Native American Small Business Development Act
Key claim: The Native American Small Business Development Act would establish an Office of Native American Affairs within the SBA and create grant programs and business centers to support entrepreneurship, capital access, and employment among Native Americans.
Abstract
(S2335 · 107th Congress) Native American Small Business Development Act - Amends the Small Business Act to establish within the Small Business Administration (SBA) the Office of Native American Affairs, headed by an Assistant Administrator, to implement SBA programs for the development of business enterprises by Native Americans (American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians). Requires the Office to assist Native American entrepreneurs to: (1) start, operate, and grow small businesses; (2) develop management and technical skills; (3) seek Federal procurement opportunities; (4) increase Native American employment opportunities; and (5) increase Native American access to capital markets. Requires the SBA to provide financial assistance to tribal governments, tribal colleges, Native Hawaiian organizations, and Alaska Native corporations to create Native American business centers. Requires: (1) each business center to conduct five-year projects for business education aid to such entities; (2) each assistance applicant to submit a five-year plan on proposed assistance and training activities; (3) each business center to annually provide the Administrator with an itemized cost breakdown of project expenses; (4) the Administrator to report annually to the congressional small business committees on the effectiveness of such projects; and (5) each entity receiving assistance to report to the SBA on services provided with such assistance. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2003 through 2007. Establishes a four-year pilot program under which the SBA is authorized to award Native American development grants to provide culturally-tailored business development training and related services to Native Americans and Native American small businesses. Requires the same number of such grants to be awarded to small business development centers and private, nonprofit organizations providing appropriate assistance to Indian tribes, Native Hawaiians, and Alaska Natives. Provides for: (1) initial disbursemen Latest action (2002-08-01): Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 545.
Why this matters
This bill sits primarily in small business policy rather than education, but it intersects with workforce and employment pathways for Native Americans that overlap with vocational rehabilitation and postsecondary training pipelines. For the Education area, it is a peripheral signal that federal Native American workforce and entrepreneurship support may expand outside ED-administered programs like AIVRS. No education-area page changes are warranted at this stage.