S.Amdt. 2401

SA 2401. Mr. GARDNER (for himself and Mr. Coons) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 2282 submitted by Mr.
Inhofe (for himself and Mr. McCain) and intended to be proposed to the
bill H.R. 5515, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2019 for
military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of subtitle I of title VIII, add the following:

SEC. 896. IMPROVEMENTS TO TECHNICAL AND BUSINESS ASSISTANCE.

(a) In General.--Section 9(q) of the Small Business Act (15
U.S.C. 638(q)) is amended--
(1) in the subsection heading, by inserting ``and
Business'' after ``Technical'';
(2) in paragraph (1)--
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A)--
(i) by striking ``a vendor selected under paragraph (2)''
and inserting ``1 or more vendors selected under paragraph
(2)(A)'';
(ii) by inserting ``and business'' before ``assistance
services''; and
(iii) by inserting ``assistance with product sales,
intellectual property protections, market research, market
validation, and development of regulatory plans and
manufacturing plans,'' after ``technologies,''; and
(B) in subparagraph (D), by inserting ``, including
intellectual property protections'' before the period at the
end;
(3) in paragraph (2)--
(A) by striking ``Each agency may select a vendor to assist
small business concerns to meet'' and inserting the
following:
``(A) In general.--Each agency may select 1 or more vendors
from which small business concerns may obtain assistance in
meeting''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(B) Selection by small business concern.--A small
business concern may, by contract or otherwise, select 1 or
more vendors to assist the small business concern in meeting
the goals listed in paragraph (1).'';
(4) in paragraph (3)--
(A) in the paragraph heading, by inserting ``or business''
after ``technical'';
(B) by inserting ``(A)'' after ``paragraph (2)'' each place
it appears;
(C) in subparagraph (B)--
(i) by striking ``$5,000 per year'' each place it appears
and inserting ``$50,000 with respect to each award''; and
(ii) in clause (ii), by striking ``which shall be in
addition to the amount of the recipient's award'' and
inserting ``which shall be included as part of the
recipient's award'';
(D) in subparagraph (C)--
(i) by inserting ``or business'' after ``technical'';
(ii) by striking ``the vendor'' and inserting ``a vendor'';
and
(iii) by adding at the end the following: ``Business-
related services aimed at improving the commercialization
success of a small business concern may be obtained from an
entity, such as a public or private organization or an agency
of or other entity established or funded by a State that
facilitates or accelerates the commercialization of
technologies or assists in the creation and growth of private
enterprises that are commercializing technology.'';
(E) in subparagraph (D)--
(i) by inserting ``or business'' after ``technical'' each
place it appears; and
(ii) in clause (i), by striking ``the vendor'' and
inserting ``1 or more vendors''; and
(F) by adding at the end the following:
``(E) Multiple award recipients.--The Administrator shall
establish a limit on the amount of technical and business
assistance services that may be received or purchased under
subparagraph (B) by small business concerns with respect to
multiple Phase II SBIR or STTR awards for a fiscal year.'';
and
(5) by adding at the end the following:
``(4) Annual reporting.--
``(A) In general.--A small business concern that receives
technical or business assistance from a vendor under this
subsection during a fiscal year shall submit to the Federal
agency contracting with the vendor a description of the
technical or business assistance provided and the benefits
and results of the technical or business assistance provided.
``(B) Use of existing reporting mechanism.--The information
required under subparagraph (A) shall be collected by a
Federal agency as part of a report required to be submitted
by small business concerns engaged in SBIR or STTR projects
of the Federal agency for which the requirement was in effect
on the date of enactment of this paragraph.''.
(b) Review.--Not later than the end of fiscal year 2019,
the Administrator of the Small Business Administration
shall--
(1) conduct a survey of vendors providing technical or
business assistance under section 9(q) of the Small Business
Act (15 U.S.C. 638(q)), as amended by subsection (a), and
small business concerns receiving the technical or business
assistance; and
(2) 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 reviewing
the efficacy of the provision of the technical or business
assistance.
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