[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1590 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1590

  To require Federal agencies with an SBIR or STTR program to enhance 
their outreach to rural communities with respect to such programs, and 
                          for other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 26, 2025

  Mr. Alford 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

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                                 A BILL


 
  To require Federal agencies with an SBIR or STTR program to enhance 
their outreach to rural communities with respect to such programs, and 
                          for other purposes.

    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 ``Rural Innovation and Small Business 
Support Act''.

SEC. 2. SBIR AND STTR PROGRAM RURAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH.

    Section 9 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (j), by adding at the end the following 
        new paragraph:
            ``(5) Modification relating to rural outreach.--Not later 
        than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this paragraph, 
        the Administrator shall modify the policy directives issued 
        pursuant to this subsection to require each Federal agency 
        participating in the SBIR program to enhance the outreach 
        efforts of such Federal agency to rural communities to increase 
        the participation of small business concerns located in rural 
        communities in the SBIR program, including by ensuring that 
        such Federal agency conducts outreach efforts with respect to 
        the SBIR program in rural communities.''; and
            (2) in subsection (p), by adding at the end the following 
        new paragraph:
            ``(4) Modification relating to rural outreach.--Not later 
        than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this paragraph, 
        the Administrator shall modify the policy directives issued 
        pursuant to this subsection to require each Federal agency 
        participating in the STTR program to enhance the outreach 
        efforts of such Federal agency to rural communities to increase 
        the participation of small business concerns located in rural 
        communities in the STTR program, including by ensuring that 
        such Federal agency conducts outreach efforts with respect to 
        the STTR program in rural communities.''.
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