[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5348 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5348
To require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to
establish an Innovation Voucher Grant Program.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 6, 2019
Mr. Crow (for himself and Mr. Burchett) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Small Business
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to
establish an Innovation Voucher Grant Program.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Small Business Innovation Voucher
Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the Small Business Administration.
(2) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
(A) an institution of higher education, as defined
in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001); or
(B) a nonprofit research lab, institution, or other
similar organization in the United States associated
with educational or research activities.
(3) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the Innovation
Voucher Grant Program established under section 3.
(4) Small business concern; small business concern owned
and controlled by veterans; small business concern owned and
controlled by women.--The terms ``small business concern'',
``small business concern owned and controlled by veterans'',
and ``small business concern owned and controlled by women''
have the meanings given those terms in section 3 of the Small
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632).
(5) Small business concern owned and controlled by socially
and economically disadvantaged individuals.--The term ``small
business concern owned and controlled by socially and
economically disadvantaged individuals'' has the meaning given
the term in section 8(d)(3)(C) of the Small Business Act (15
U.S.C. 637(d)(3)(C)).
SEC. 3. INNOVATION VOUCHER GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall establish a program to
be known as the ``Innovation Voucher Grant Program'' under which the
Administrator shall, on a competitive basis and in accordance with
subsection (f), award to small business concerns grants for the Federal
share of the cost of purchasing from eligible entities technical
assistance and services necessary to carry out projects to advance
research, development, or commercialization of new or innovative
products and services.
(b) Application.--A small business concern desiring a grant under
the Program shall submit to the Administrator an application with the
eligible entity from which the small business concern will purchase
technical assistance and services using funds awarded under the grant.
(c) Evaluation.--In evaluating an application for a grant under the
Program, the Administrator shall take into consideration--
(1) the likelihood that funds awarded under the grant will
be used to create or advance a novel product or service;
(2) the feasibility of creating or advancing a novel
product or service proposed to be created or advanced using
funds awarded under the grant; and
(3) whether creating or advancing a product or service
proposed to be created or advanced using funds awarded under
the grant could be accomplished without a grant awarded under
the Program.
(d) Priority.--In making grants under the Program, the
Administrator shall give priority to an application submitted by--
(1) a small business concern owned and controlled by
socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, including
minorities;
(2) a small business concern owned and controlled by women;
(3) a small business concern owned and controlled by
veterans;
(4) a small business concern that is located in a rural
area; or
(5) a small business concern located in a region or State
that has historically been underserved by Federal research and
development funds.
(e) Amount.--A grant made under the Program shall be made in an
amount of not less than $25,000 and not more than $100,000.
(f) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of purchasing
technical assistance and services described in subsection (a) using
funds awarded under a grant made under the Program shall be not more
than 75 percent.
(g) Reports.--
(1) Reports from grant recipients.--Not later than 180 days
after the date on which a project carried out under a grant
awarded under the Program is completed, the recipient of the
grant shall submit to the Administrator a report on the
project, including--
(A) whether and how the project met the original
expectations for the project;
(B) how the results of the project were
incorporated in the business of the grant recipient;
and
(C) whether and how the project improved innovation
practices of the grant recipient.
(2) Report of the administrator.--Not later than 3 years
after the date on which the Administrator establishes the
Program, and every 2 years 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 on grants awarded under the
Program, including--
(A) a description of the grants awarded;
(B) the estimated number of products or services
created or advanced under grants awarded under the
Program that could have been created or advanced
without grants awarded under the Program; and
(C) a description of the impact of the Program on
knowledge transfer and commercialization.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to
carry out the Program $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through
2024, to remain available until expended.
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