115th CONGRESS 1st Session |
To amend the Small Business Act to reauthorize and improve the Small Business Innovation Research Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer Program, and for other purposes.
June 6, 2017
Mr. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico (for himself, Mr. Schneider, and Mr. Lipinski) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Small Business, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
To amend the Small Business Act to reauthorize and improve the Small Business Innovation Research Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer Program, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
This Act may be cited as the “Support Startup Businesses Act of 2017”.
SEC. 2. Improvements to technical and business assistance.
Section 9(q) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638(q)) is amended—
(1) in the subsection heading, by inserting “and business” after “technical”;
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A)—
(i) by striking “a vendor selected under paragraph (2)” and inserting “1 or more vendors selected under paragraph (2)(A)”;
(ii) by inserting “and business” before “assistance services”; and
(iii) by inserting “assistance with product sales, intellectual property protections, market research, market validation, and development of regulatory plans and manufacturing plans,” after “technologies,”; and
(B) in subparagraph (D), by inserting “, including intellectual property protections” before the period at the end;
(A) by striking “Each agency may select a vendor to assist small business concerns to meet” and inserting the following:
“(A) IN GENERAL.—Each agency may select 1 or more vendors from which small business concerns may obtain assistance in meeting”; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
“(B) SELECTION BY SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN.—A small business concern may, by contract or otherwise, select 1 or more vendors to assist the small business concern in meeting the goals listed in paragraph (1).”; and
(A) by inserting “(A)” after “paragraph (2)” each place it appears;
(B) in subparagraph (A), by striking “$5,000 per year” each place it appears and inserting “$6,500 per project”;
(i) by striking “$5,000 per year” each place it appears and inserting “$35,000 per project”; and
(ii) in clause (ii), by striking “which shall be in addition to the amount of the recipient's award” and inserting “which may, as determined appropriate by the head of the agency, be included as part of the recipient's award or be in addition to the amount of the recipient's award”;
(i) by inserting “or business” after “technical”;
(ii) by striking “the vendor” and inserting “a vendor”; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following: “Business-related services aimed at improving the commercialization success of a small business concern may be obtained from an entity, such as a public or private organization or an agency of or other entity established or funded by a State that facilitates or accelerates the commercialization of technologies or assists in the creation and growth of private enterprises that are commercializing technology.”;
(i) by inserting “or business” after “technical” each place it appears; and
(ii) in clause (i), by striking “the vendor” and inserting “1 or more vendors”; and
(F) by adding at the end the following:
“(E) MULTIPLE AWARD RECIPIENTS.—The Administrator shall establish a limit on the amount of technical and business assistance services that may be received or purchased under subparagraph (B) by a small business concern that has received multiple Phase II SBIR or STTR awards for a fiscal year.”.