress one year after 
the date of the enactment of this section and annually 
thereafter containing the number of presentations made under 
this section, the number of small businesses served under this 
section, the extent to which this section resulted in the 
establishment of new businesses, and feedback on the usefulness 
of this medium in presenting entrepreneurial education and 
facilitating the exchange of peer-to-peer technical assistance 
throughout the United States.
  (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to 
be appropriated to carry out this section $2,000,000 for each 
of the fiscal years 2010 and 2011.

SEC. 45. OFFICE OF NATIVE AMERICAN AFFAIRS AND TRIBAL BUSINESS 
                    INFORMATION CENTERS PROGRAM.

  (a) Office of Native American Affairs.--
          (1) Establishment.--There is established in the 
        Administration an Office of Native American Affairs 
        (hereinafter referred to in this subsection as the 
        ``Office'').
          (2) Associate administrator.--The Office shall be 
        administered by an Associate Administrator appointed 
        under section 4(b)(1).
          (3) Responsibilities.--The Office shall have the 
        following responsibilities:
                  (A) Developing and implementing tools and 
                strategies to increase Native American 
                entrepreneurship.
                  (B) Expanding the access of Native American 
                entrepreneurs to business training, capital, 
                and Federal small business contracts.
                  (C) Expanding outreach to Native American 
                communities and aggressively marketing 
                entrepreneurial development services to such 
                communities.
                  (D) Representing the Administration with 
                respect to Native American economic development 
                matters.
          (4) Coordination and oversight function.--The Office 
        shall provide oversight with respect to and assist the 
        implementation of all Administration initiatives 
        relating to Native American entrepreneurial 
        development.
          (5) Authorization of appropriations.--To carry out 
        this subsection, there is authorized to be appropriated 
        to the Administrator $2,000,000 for each of fiscal 
        years 2010 and 2011.
  (b) Tribal Business Information Centers Program.--
          (1) Establishment.--The Administrator is authorized 
        to operate, alone or in coordination with other Federal 
        departments and agencies, a Tribal Business Information 
        Centers program that provides Native American 
        populations with business training and entrepreneurial 
        development assistance.
          (2) Designation of centers.--The Administrator shall 
        designate entities as centers under the Tribal Business 
        Information Centers program.
          (3) Administration support.--The Administrator may 
        contribute agency personnel and resources to the 
        centers designated under paragraph (2) to carry out 
        this subsection.
          (4) Grant program.--The Administrator is authorized 
        to make grants of not more than $300,000 to centers 
        designated under paragraph (2) for the purpose of 
        providing Native Americans the following:
                  (A) Business workshops.
                  (B) Individualized business counseling.
                  (C) Entrepreneurial development training.
                  (D) Access to computer technology and other 
                resources to start or expand a business.
          (5) Regulations.--The Administrator shall by 
        regulation establish a process for designating centers 
        under paragraph (2) and making the grants authorized 
        under paragraph (4).
          (6) Definition of administrator.--In this subsection, 
        the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator, 
        acting through the Associate Administrator 
        administering the Office of Native American Affairs.
          (7) Authorization of appropriations.--To carry out 
        this subsection, there is authorized to be appropriated 
        to the Administrator $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 
        and $17,000,000 for fiscal year 2011.
  (c) Definition of Native American.--The term ``Native 
American'' means an Indian tribe member, Alaska Native, or 
Native Hawaiian as such are defined in section 21(a)(8) of this 
Act.
  Sec. [44.] 46. All laws and parts of laws inconsistent with 
this Act are hereby repealed to the extent of such 
inconsistency.
                              ----------                              


WOMEN'S BUSINESS OWNERSHIP ACT OF 1988

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


TITLE IV--DEVELOPMENT OF WOMEN'S BUSINESS ENTERPRISE

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


SEC. 409. STUDIES AND OTHER RESEARCH.

  (a) In General.--The Council may conduct such studies and 
other research relating to the award of Federal prime contracts 
and subcontracts to women-owned businesses, to access to credit 
and investment capital by women entrepreneurs, or to other 
issues relating to women-owned businesses, as the Council 
determines to be appropriate. Such studies shall include a 
study on the impact of the 2008-2009 financial markets crisis 
on women-owned businesses, and a study of the use of the Small 
Business Administration's programs by women-owned businesses.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


SEC. 410. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

  (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out this title $1,000,000, for each of fiscal years [2001 
through 2003] 2010 and 2011, of which $550,000 shall be 
available in each such fiscal year to carry out section 409.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


                                  
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