S 3832 — Small Business Workforce Pipeline Act of 2026

(a) Grants, contracts and cooperative agreements for establishment of small business development centers and for small business activities and purposes; role of Administration; non-Federal additional amount; amount of grant; eligibility (1) The Administration is authorized to make grants (including contracts and cooperative agreements) to any State government or any agency thereof, any regional entity, any State-chartered development, credit or finance corporation, any women’s business center operating pursuant to section 656 of this title, any public or private institution of higher education, including but not limited to any land-grant college or university, any college or school of business, engineering, commerce, or agriculture, community college or junior college, or to any entity formed by two or more of the above entities (herein referred to as “applicants”) to assist in establishing small business development centers and to any such body for: small business oriented employment or natural resources development programs; studies, research, and counseling concerning the managing, financing, and operation of small business enterprises; management and technical assistance regarding small business participation in international markets, export promotion and technology transfer; delivery or distribution of such services and information; providing access to business analysts who can refer small business concerns to available experts; and, to the extent practicable, providing assistance in furtherance of the Small Business Development Center Cyber Strategy developed under section 1841(a) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017: Provided, That after December 31, 1990, the Administration shall not make a grant to any applicant other than an institution of higher education or a women’s business center operating pursuant to section 656 of this title as a Small Business Development Center unless the applicant was receiving a grant (including a contract or cooperative agreement) on such date. The previous sentence shall not apply to an applicant that has its principal office located in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Administration shall require any applicant for a small business development center grant with performance commencing on or after January 1, 1992 to have its own budget and to primarily utilize institutions of higher education and women’s business centers operating pursuant to section 656 of this title to provide services to the small business community. The term of such grants shall be made on a calendar year basis or to coincide with the Federal fiscal year. (2) Cooperation to provide international trade services.— (A) Information and services.— The small business development centers shall work in close cooperation with the Administration’s regional and local offices, the Department of Commerce, appropriate Federal, State and local agencies (including State trade agencies), and the small business community to serve as an active information dissemination and service delivery mechanism for existing trade promotion, trade finance, trade adjustment, trade remedy and trade data collection programs of particular utility for small businesses. (B) Cooperation with state trade agencies and export assistance centers.— A small business development center that counsels a small business concern on issues relating to international trade shall— (i) consult with State trade agencies and Export Assistance Centers to provide appropriate services to the small business concern; and (ii) as necessary, refer the small business concern to a State trade agency or an Export Assistance Center for further counseling or assistance. (C) Definition.— In this paragraph, the term “Export Assistance Center” has the same meaning as in section 649 of this title. (3) The Small Business Development Center Program shall be under the general management and oversight of the Administration for the delivery of pro...