March 13, 2025
Mr. Marshall (for himself and Mr. Coons) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
To amend the Small Business Act to include requirements relating to graduates of career and technical education programs or programs of study for small business development centers and women’s business centers, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Connecting Small Businesses with Career and Technical Education Graduates Act
.
Sec. 2. Inclusion of career and technical education
(a) Definition
Section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(gg) Career and technical education
The term career and technical education has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302).
(b) Small business development centers
Section 21(c)(3) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(c)(3)) is amended—
(1)
in subparagraph (T), by striking and
at the end;
(2)
in clause (v) of the first subparagraph (U) (relating to succession planning), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon;
(3)
by redesignating the second subparagraph (U) (relating to training on domestic and international intellectual property protections) as subparagraph (V);
(4)
in subparagraph (V)(ii)(II), as so redesignated, by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and
(5)
by adding at the end the following:
(W)
assisting small business concerns in hiring graduates from career and technical education programs or programs of study; and
(X)
assisting graduates of career and technical education programs or programs of study in starting up a small business concern.
(c) Women’s business centers
Section 29(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656(b)) is amended—
(1)
in paragraph (2), by striking and
at the end;
(2)
in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and
(3)
by adding at the end the following:
(4)
assistance for small business concerns to hire graduates from career and technical education programs or programs of study; and
(5)
assistance for graduates of career and technical education programs or programs of study to start up a small business concern.