Acts Reported on by the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Officially established on October 8, 1940, the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship was established to analyze and identify problems of small businesses. The committee oversees the operations of the Small Business Administration, an agency responsible for providing support to both entrepreneurs and small businesses. Ten republicans and nine democrats form the current membership of the special committee. Some of the major issues the committee attempts to alleviate for small businesses include, but are not limited to: capital accessibility, business development hurdles, contracting and associated complications, and underrepresented entrepreneur populations. An overview of the current policies in disucssion can be found here:

Overview of the Pieces of Legislation in 2015

Current Policy

• S. 1400 / H.R. 2221: Veterans Small Business Enhancement Act of 2015
  • To amend the Small Business Act to direct the task force of the Office of Veterans Business Development to provide access to and manage the distribution of excess or surplus property to veteran-owned small businesses.
  • Prognosis: 24% chance of being enacted

• S. 2116: Small Business Broadband and Emerging Information Technology Enhancement Act of 2015
  • To improve certain programs of the Small Business Administration to better assist small business customers in accessing broadband technology.
  • Prognosis: 23% chance of being enacted

• S. 552 / H.R. 1023: Small Business Investment Capital Company Act of 2015
  • To amend the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to increase the maximum amount of outstanding leverage provided by the Small Business Administration to two or more commonly controlled small business investment companies not under capital impairment from $225 million to $350 million.
  • Prognosis: 22% chance of being enacted

• S. 996 / H.R.2266: Commercial Real Estate and Economic Development Act of 2015
  • To reinstate the authority for Small Business Administration low-interest refinancing of small business debt not involving business expansion under the SBA's local development business loan program.
  • Effective: on and after enactment of this Act, and during any fiscal year in which the federal government's cost in making loan guarantees under such program is zero.
  • Repeals a provision of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 that terminated such authority as of September 27, 2012.
  • Prognosis: 1% chance of being enacted

• S. 1470: Recovery Improvements for Small Entities After Disaster Act of 2015
  • To amend the Small Business Act to provide additional assistance to small business concerns for disaster recovery, and for other purposes.
  • Prognosis: 21% chance of being enacted

• S. 1292: HUBZone Revitalization Act of 2015
  • To amend the Small Business Act to treat certain qualified disaster areas as HUBZones and to extend the period for HUBZone treatment for certain base closure areas, and for other purposes.
  • Prognosis: 21% chance of being enacted

• S.999 / H.R. 207: Small Business Development Centers Improvement Act of 2015
  • To amend the Small Business Act with respect to the authority of the Small Business Administration to use certain SBA programs, including the small business development center (SBDC) program, to provide grants, financial assistance, loans, export assistance, and subcontracting opportunities on federal contracts to specified small businesses, organizations, state governments, universities, companies, and other entities that assist smaller enterprises.
  • Declares that the SBA shall only use such programs to deliver entrepreneurial development services, entrepreneurial education, support for the development and maintenance of clusters, or business training.
  • Prognosis: 9% chance of being enacted

• S. 1756: Small Business Energy Efficiency Act of 2015
  • To amend the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to allow a state development company to use the economic development objective of helping small businesses achieve savings through energy efficiency to qualify for loan assistance.
  • Prognosis: 18% chance of being enacted

• S. Res. 252: An original resolution expressing the sense of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate relating to easing the burden of Federal tax compliance on small businesses
  • To amend provisions of the Internal Revenue Code relating to the taxation of small business entities.
  • Prognosis: 93% chance of being agreed to

• S. 2126: Women’s Small Business Ownership Act of 2015
  • To amend the Small Business Act to direct the Small Business Administration Office of Women's Business Ownership to address issues concerning specified disciplines required for starting, operating, and increasing a small business.
  • Prognosis: 17% chance of being enacted

• S. 957 / H.R. 2499 : Veterans Entrepreneurship Act
  • Increases access to capital for veteran entrepreneurs to help create jobs.
  • Prognosis: Enacted

• S. 2136: Improving Small Business Innovative Research and Technologies Act of 2015
  • To establish the Regional SBIR State Collaborative Initiative Pilot Program.
  • Prognosis: 15% chance of being enacted

• H.R. 2262: U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act
  • To facilitate a pro-growth environment for the developing commercial space industry by encouraging private sector investment and creating more stable and predictable regulatory conditions, and for other purposes.
  • Prognosis: Enacted

• S. 2273: STARTUP Vets Act of 2015
  • To require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to establish an incubator and accelerator grant program for veterans and members of the Armed Forces.
  • Prognosis: 2% chance of being enacted

• H. RES. 511: Expressing support for designation of the third Tuesday in November as “National Entrepreneurs’ Day”
  • Expresses support for the designation of National Entrepreneurs Day.
  • Prognosis: 0% chance of being agreed to

• H. R. 3987: Jobs in America Act
  • To establish an employment-based immigrant visa for alien entrepreneurs who have received significant capital from investors to establish a business in the United States.
• Prognosis: 3% chance of being enacted

• H.R. 616: American Entrepreneurship and Investment Act of 2015
  • To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for reforms to the EB-5 immigrant investor program, and for other purposes.
  • Prognosis: 0% chance of being enacted

• H. R. 208: Superstorm Sandy Relief and Disaster Loan Program Improvement Act of 2015
  • To amend section 7(b) of Small Business Act to provide addition awards and financial assistance to small business development centers, women's business centers for disaster recovery. Recipients shall provide counseling, training, and other related services, such as promoting long-term resiliency, to small business concerns and entrepreneurs impacted by a major disaster.
  • Prognosis: Enacted

• S. 2138: Small Business Subcontracting Transparency Act of 2015
  • To amend the Small Business Act to improve the review and acceptance of subcontracting plans, and for other purposes.
  • Prognosis: 21% chance of being enacted

• H. R. 3997: To amend MAP-21 to establish a veterans business enterprises program, and for other purposes
  • To amend MAP–21 to establish a veterans business enterprises program, and for other purposes.
  • Prognosis: 3% chance of being enacted

• H. R. 9: Innovation Act
  • To amend title 35, United States Code, and the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act to make improvements and technical corrections, and for other purposes.
  • Prognosis: 36% chance of being enacted

• S. 1866: Veterans Small Business Ownership Improvements Act of 2015
  • To establish the veterans’ business outreach center program, to improve the programs for veterans of the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes.
  • Prognosis: 6% chance of being enacted

• S. 1000: SCORE for Small Business Act of 2015
  • To strengthen resources for entrepreneurs by improving the SCORE program, and for other purposes.
  • Prognosis: 15% chance of being enacted

• H. R. 1806: America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015
  • To provide for technological innovation through the prioritization of Federal investment in basic research, fundamental scientific discovery, and development to improve the competitiveness of the United States, and for other purposes.
  • Prognosis: 11% chance of being enacted

• H. R. 962: Startup Act
  • To jump-start economic recovery through the formation and growth of new businesses, and for other purposes.
  • Prognosis: 1% chance of being enacted

• H. R. 253: Incentivize Growth Now In Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs Act of 2015
  • To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for the tax treatment of small business start-up savings accounts.
  • Prognosis: 1% chance of being enacted

• H. R. 2868: Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2015
  • To amend title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to improve access and choice for entrepreneurs with small businesses with respect to medical care for their employees.
  • Prognosis: 2% chance of being enacted

• H. R. 2060: United States-Mexico Economic Partnership Act
  • To promote economic partnership and cooperation between the United States and Mexico, particularly in the areas of academic exchange, entrepreneurship, and infrastructure integration.
  • Prognosis: 2% chance of being enacted

• H. R. 2310: Helping Our Middle-Class Entrepreneurs Act
  • To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a standard home office deduction.
  • Prognosis: 0% chance of being enacted

• H. R. 3370: EB-JOBS Act of 2015
  • To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to promote innovation, investment, and research in the United States, and for other purposes.
  • Prognosis: 0% chance of being enacted

• H. R. 2670: Microloan Modernization Act of 2015
  • To amend the Small Business Act to provide for expanded participation in the microloan program, and for other purposes.
  • Prognosis: 34% chance of being enacted

• S.963: Small Business Innovation Impact Act
  • To require that the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of Small Businesses submit a analysis on the investments of small businesses in developing new and useful inventions and obtaining patents for them. Additionally, the report should include information on university technology transfer to small businesses, university patent licensing, the ability for patents to attract outside investments for small businesses, and the ability for patents to protect against foreign competition.
  • Prognosis: 2% chance of being enacted

• S.1546: Ensuring Small Businesses Can Export Act 2015
  • To ensure that should there be a lapse in the loan programs of the Export-Import bank of the United States, the SBA will serve the bank's clients and create an insurance program that protects small business exports
  • Prognosis: 9% chance of being enacted

• S.1001: Small Business Lending Reauthorization Act 2015
  • To authorize the SBA to make general business loans in the amount of 20.5B in FY15 and 23.5B for FY16
  • Prognosis: 25% chance of being enacted

• S.1870: A bill to amend the Small Business Act to require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to carry out a pilot program on issuing grants to eligible veterans to start or acquire qualifying businesses, and for other purposes.
  • This bill amends the Small Business Act to direct the Small Business Administration to carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of making grants to eligible veterans to start or acquire a qualifying business enterprise.
  • Prognosis: 27% chance of being enacted

The following pieces of legislation in 2015 were found from http://www.GovTrack.us

Dates of introduction, sponsors, cosponsors, status quo, texts/summaries, a prognosis of the chance of being enacted, and other details, such as related bills, of the above bills can all be found using http://www.GovTrack.us.