Summary#
This bill reauthorizes and updates the White House Conference on Small Business. It sets new dates for holding the national conference (between December 31, 2025 and December 1, 2026), changes some staffing grade levels, and updates who may attend and how delegates are chosen. The bill raises a participant fee from $10 to $200 and defines delegate categories (including one delegate from each Governor, one from each Member of Congress, 100 appointed by the President, and delegates elected at State conferences). It requires that delegates be selected by a State conference and a regional meeting and be an owner, officer, or employee of a small business. The bill adds a task to evaluate Small Business Administration and other Federal small business assistance programs and recommend improvements. It requires an electronic communication system for delegates to use before, during, and for at least four years after the conference. The Small Business Administration may sponsor or cosponsor conference-related activities with eligible non-Federal entities, but may not create endorsements of sponsors' products. Funding is limited to amounts collected under the bill, including donations and gifts, with rules to avoid conflicts of interest and a requirement that unobligated funds at termination be deposited to the Treasury.
What it means for you#
- If you want to be a delegate to the national conference, you must be selected at the State and regional level and be an owner, officer, or employee of a small business.
- The participant fee is increased from $10 to $200.
- State delegations include appointees from Governors and Members of Congress, plus 100 Presidential appointees and those elected at State conferences.
- Delegates will have access to an electronic system to discuss problems, refine solutions, choose recommendations, and follow up for at least four years after the conference.
- The SBA may partner with outside organizations to sponsor events and may accept donations to fund conference activities, subject to conflict-of-interest review.
Expenses#
- The bill says conference activities must be funded only by amounts collected under its funding section (including gifts, donations, and similar contributions) and that no other appropriations are authorized.
- It authorizes the Commission, the SBA Administrator, and the GSA Administrator to solicit and accept gifts and enter agreements with 501(c)(3) organizations to collect donations.
- The Inspector General of the SBA must determine if a gift would create a conflict of interest; conflicted gifts cannot be accepted.
- Any unobligated amounts at the conference's termination must be deposited into the Treasury general fund.
- No publicly available information on total cost estimates or expected donation amounts is included in the bill text.
Proponents' View#
No publicly available information.
Opponents' View#
No publicly available information.