15 U.S.C. § 9002: Entrepreneurial development

Summary

The Administration may give money to small business help centers to teach and advise small businesses hurt by COVID‑19. A "covered small business" is one that had supply chain problems, staffing troubles, fewer sales or customers, or a closure because of COVID‑19. "Resource partners" are small business development centers and women’s business centers. Grants must pay for training about using federal help and loans, preventing disease spread, fixing supply‑chain problems, running telework and remote customer service, guarding against cyber risks, handling less travel, and other business practices to reduce COVID‑19 damage. Most of the grant money—80%—must go to small business development centers, using a formula set with their national association. Twenty percent goes to women’s business centers by a process the Administration makes with input from recipients. Grantees do not have to provide matching funds. The Administration and the resource partners must agree on goals and measurements, consider local COVID conditions (especially rural or distressed areas), and publish how they set those goals. The Administration may also fund associations to build one online hub of federal COVID resources and train counselors (including the Service Corps of Retired Executives and veterans’ counselors). The Administration must report to Congress starting 6 months after March 27, 2020 and every year after, describing programs, services, challenges, numbers of businesses and employees helped, effects on sales and supply chains, and how many counselors were trained.

Title 15, §9002

Commerce and Trade, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Definitions

In this section

(1)

(2)the term “resource partner” means—

(A)a small business development center; and

(B)a women’s business center;

(3)the term “small business development center” has the meaning given the term in section 632 of this title; and

(4)the term “women’s business center” means a women’s business center described in section 656 of this title.

(b)Education, training, and advising grants

(1)In general

The Administration may provide financial assistance in the form of grants to resource partners to provide education, training, and advising to covered small business concerns.

(2)Use of funds

Grants under this subsection shall be used for the education, training, and advising of covered small business concerns and their employees on—

(A)accessing and applying for resources provided by the Administration and other Federal resources relating to access to capital and business resiliency;

(B)the hazards and prevention of the transmission and communication of COVID–19 and other communicable diseases;

(C)the potential effects of COVID–19 on the supply chains, distribution, and sale of products of covered small business concerns and the mitigation of those effects;

(D)the management and practice of telework to reduce possible transmission of COVID–19;

(E)the management and practice of remote customer service by electronic or other means;

(F)the risks of and mitigation of cyber threats in remote customer service or telework practices;

(G)the mitigation of the effects of reduced travel or outside activities on covered small business concerns during COVID–19 or similar occurrences; and

(H)any other relevant business practices necessary to mitigate the economic effects of COVID–19 or similar occurrences.

(3)Grant determination

(A)Small business development centers

(i)In general

The Administration shall award 80 percent of funds authorized to carry out this subsection to small business development centers, which shall be awarded pursuant to a formula jointly developed, negotiated, and agreed upon, with full participation of both parties, between the association formed under section 648(a)(3)(A) of this title and the Administration.

(ii)Clarification of use

Awards made under clause (i) shall be in addition to, and separate from, any amounts appropriated to make grants under section 648(a) of this title and such an award may be used to complement and support such a grant, except that priority with respect to the receipt of that assistance shall be given to small business development centers that have been affected by issues described in paragraph (2).

(B)Women’s business centers

The Administration shall award 20 percent of funds authorized to carry out this subsection to women’s business centers, which shall be awarded pursuant to a process established by the Administration in consultation with recipients of assistance.

(C)No matching funds required

Matching funds shall not be required for any grant under this subsection.

(4)Goals and metrics

(A)In general

Goals and metrics for the funds made available under this subsection shall be jointly developed, negotiated, and agreed upon, with full participation of both parties, between the resource partners and the Administrator, which shall—

(i)take into consideration the extent of the circumstances relating to the spread of COVID–19, or similar occurrences, that affect covered small business concerns located in the areas covered by the resource partner, particularly in rural areas or economically distressed areas;

(ii)generally follow the use of funds outlined in paragraph (2), but shall not restrict the activities of resource partners in responding to unique situations; and

(iii)encourage resource partners to develop and provide services to covered small business concerns.

(B)Public availability

The Administrator shall make publicly available the methodology by which the Administrator and resource partners jointly develop the metrics and goals described in subparagraph (A).

(c)Resource partner association grants

(1)In general

The Administrator may provide grants to an association or associations representing resource partners under which the association or associations shall establish a single centralized hub for COVID–19 information, which shall include—

(A)1 online platform that consolidates resources and information available across multiple Federal agencies for small business concerns related to COVID–19; and

(B)a training program to educate resource partner counselors, members of the Service Corps of Retired Executives established under section 637(b)(1)(B) of this title, and counselors at veterans business outreach centers described in section 657b of this title on the resources and information described in subparagraph (A).

(2)Goals and metrics

Goals and metrics for the funds made available under this subsection shall be jointly developed, negotiated, and agreed upon, with full participation of both parties, between the association or associations receiving a grant under this subsection and the Administrator.

(d)Report

Not later than 6 months after March 27, 2020, and annually thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives a report that describes—

(1)with respect to the initial year covered by the report—

(A)the programs and services developed and provided by the Administration and resource partners under subsection (b);

(B)the initial efforts to provide those services under subsection (b); and

(C)the online platform and training developed and provided by the Administration and the association or associations under subsection (c); and

(2)with respect to the subsequent years covered by the report—

(A)with respect to the grant program under subsection (b)—

(i)the efforts of the Administrator and resource partners to develop services to assist covered small business concerns;

(ii)the challenges faced by owners of covered small business concerns in accessing services provided by the Administration and resource partners;

(iii)the number of unique covered small business concerns that were served by the Administration and resource partners; and

(iv)other relevant outcome performance data with respect to covered small business concerns, including the number of employees affected, the effect on sales, the disruptions of supply chains, and the efforts made by the Administration and resource partners to mitigate these effects; and

(B)with respect to the grant program under subsection (c)—

(i)the efforts of the Administrator and the association or associations to develop and evolve an online resource for small business concerns; and

(ii)the efforts of the Administrator and the association or associations to develop a training program for resource partner counselors, including the number of counselors trained.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2020—Subsec. (b)(3)(A). Pub. L. 116–260 designated existing provisions as cl. (i), inserted heading, and added cl. (ii).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2020 Amendment Pub. L. 116–260, div. N, title III, § 346(b), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2052, provided that: “The

Amendments

made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall be effective as if included in the CARES Act (Public Law 116–136; 134 Stat. 281).”

§9002 Entrepreneurial Development

Summary

Title 15, §9002

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Amendments

Citations & Metadata