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Home Source documents H.R. 8844, STEP Improvement Act of 2022, as Reported October 14, 2022 — House Committee on Small Business

H.R. 8844, STEP Improvement Act of 2022, as Reported October 14, 2022 — House Committee on Small Business

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Congressional materials
Document type
H.R. 8844, STEP Improvement Act of 2022, as Reported October 14, 2022 — House Committee on Small Business
Date
2022-12-08
Case
H.R. 8844, STEP Improvement Act of 2022, as Reported October 14, 2022 — House Committee on Small Business

Summary

H. R. 8844, the STEP Improvement Act of 2022, as reported in the House of Representatives of the 117th Congress, Union Calendar No. 390, Report No. 117–542. Mr. Evans introduced the bill on September 15, 2022, and it was reported from the Committee on Small Business on October 14, 2022. The bill amends section 22(l) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 649(l)) to reauthorize the State Trade Expansion Program, adding grant application timing deadlines, budget plan revision rules, an annual survey of grantee States and new performance metrics for the annual report. It changes the authorization of appropriations to fiscal years 2023 through 2026. It also requires the Associate Administrator for International Trade to report to Congress within 1 year of enactment on the program's review, application and communication processes.

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Full text

                                                                                                                                                                          IB




                                                                                                                        Union Calendar No. 390
                                                                       117TH CONGRESS
                                                                          2D SESSION
                                                                                                             H. R. 8844
                                                                                                              [Report No. 117–542]

                                                                          To reauthorize the State Trade Expansion Program of the Small Business
                                                                                           Administration, and for other purposes.




                                                                                     IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
                                                                                                 SEPTEMBER 15, 2022
                                                                       Mr. EVANS (for himself, Mrs. KIM of California, Ms. NEWMAN, and Mr.
                                                                           FLOOD) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
                                                                           mittee on Small Business

                                                                                                  OCTOBER 14, 2022
                                                                       Reported from the Committee on Small Business; committed to the Committee
                                                                         of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed




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                                                                                                                 A BILL
                                                                          To reauthorize the State Trade Expansion Program of the
                                                                           Small Business Administration, and for other purposes.




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                                                                                                                                  3
                                                                         1               Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
                                                                         2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
                                                                         3     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

                                                                         4               This Act may be cited as the ‘‘STEP Improvement
                                                                         5 Act of 2022’’.
                                                                         6     SEC. 2. STATE TRADE EXPANSION PROGRAM.

                                                                         7               (a) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—Section 22(l)(3)
                                                                         8 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 649(l)(3)) is amend-
                                                                         9 ed—
                                                                       10                         (1) in subparagraph (D)—
                                                                       11                                  (A) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘, including
                                                                       12                         a budget plan for use of funds awarded under
                                                                       13                         this subsection’’ before the period at the end;
                                                                       14                         and
                                                                       15                                  (B) by adding at the end the following new
                                                                       16                         clause:
                                                                       17                                          ‘‘(iii) TIMING.—The Associate Admin-
                                                                       18                                  istrator shall—
                                                                       19                                                   ‘‘(I) publish information on how
                                                                       20                                          to apply for a grant under this sub-
                                                                       21                                          section, including specific calculations
                                                                       22                                          and other determinations used to
                                                                       23                                          award such a grant, not later than
                                                                       24                                          March 31 of each year;



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                                                                         1                                                  ‘‘(II) establish a deadline for the
                                                                         2                                         submission of applications that is not
                                                                         3                                         earlier than 60 days after the date on
                                                                         4                                         which the information is published
                                                                         5                                         under subclause (I) and that is not
                                                                         6                                         later than May 31; and
                                                                         7                                                  ‘‘(III) announce grant recipients
                                                                         8                                         not later than August 31 of each
                                                                         9                                         year.’’; and
                                                                       10                         (2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
                                                                       11                paragraphs:
                                                                       12                                  ‘‘(E) APPLICATION                        INFORMATION.—The

                                                                       13                         Associate Administrator shall clearly commu-
                                                                       14                         nicate to applicants and grant recipients any in-
                                                                       15                         formation about State Trade Expansion Pro-
                                                                       16                         gram, including—
                                                                       17                                          ‘‘(i) for each unsuccessful applicant
                                                                       18                                  for a grant awarded under this subsection,
                                                                       19                                  recommendations to improve a subsequent
                                                                       20                                  application for such a grant; and
                                                                       21                                          ‘‘(ii) for each successful applicant for
                                                                       22                                  such a grant, an explanation for the
                                                                       23                                  amount awarded, if different from the
                                                                       24                                  amount requested in the application.



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                                                                       25                                  ‘‘(F) BUDGET PLAN REVISIONS.—


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                                                                         1                                         ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A State receiving
                                                                         2                                 a grant under this subsection may revise
                                                                         3                                 the budget plan of the State submitted
                                                                         4                                 under subparagraph (D) after the dis-
                                                                         5                                 bursal of grant funds if—
                                                                         6                                                  ‘‘(I) the revision complies with al-
                                                                         7                                         lowable uses of grant funds under this
                                                                         8                                         subsection; and
                                                                         9                                                  ‘‘(II) such State submits notifica-
                                                                       10                                          tion of the revision to the Associate
                                                                       11                                          Administrator.
                                                                       12                                          ‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—If a revision under
                                                                       13                                  clause (i) reallocates 10 percent or more of
                                                                       14                                  the amounts described in the budget plan
                                                                       15                                  of the State submitted under subparagraph
                                                                       16                                  (D), the State may not implement the re-
                                                                       17                                  vised budget plan without the approval of
                                                                       18                                  the Associate Administrator, unless the As-
                                                                       19                                  sociate Administrator fails to approve or
                                                                       20                                  deny the revised plan within 20 days after
                                                                       21                                  receipt of such revised plan.’’.
                                                                       22                (b) SURVEY.—Section 22(l) of the Small Business
                                                                       23 Act (15 U.S.C. 649(l)) is amended—




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                                                                         1                        (1) by redesignating paragraphs (7) through
                                                                         2               (9) as paragraphs (8) through (10), respectively;
                                                                         3               and
                                                                         4                        (2) by inserting after paragraph (6) the fol-
                                                                         5               lowing new paragraph:
                                                                         6                        ‘‘(7) SURVEY.—The Associate Administrator
                                                                         7               shall conduct an annual survey of each State that
                                                                         8               received a grant under this subsection during the
                                                                         9               preceding year to solicit feedback on the program
                                                                       10                and develop best practices for grantees.’’.
                                                                       11                (c) ANNUAL REPORT.—Section 22(l)(8)(B) of the
                                                                       12 Small Business Act, as redesignated by subsection (b), is
                                                                       13 amended—
                                                                       14                         (1) in clause (i)—
                                                                       15                                  (A) in subclause (III), by inserting ‘‘, in-
                                                                       16                         cluding the total number of eligible small busi-
                                                                       17                         ness        concerns                assisted        by          the     program
                                                                       18                         (disaggregated by socially and economically dis-
                                                                       19                         advantaged small business concerns, small busi-
                                                                       20                         ness concerns owned and controlled by women,
                                                                       21                         and rural small business concerns)’’ before the
                                                                       22                         semicolon at the end;
                                                                       23                                  (B) in subclause (IV), by striking ‘‘and’’ at
                                                                       24                         the end;



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                                                                       25                                  (C) in subclause (V)—


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                                                                         1                                         (i) by striking ‘‘description of best
                                                                         2                                 practices’’ and inserting ‘‘detailed descrip-
                                                                         3                                 tion of best practices’’; and
                                                                         4                                         (ii) by striking the period at the end
                                                                         5                                 and inserting a semicolon; and
                                                                         6                                 (D) by adding at the end the following new
                                                                         7                        subclauses:
                                                                         8                                                  ‘‘(VI) an analysis of the perform-
                                                                         9                                         ance metrics described in clause (iii),
                                                                       10                                          including a determination of whether
                                                                       11                                          or not any goals relating to such per-
                                                                       12                                          formance metrics were met, and an
                                                                       13                                          analysis of the survey described in
                                                                       14                                          paragraph (7); and
                                                                       15                                                   ‘‘(VII) a description of lessons
                                                                       16                                          learned by grant recipients under this
                                                                       17                                          subsection that may apply to other as-
                                                                       18                                          sistance provided by the Administra-
                                                                       19                                          tion.’’; and
                                                                       20                         (2) by adding at the end the following new
                                                                       21                clause:
                                                                       22                                          ‘‘(iii) PERFORMANCE METRICS.—An-
                                                                       23                                  nually, the Associate Administrator shall
                                                                       24                                  collect data on eligible small business con-



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                                                                         1                                 cerns assisted by the program for the fol-
                                                                         2                                 lowing performance metrics:
                                                                         3                                                  ‘‘(I) Total number of such con-
                                                                         4                                         cerns, disaggregated by socially and
                                                                         5                                         economically                  disadvantaged             small
                                                                         6                                         business concerns, small business con-
                                                                         7                                         cerns owned and controlled by women,
                                                                         8                                         and rural small business concerns.
                                                                         9                                                  ‘‘(II) Total dollar amount of ex-
                                                                       10                                          port sales by eligible small business
                                                                       11                                          concerns assisted by the program.
                                                                       12                                                   ‘‘(III) Number of such concerns
                                                                       13                                          that have not previously participated
                                                                       14                                          in an activity described in paragraph
                                                                       15                                          (2).
                                                                       16                                                   ‘‘(IV) Number of such concerns
                                                                       17                                          that, because of participation in the
                                                                       18                                          program, have accessed a new market.
                                                                       19                                                   ‘‘(V) Number of such concerns
                                                                       20                                          that, because of participation in the
                                                                       21                                          program, have created new jobs.
                                                                       22                                                   ‘‘(VI) Number of such concerns
                                                                       23                                          participating in foreign trade missions
                                                                       24                                          or             trade            show              exhibitions,



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                                                                       25                                          disaggregated by socially and eco-


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                                                                         1                                         nomically disadvantaged small busi-
                                                                         2                                         ness concerns, small business concerns
                                                                         3                                         owned and controlled by women, and
                                                                         4                                         rural small business concerns.’’.
                                                                         5               (d) EXPANSION OF DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE SMALL
                                                                         6 BUSINESS CONCERN.—Section 22(l)(1)(A) of the Small
                                                                         7 Business Act is amended—
                                                                         8                        (1) in clause (iii)(II), by adding ‘‘and’’ at the
                                                                         9               end;
                                                                       10                         (2) by striking clause (iv); and
                                                                       11                         (3) by redesignating clause (v) as clause (iv).
                                                                       12                (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section
                                                                       13 22(l)(10) of the Small Business Act, as redesignated by
                                                                       14 subsection (b), is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal years 2016
                                                                       15 through 2020’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal years 2023 through
                                                                       16 2026’’.
                                                                       17                (f) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year
                                                                       18 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Associate
                                                                       19 Administrator for International Trade of the Small Busi-
                                                                       20 ness Administration shall submit to Congress a report on
                                                                       21 the State Trade Expansion Program established under
                                                                       22 section 22(l) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 649(l))
                                                                       23 that includes a description of—




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                                                                         1                        (1) the process developed for review of revised
                                                                         2               budget plans submitted under section 22(l)(3)(F) of
                                                                         3               the Small Business Act, as added by this Act;
                                                                         4                        (2) any changes made to streamline the applica-
                                                                         5               tion process to remove duplicative requirements and
                                                                         6               create a more transparent process;
                                                                         7                        (3) the process developed to share best prac-
                                                                         8               tices by States described in section 22(l)(8)(B)(i)(V)
                                                                         9               (as redesignated by this Act), particularly for first-
                                                                       10                time grant recipients under the State Trade Expan-
                                                                       11                sion Program or grant recipients that are facing
                                                                       12                problems using grant funds; and
                                                                       13                         (4) the process developed to communicate, both
                                                                       14                verbally and in writing, relevant information about
                                                                       15                the State Trade Expansion Program to all grant re-
                                                                       16                cipients in a timely manner.




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                    Union Calendar No. 390
117TH CONGRESS
   2D SESSION      H. R. 8844
             [Report No. 117–542]
                                                                                        H8844
                 A BILL
                                                                                        E:\BILLS\H8844.RH

To reauthorize the State Trade Expansion Program
  of the Small Business Administration, and for
  other purposes.
                                                                                        Sfmt 6651
                 OCTOBER 14, 2022
Reported from the Committee on Small Business; com-
  mitted to the Committee of the Whole House on the
                                                                                        Fmt 6651
  State of the Union and ordered to be printed
                                                                                        Frm 00012
                                                                                        PO 00000
                                                                                        Jkt 039200
                                                                                        22:14 Oct 14, 2022
                                                                                        VerDate Sep 11 2014
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