# 119-hr-10785: SCORE for Small Business Act of 2026

119-hr-10785, SCORE for Small Business Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Mejia, Analilia [D-NJ-11] (D-NJ); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10785
- As of: 2026-10-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-10785
- Congress: 119
- Title: SCORE for Small Business Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-10-09
- Sponsor: Rep. Mejia, Analilia [D-NJ-11] (D-NJ)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Commerce
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-17

## Summary

**Formalizing SCORE as the SBA's volunteer small-business counseling partner.** This bill would reauthorize and redefine SCORE and require a cooperative agreement with the Small Business Administration that sets federal oversight, financial controls, privacy protections, reporting rules, and funding at $17 million for each of fiscal years 2027 and 2028. - Small business owners and entrepreneurs: Would continue to get free or low-cost counseling, mentoring, coaching, and workshops, and would see expanded online services like webinars and electronic mentoring. - SCORE volunteers and chapters: Would face stricter accounting and volunteer-management rules, must appoint a compliance officer, and would be limited on employee pay to the Senior Executive Service top rate with performance awards capped at 5% of aggregate salaries. - The Small Business Administration and federal oversight: Would enter a cooperative agreement defining payments and duties, conduct biennial financial examinations, reconcile quarterly reports within 30 days, and use client data for audits and surveys under tightened privacy standards. *Would authorize $17 million in each of fiscal years 2027 and 2028, increasing federal outlays by that amount in those years.*

## Provisions PRIA read

- Stronger privacy rules for SCORE clients: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would bar SCORE and the SBA from disclosing a client’s name, address, email, or phone without the client’s consent. Exceptions would allow disclosure if a court orders it in a government civil or criminal enforcement action, or when information is necessary for a financial audi…
- More free and online SCORE help: benefit, low. If enacted, SCORE volunteers would offer free one-on-one counseling, mentoring, and coaching to people who own or hope to start a small business. Workshops would be free or low-cost and chapters would plan services for all communities and business stages. The bill would also require SCORE to mainta…
- Federal funding and oversight for SCORE: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would authorize $17,000,000 for SCORE for each of fiscal years 2027 and 2028. The SBA would have to enter a cooperative agreement with SCORE that sets payment methods and oversight. After funds are available, the SBA would have 30 days to issue an award notice and start disburs…
- Cap on SCORE employee pay: cost, low. If enacted, the bill would limit each SCORE employee’s salary to no more than the equivalent of the maximum pay rate for a career Senior Executive Service employee at the SBA. The bill does not state the cap in dollars. This would restrict compensation that SCORE may pay its staff.

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-5658: Child Care for Every Community Act
- 119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-hres-1058: Recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implement a Transgender Bill of Rights to protect and codify the rights of transgender…

## Sources
- [119-hr-10785 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/10785)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-5658: Child Care for Every Community Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5658)
- [119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3069)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [119-hres-1058: Recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implem…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hres-1058)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10785 (as of 2026-10-17).