Bill Summary
The "White House Conference on Small Business Act of 2025" aims to reauthorize and update the provisions of the existing White House Conference on Small Business Authorization Act. Key changes include:
1. **Timing and Participation**: The Act specifies that the next conference should occur between December 31, 2025, and December 1, 2026. It also sets criteria for delegates, ensuring that they represent small businesses and are appointed by state governors, members of Congress, and the President.
2. **Focus on Economic Contribution**: The legislation emphasizes the contribution of small businesses to the national economy and aims to identify and prioritize issues affecting them.
3. **Communication Enhancements**: It mandates the establishment of an electronic communication system to facilitate ongoing discussions and collaboration among delegates even after the conference concludes.
4. **Funding**: The Act outlines funding mechanisms, allowing the Small Business Administration to accept private gifts and donations for conference activities, while ensuring that these do not create conflicts of interest.
5. **Co-Sponsorship**: The Administrator of the Small Business Administration is authorized to co-sponsor activities with various entities, promoting recognition without endorsing specific products or services.
Overall, this legislation seeks to enhance the role of small businesses in the economy, improve assistance programs, and strengthen communication and collaboration among stakeholders.
Possible Impacts
The reauthorization of the White House Conference on Small Business, as described in the provided legislation, could affect people in various ways. Here are three examples:
1. **Increased Representation for Small Business Owners:** The amendment allows for more structured participation of small business owners in the National Conference. By ensuring that delegates are specifically chosen from state conferences and regional meetings, the legislation promotes direct representation of small businesses. This could lead to more relevant discussions and outcomes that reflect the actual needs and challenges small business owners face, ultimately benefiting the small business community.
2. **Enhanced Communication and Collaboration:** The establishment of an electronic communication system for delegates and alternates, as mandated by the legislation, is expected to facilitate better collaboration among small business representatives. This system would allow for ongoing communication before, during, and after the conference, helping to refine problems and prioritize solutions. The enhanced ability to share information and strategize collectively could lead to more effective advocacy for small business interests.
3. **Funding Opportunities Through Co-Sponsorships:** The legislation allows the Small Business Administration (SBA) to cosponsor activities with eligible entities, which can include for-profit and non-profit organizations. This opens up opportunities for small businesses to engage in events and initiatives that could provide them with resources, support, and visibility. The ability to solicit gifts and donations for conference activities could also lead to increased funding and resources, which might help small businesses access various forms of assistance and support programs.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6855 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6855
To reauthorize the White House Conference on Small Business
Authorization Act, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 18, 2025
Mr. Finstad (for himself and Mr. Davis of North Carolina) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Small
Business
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To reauthorize the White House Conference on Small Business
Authorization Act, 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 ``White House Conference on Small
Business Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON SMALL
BUSINESS.
The White House Conference on Small Business Authorization Act
(Public Law 101-409; 15 U.S.C. 631 note) is amended--
(1) in section 2(a)--
(A) by striking ``The President'' and inserting
``Subject to amounts collected under section 10, the
President'';
(B) by striking ``not earlier than May 1, 1995, and
not later than September 30, 1995'' and inserting ``not
earlier than December 31, 2025, and not later than
December 1, 2026''; and
(C) by striking ``March 1, 1994'' and inserting
``October 1, 2025'';
(2) in section 3--
(A) by striking ``contribution of small business''
and inserting ``contribution of small business to the
national economy'';
(B) by striking ``to identify the problems'' and
inserting ``to identify and prioritize the problems
impacting'';
(C) by striking ``particularly'' and inserting
``including'';
(D) by striking ``as may be appropriate for
maintaining and encouraging'' and inserting ``that
maintain, encourage, and expand'';
(E) by inserting ``to evaluate the small business
assistance programs of the Small Business
Administration and other Federal agencies and recommend
potential improvements for those programs;'' after
``Nation;''; and
(F) by striking ``1986'' and inserting ``1995'';
(3) in section 4--
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ``$10'' and
inserting ``$200''; and
(B) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
``(b) Participants.--
``(1) National conference.--An individual may not
participate in the National Conference unless such individual
has been selected as a delegate by a State conference and by a
regional meeting of delegates and is an owner, officer, or
employee of a small business.
``(2) Delegates.--Delegates to the National Conference
shall include--
``(A) one delegate appointed by each Governor or
chief executive official of a State;
``(B) one delegate appointed by each Member of the
Senate, each Member of the House of Representatives,
each Delegate to the House of Representatives, and the
Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico;
``(C) one hundred delegates appointed by the
President; and
``(D) the delegates elected by participants at each
State Conference.
``(3) Alternates.--Each delegate shall have an alternate,
appointed or elected in the same manner as the delegate.'';
(4) in section 5--
(A) by striking ``Subsequent to the date of
enactment of this Act, but not later than 30 days after
the date of enactment of this Act, the'' and inserting
``The'';
(B) by striking ``GS-18'' each place such term
appears and inserting ``GS-15''; and
(C) in subsection (h), by striking ``Chairperson''
and inserting ``Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small
Business Administration'';
(5) in section 6(a)--
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' at the
end;
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the
end and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
``(4) shall establish an electronic communication system
for use by delegates and alternates for communication before,
during, and for at least 4 years after the National Conference
to allow State delegations and issue area groups to
collaboratively define the problems faced by small businesses,
refine suggested solutions to those problems, prioritize and
select final recommendations, and monitor later legislative or
regulatory action on the recommendations.''; and
(6) by striking section 9 and inserting the following:
``SEC. 9. CO-SPONSORSHIP OF ACTIVITIES.
``(a) Authorization.--The Administrator of the Small Business
Administration, after consultation with the General Counsel of the
Small Business Administration, may sponsor activities or cosponsor
activities with an eligible entity, including recognition events, for
small businesses.
``(b) Eligible Entity.--In this section, the term `eligible entity'
means any for-profit or not-for-profit entity, any State, or local
government official, or any State, or local government entity.
``(c) Prohibition on Endorsements.--The Administrator shall ensure
that any eligible entities that cosponsor activities receive
appropriate recognition for such cosponsorship, and that such
recognition is not considered to be an endorsement by the Small
Business Administration of any product or service of such eligible
entity.
``SEC. 10. FUNDING.
``(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--The activities authorized
by this Act shall be funded, to the extent and in the amount provided
in advance in appropriations Acts, exclusively by amounts (if any)
collected under subsection (b). No other amounts are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this Act.
``(b) Authority To Accept Gifts.--
``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), for
purposes of carrying out this Act, the Commission, the
Administrator of the Small Business Administration, and the
Administrator of the General Service Administration may--
``(A) solicit ownership, accept, and hold gifts,
devises, and bequests of cash, property (including
tangible, intangible, real and personal), or
subsistence from non-Federal sources; and
``(B) enter into an agreement with any organization
described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section
501(a) of such Code to solicit the donations described
under subparagraph (A).
``(2) Conflict of interest.--No gift, devise, or bequest
shall be solicited or accepted under the authority of this
subsection if such solicitation or acceptance would, in the
determination of the Inspector General of the Small Business
Administration create a conflict of interest.
``(c) Funds Remaining at Termination.--On the date of termination
of the National Conference, any unobligated amounts collected under
this section shall be deposited in the general fund of the Treasury.
``SEC. 11. STATE DEFINED.
``For purposes of this Act, the term `State' includes the several
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and
any other territory or possession of the United States.''.
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