Washington, D.C.— Today, the House passed five bipartisan committee bills to improve key Small Business Administration (SBA) entrepreneurial development programs, consolidate information for small business owners online, and increase representation for small firms in trade negotiations and other international economic matters.
“As small businesses continue to work toward recovery, it’s vital that Congress takes action to address the issues they face daily,” said Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY). “These bipartisan bills will tackle key small business challenges by improving training and counseling for entrepreneurs, making information important to small business owners more accessible online, and ensuring that the interests of small firms are represented on the international stage.”
H.R. 6445, “Small Business Development Centers Improvement Act of 2022”
Introduced by Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) and Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R-MN)
SBDCs deliver professional business advice and training focused on strategic planning, business development, financial planning, and cash flow management to hundreds of thousands of business clients annually. In 2020, SBDCs provided training and counseling to almost 511,000 entrepreneurs and small business owners. The legislation would authorize funding for the SBDC program for four years and includes other provisions to strengthen the program.
H.R. 6441, “Women’s Business Centers Improvement Act of 2022”
Introduced by Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS) and Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY)
Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) were created to assist small businesses primarily owned by women, many of whom are socially and economically disadvantaged. In 2020, the WBC program increased their reach by 22 percent and advised and trained more than 82,000 entrepreneurs, and helped start and sustain over 30,000 small businesses. The Women’s Business Centers Improvement Act would reauthorize and strengthen the WBC program to ensure that women entrepreneurs across the country have access to vital counseling and technical training services to take them from startup to success.
H.R. 6450, “SCORE for Small Business Act of 2022”
Introduced by Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) and Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN)
SCORE is the nation’s largest network of volunteer expert business mentors and is dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow, and achieve their goals. The bill would reauthorize the SCORE program for FY2022-FY2023 and make programmatic improvements to ensure greater oversight of the program.
H.R. 4877, “One Stop Shop for Small Business Compliance Act of 2021”
Introduced by Rep. Antonio Delgado (D-NY) and Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX)
The bill would require the Ombudsman to maintain a website with hyperlinks to the small business compliance guides of each federal agency, as well as the relevant points of contact for the guides. In addition, the bill would require the Ombudsman to include an assessment of federal agency compliance with Section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Act of 1996 in their annual report.
H.R. 6454, “Small Business Advocacy Improvements Act of 2022”
Introduced by Ranking Member Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) and Rep. Troy Carter (D-LA)
Established in 1976, the Office of Advocacy (Advocacy) of SBA is the independent voice for small businesses within the federal government. Advocacy’s creation was premised on the belief that small businesses need representation in the legislative, regulatory, and administrative processes of government that affect them. The bill makes clear that Advocacy has the authority to examine international economic data, and represent small business interests in international discussions, particularly in trade negotiations.
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