S.Amdt. 1551

1. Adds SEC. __. FEDERAL AND STATE TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM wherever appropriate

   Adds a section

   Inserted: SEC. __. FEDERAL AND STATE TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.

   Inserted: Section 34 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657d) is amended--

   Inserted: (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following:

   Inserted: "(11) Underperforming state.--The term 'underperforming State' 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.";

   Inserted: (2) in subsection (c)--

   Inserted: (A) in paragraph (1)--

   Inserted: (i) in subparagraph (E)--

   Inserted: (I) in clause (iii), by striking "and" at the end;

   Inserted: (II) in clause (iv), by striking the period at the end and inserting "; and"; and

   Inserted: (III) by adding at the end the following:

   Inserted: "(v) to prioritize applicants located in an underperforming State.";

   Inserted: (B) in paragraph (2)(B)(vi)--

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   Inserted: (i) in subclause (II), by striking "and" at the end; and

   Inserted: (ii) by adding at the end the following:

   Inserted: "(IV) located in an underperforming State; and";

   Inserted: (C) in paragraph (3), by striking "Not more than one proposal" and inserting "There is no limit on the number of proposals that"; and

   Inserted: (D) by adding at the end the following:

   Inserted: "(6) Additional assistance for underperforming states.--Upon application by a recipient that is located in an underperforming State, the Administrator may--

   Inserted: "(A) provide additional assistance to the recipient; and

   Inserted: "(B) waive the matching requirements under subsection (e)(2).";

   Inserted: (3) in subsection (e)--

   Inserted: (A) in paragraph (2)--

   Inserted: (i) in subparagraph (A)--

   Inserted: (I) by inserting "and STTR" before "first phase" each place that term appears;

   Inserted: (II) in clause (i), by striking "50" and inserting "25";

   Inserted: (III) in clause (ii), by striking "1 dollar" and inserting "75 cents"; and

   Inserted: (IV) in clause (iii), by striking "75" and inserting "50";

   Inserted: (ii) in subparagraph (D), by striking ", beginning with fiscal year 2001" and inserting "and make publicly available on the website of the Administration, beginning with fiscal year 2022"; and

   Inserted: (iii) by adding at the end the following:

   Inserted: "(E) Payment.--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."; and

   Inserted: (B) by adding at the end the following:

   Inserted: "(4) Amount of award.--In carrying out the FAST program under this section--

   Inserted: "(A) the Administrator shall make and enter into awards or cooperative agreements;

   Inserted: "(B) 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

   Inserted: "(C) any amounts left unused in the third quarter of the second fiscal year may be retained by the Administrator for future FAST program awards.

   Inserted: "(5) Reporting.--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--

   Inserted: "(A) the number of awards made under the SBIR or STTR program;

   Inserted: "(B) the number of applications submitted for the SBIR or STTR program;

   Inserted: "(C) the number of consulting hours spent;

   Inserted: "(D) the number of training events conducted; and

   Inserted: "(E) any issues encountered in the management and application of the FAST program.";

   Inserted: (4) in subsection (f)--

   Inserted: (A) in paragraph (1)--

   Inserted: (i) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A)--

   Inserted: (I) by striking "Small Business Innovation Research Program Reauthorization Act of 2000" and inserting "FAST Fix Act of 2021"; and

   Inserted: (II) by inserting "and Entrepreneurship" before "of the Senate";

   Inserted: (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking "and" at the end;

   Inserted: (iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at the end and inserting "; and"; and

   Inserted: (iv) by adding at the end the following:

   Inserted: "(D) a description of the process used to ensure that underperforming States are given priority application status under the FAST program."; and

   Inserted: (B) in paragraph (2)--

   Inserted: (i) in the paragraph heading, by striking "Annual" and inserting "Biennial";

   Inserted: (ii) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking "annual" and inserting "biennial";

   Inserted: (iii) in subparagraph (B), by striking "and" at the end;

   Inserted: (iv) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and

   Inserted: (v) by adding at the end the following:

   Inserted: "(D) the proportion of awards provided to and cooperative agreements entered into with underperforming States; and

   Inserted: "(E) 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.";

   Inserted: (5) in subsection (g)(2)--

   Inserted: (A) by striking "2004" and inserting "2022"; and

   Inserted: (B) by inserting "and Entrepreneurship" before "of the Senate"; and

   Inserted: (6) in subsection (h)(1), by striking "$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2005" and inserting "$20,000,000 for every 2 fiscal years between fiscal years 2022 through 2026, to be obligated before the end of the second fiscal year".

   The amendment doesn't say where this goes; the clerk decides.

   Original wording

   At the appropriate place, insert the following:

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As printed