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<distribution-code display="yes">II</distribution-code><congress>118th CONGRESS</congress><session>1st Session</session><legis-num>S. 1003</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES</current-chamber><action><action-date date="20230328">March 28, 2023</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="S323">Mr. Risch</sponsor> (for himself, <cosponsor name-id="S402">Ms. Rosen</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="S344">Mr. Hoeven</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="S266">Mr. Crapo</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="S372">Mrs. Capito</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="S385">Ms. Cortez Masto</cosponsor>, and <cosponsor name-id="S288">Ms. Murkowski</cosponsor>) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the <committee-name committee-id="SSSB00">Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship</committee-name></action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title>To modify the Federal and State Technology Partnership Program of the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes.</official-title></form><legis-body display-enacting-clause="yes-display-enacting-clause"><section section-type="section-one" id="S1"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>FAST Fix Act of 2023</short-title></quote>.</text></section><section id="id7BEE1A99101B48DEB8D1F48BD9E87F70"><enum>2.</enum><header>Federal and State Technology Partnership Program</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Section 34 of the Small Business Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/15/657d">15 U.S.C. 657d</external-xref>) is amended—</text><paragraph id="id75DCDBE9D250473B81F97CD0379C4B77"><enum>(1)</enum><text>in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following:</text><quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id3C231C11DDDA4CC7B0A3D85033FC19D0"><paragraph id="id1EB43C5E87A740BB8CBE82CAA1943E80"><enum>(11)</enum><header>Underperforming State</header><text>The term <term>underperforming State</term> means a State participating in the SBIR or STTR program that has been calculated by the Administrator to be one of 18 States receiving the fewest SBIR and STTR Phase I awards.</text></paragraph><after-quoted-block>;</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></paragraph><paragraph id="idC25612DD4AE24C7DA69D2B96F8DA6C81"><enum>(2)</enum><text>in subsection (c)—</text><subparagraph id="id1810964DE2174AC4A6D895A242F35D6B"><enum>(A)</enum><text>in paragraph (1)—</text><clause id="idC8ADA4924536449C800507A8C863A94F"><enum>(i)</enum><text>in subparagraph (E)—</text><subclause id="id4242F3CD9C0546139608765B1BAD81AE"><enum>(I)</enum><text>in clause (iii), by striking <quote>and</quote> at the end;</text></subclause><subclause id="idCD96CDCABA18485DA1EB582157873795"><enum>(II)</enum><text>in clause (iv), by striking the period at the end and inserting <quote>; and</quote>; and</text></subclause><subclause id="id2A44A91E4C764942A0E99F9BD170012C"><enum>(III)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following:</text><quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idFC3843DFCB4A42FCB1946C44A004DF06"><clause id="id469A0C7F438340179B5654F5BD100796"><enum>(v)</enum><text>to prioritize applicants located in an underperforming State.</text></clause><after-quoted-block>;</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subclause></clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="id57885400E7294AB18C246E409FD79818"><enum>(B)</enum><text>in paragraph (2)(B)(vi)—</text><clause id="id4F000D1A209843AF9263DF4304444009"><enum>(i)</enum><text>in subclause (II), by striking <quote>and</quote> at the end; and</text></clause><clause id="idB7A05EED30B14BEBBADCF155D2F886BB"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following:</text><quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idE561213BD0D046F18461A0C57F8DE76F"><subclause id="idB02B24044C8E413F93ABDAD2543DDE55"><enum>(IV)</enum><text>located in an underperforming State; and</text></subclause><after-quoted-block>;</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="idE4501F1C169E4E8883997F0B1E1D3191"><enum>(C)</enum><text>in paragraph (3), by striking <quote>Not more than one proposal</quote> and inserting <quote>There is no limit on the number of proposals that</quote>; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="idBB14C52BB23B48A592FB8BE7B568002D"><enum>(D)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following:</text><quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id06E067C8BA5C43A0BFA8893CE03862E6"><paragraph id="idca22110f8d4842c3a9aac1419f556732"><enum>(6)</enum><header>Additional assistance for underperforming States</header><text>Upon application by a recipient that is located in an underperforming State, the Administrator may—</text><subparagraph id="id54da7e538723490cbc7da524d1c659e8"><enum>(A)</enum><text>provide additional assistance to the recipient; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="id9d0dd944c43544e78a7076ac0f5383d6"><enum>(B)</enum><text>waive the matching requirements under subsection (e)(2).</text></subparagraph></paragraph><after-quoted-block>;</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="id76B821B488B94C4BA306AE11B3F1521D"><enum>(3)</enum><text>in subsection (e)—</text><subparagraph id="idB8CF4DB4EB16427AB7198C735B8FC197"><enum>(A)</enum><text>in paragraph (2)—</text><clause id="id6C2D9C22DA4742EA9FBF6F5E61017692"><enum>(i)</enum><text>in subparagraph (A)—</text><subclause id="id71053064C9274D629B4ADD2EB68AD7E7"><enum>(I)</enum><text>by inserting <quote>and STTR</quote> before <quote>first phase</quote> each place that term appears;</text></subclause><subclause id="idF89EF6B215AE465DA6F68D41D61D1032"><enum>(II)</enum><text>in clause (i), by striking <quote>50</quote> and inserting <quote>25</quote>; and</text></subclause><subclause id="id00BA251899144760B1152476D0A6A4B9"><enum>(III)</enum><text>in clause (iii), by striking <quote>75</quote> and inserting <quote>50</quote>; </text></subclause></clause><clause id="id5DE1C22EC62F4CB181BEFF986F6868D2"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>in subparagraph (D), by striking <quote>, beginning with fiscal year 2001</quote> and inserting <quote>and make publicly available on the website of the Administration, beginning with fiscal year 2023</quote>; and</text></clause><clause id="idC7BB94F2D5244EFD8CECB90B1B4F5341"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following:</text><quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idA6BECCF8781D498F9A94050B38C823E3"><subparagraph id="id3E6F89C1B8924BFAA91FE70B30DF2808"><enum>(E)</enum><header>Payment</header><text>The non-Federal share of the cost of an activity carried out by a recipient may be paid by the recipient over the course of the period of the award or cooperative agreement.</text></subparagraph><after-quoted-block>; and</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="id7A9F119AF00C4CF59E122155F9281079"><enum>(B)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following:</text><quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id42BFB458518447AD97F2EA4098449970"><paragraph id="id7cfff7a3e6d34e11a2288fe6632f92a9"><enum>(4)</enum><header>Amount of award</header><text>In carrying out the FAST program under this section—</text><subparagraph id="id1BB0B78BA77C4FC895CD29EA184D3475"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the Administrator shall make and enter into awards or cooperative agreements;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="id37919161BEE14D7CB0DCB11BFFD6AA5C"><enum>(B)</enum><text>each award or cooperative agreement described in subparagraph (A) shall be for not more than $500,000, which shall be provided over 2 fiscal years; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="idFDD59BC8D2B24A8AB06241C95E4A4887"><enum>(C)</enum><text>any amounts left unused in the third quarter of the second fiscal year may be retained by the Administrator for future FAST program awards.</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="id0488BB0C1A16423ABAE7D517541FCD1C"><enum>(5)</enum><header>Reporting</header><text>Not later than 6 months after receiving an award or entering into a cooperative agreement under this section, a recipient shall report to the Administrator—</text><subparagraph id="idfd0c0abc99d64e828e17328b1a8b0e8b"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the number of awards made under the SBIR or STTR program;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="id751647ced02e4ba98f506715958de4c0"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the number of applications submitted for the SBIR or STTR program;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="idbb4f1052ff93420b857c25c9f0298b19"><enum>(C)</enum><text>the number of consulting hours spent;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="idd7afe85600e5402287d7d81dd719f101"><enum>(D)</enum><text>the number of training events conducted; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="id52F151182CB94E95AEC92250F66D087F"><enum>(E)</enum><text>any issues encountered in the management and application of the FAST program.</text></subparagraph></paragraph><after-quoted-block>;</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="id02744E4591F841599DC600A2BB3F0F0D"><enum>(4)</enum><text>in subsection (f)—</text><subparagraph id="id5A18FFF500E34DCA930FFDE0043528DA"><enum>(A)</enum><text>in paragraph (1)—</text><clause id="idB403FC04AF384E0E920758E84B09B53A"><enum>(i)</enum><text>in the matter preceding subparagraph (A)—</text><subclause id="id7C9E360096B643AF89130865E824F175"><enum>(I)</enum><text>by striking <quote>Small Business Innovation Research Program Reauthorization Act of 2000</quote> and inserting <quote><short-title>FAST Fix Act of 2023</short-title></quote>; and</text></subclause><subclause id="idA7ED8FA777274A8F8D4469265103977D"><enum>(II)</enum><text>by inserting <quote>and Entrepreneurship</quote> before <quote>of the Senate</quote>;</text></subclause></clause><clause id="id20582079EA2240D487CD683F6E19F7EC"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>in subparagraph (B), by striking <quote>and</quote> at the end;</text></clause><clause id="idA32241B467A34A4A89F1C5A0F659DBB4"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at the end and inserting <quote>; and</quote>; and</text></clause><clause id="idFF781FCB4C504A0398B070F900B56253"><enum>(iv)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following:</text><quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idB44E3BBE675243AC95AB903B077CEA6A"><subparagraph id="idC1B5FAED339E4AA4B7780595EB516D84"><enum>(D)</enum><text>a description of the process used to ensure that underperforming States are given priority application status under the FAST program.</text></subparagraph><after-quoted-block>; and</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="idE369E2E4FCC343B29B317AA53BF4294D"><enum>(B)</enum><text>in paragraph (2)—</text><clause id="id895F3B0C058848EE8DCDC5817C7BB84A"><enum>(i)</enum><text>in the paragraph heading, by striking <quote><header-in-text level="paragraph" style="OLC">Annual</header-in-text></quote> and inserting <quote><header-in-text level="paragraph" style="OLC">Biennial</header-in-text></quote>;</text></clause><clause id="idFC8582D7465A456C9231C802A22B51D0"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking <quote>an annual</quote> and inserting <quote>a biennial</quote>;</text></clause><clause id="id7977AA0938CB45C988720884CEE6C060"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>in subparagraph (B), by striking <quote>and</quote> at the end;</text></clause><clause id="id619BD3F6A55C41699FDE90AFB6009B23"><enum>(iv)</enum><text>in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and</text></clause><clause id="id7C96B02A380E4A148BA849933636EC3F"><enum>(v)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following:</text><quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id97F61365E6944B87AA4DA8BB895C52EF"><subparagraph id="idFD3A0ADDCF7448C088F08CBBBE8DE3A9"><enum>(D)</enum><text>the proportion of awards provided to and cooperative agreements entered into with underperforming States; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="id9e1c4c615f724652a784d3f0a6becd66"><enum>(E)</enum><text>a list of the States that were determined by the Administrator to be underperforming States, and a description of any changes in the list compared to previously submitted reports.</text></subparagraph><after-quoted-block>; </after-quoted-block></quoted-block></clause></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="idD5FA3E9E56894E6298066A81201E3906"><enum>(5)</enum><text>in subsection (g)(2)—</text><subparagraph id="id89793A75D236441CB8D6CDC73CDBC486"><enum>(A)</enum><text>by striking <quote>2004</quote> and inserting <quote>2023</quote>; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="idEBC3FE89EF6F44C8A868741AA7B16D42"><enum>(B)</enum><text>by inserting <quote>and Entrepreneurship</quote> before <quote>of the Senate</quote>; and</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="id18C4656CA61D423A85CFCD154190458E"><enum>(6)</enum><text>in subsection (h)(1), by striking <quote>$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2005</quote> and inserting <quote>$20,000,000 for every 2 fiscal years between fiscal years 2023 through 2027, to be obligated before the end of the second fiscal year</quote>.</text></paragraph></section></legis-body></bill> |
