101st CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4773
AN ACT
To authorize the President to call and conduct a National White House
Conference on Small Business.
HR 4773 EH
101st CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4773
AN ACT
To authorize the President to call and conduct a National White House
Conference on Small Business.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the
`White House Conference on Small Business Authorization Act'.
AUTHORIZATION OF CONFERENCE

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Conference on Small Business (hereinafter referred to as the `National
Conference') not earlier than January 1, 1994, and not later than April 1,
1994, to carry out the purposes described in section 3 of this Act. The
National Conference shall be preceded by State conferences, with at
least one such conferences being held in each State, and with at least
two conference being held in any State with a population of ten million
or more. The State conferences shall be held not earlier than December 1,
1992, and at their conclusion shall be followed by regional meetings of
delegates in at least six cities prior to the National Conference.
(b) Participants in the National Conference and other interested individuals
and organizations, are authorized to conduct activities at the State and
regional level prior to the date of the National Conference, and shall
direct such activities toward the consideration of the purposes of the
National Conference.
(c) The National Conference shall be conducted under the general supervision
and direction of the White House Conference on Small Business Commission
(hereinafter referred to as the `Commission') established in section 5 of
this Act.
PURPOSE OF CONFERENCE

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awareness of the essential contribution of small business; to identify the
problems of small business; to examine the status of minorities and women as
small business owners; to assist small business in carrying out its role as
the Nation's job creator; to assemble small businesses (particularly those
who are not actively involved in small business or trade organizations) to
develop such specific and comprehensive recommendations for executive and
legislative action as may be appropriate for maintaining and encouraging
the economic viability of small business and, thereby, the Nation; and
to review the status of recommendations adopted at the 1986 White House
Conference on Small Business.
CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS

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of this Act, the National Conference shall bring together individuals
concerned with issues relating to small business: Provided, That no owner,
officer or employee of a small business concern may be denied admission
to any State conference, nor may any fee or charge be imposed on any such
owner, officer or employee except an amount to cover the cost of any meal
provided plus a registration fee of not to exceed $10. The Commission may
not impose any fees or charges except as specified in this subsection and
may not accept any gifts of money from any source. Amounts collected as
fees and charges shall be used solely to pay the cost of meals provided
and to defray the expense of meeting rooms. The Commission shall--
(1) keep a record of all receipts and disbursements as directed by the
Administrator of the Small Business Administration;
(2) open and maintain an account in an institution whose accounts are insured
by an instrumentality of the United States, into which account all receipts
shall be deposited and from which all payments shall be disbursed; and
(3) provide such periodic financial reports to the Small Business
Administration as the Administrator may request.
(b) Delegates, including alternates, to the National Conference shall
be elected by participants at the State conferences: Provided, That each
Governor and each chief executive official of the political subdivisions
enumerated in section 4(a) of the Small Business Act may appoint one delegate
and one alternate: Provided further, That each Member of the United States
House of Representatives, including each Delegate, and each Member of
the United States Senate may appoint one delegate and one alternate: and
Provided further, That the President may appoint one hundred delegates and
alternates. Only owners, employees or corporate officers of small businesses
shall be eligible for appointment or election pursuant to this subsection,
and delegates may be elected only at the conference for the State in which
he or she resides.
COMMISSION

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Small Business Commission. The President shall select and appoint eleven
individuals. The commissioners shall be responsible for the overall
preparation for and conduct of the National Conference, including the
issuance of the report specified in section 7 of this Act.
(b) At least seven of the individuals appointed shall be small business
owners, employees or corporate officers of a small business. Other members
may include representatives of businesses (other than small), associations,
or educational institutions.
(c) Not more than six of the Commissioners shall be of the same political
party. No member shall be an officer or employee of the Federal Government,
in either the executive branch or the Congress.
(d) Commissioners shall be appointed for a term which shall expire on the
date the report is submitted, except if the status of any such appointee
changes so that he or she would have been ineligible for appointment, such
individual may continue as a Commissioner for not longer than a thirty-day
period beginning on the date such individual becomes ineligible.
(e) A vacancy shall be filled in the manner in which the original appointment
was made.
(f) Commissioners shall serve without pay, except they shall be entitled
to reimbursement for travel, subsistence, and other necessary expenses
incurred by them in carrying out their functions in the same manner as
persons employed intermittently in the Federal Goverment are allowed
expenses under section 5703 of title 5, United States Code.
(g) Six Commissioners shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of
business. Meetings shall be at the call of the Chairperson who shall be
designated by the President.
(h) The Commission shall have an executive director who shall be appointed
by the Chairperson, and such other staff as it deems appropriate. The
executive director and other personnel may be appointed without regard
to section 531(b) of title 5, United States Code, and without regard to
the provisions of such title governing appointments in the competitive
service, and may be paid without regard to the provisions of chapter 51
and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to classification
and General Schedule pay rates, except that no individual so appointed may
receive pay in excess of the annual rate of basic pay payable for GS-18
of the General Schedule.
(i) The Commission may procure temporary and intermittent services under
section 3109(b) of title 5 of the United States Code but at rates for
individuals not to exceed the daily equivalent of the maximum annual rate
of basic pay payable for GS-18 of the General Schedule.
(j) Upon request of the Chairperson, the head of any Federal department
or agency may detail, on a reimbursable basis, any of the personnel of
such department or agency to the Commission to assist in carrying out of
the National Conference without regard to section 3341 of title 5 of the
United States Code. Except as otherwise prohibited by law, the Commission
may secure directly from any department or agency of the United States
information necessary to enable it to carry out its duties under this
Act. Upon the request of the Chairperson, the head of such department or
agency shall promptly furnish such information to the Commission.
(k) The Administrator of the General Service Administration shall provide
to the Commission, on a reimbursable basis, such administrative support
services as the Commission may request.
PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION OF CONFERENCE

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this Act, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration--
(1) shall provide such assistance as may be necessary for the organization
and conduct of conferences at the State and regional levels as authorized
under section 2 of this Act;
(2) is authorized to enter into contracts with public agencies, private
organizations, business entities and academic institutions to carry out the
provisions of this Act: Provided, That the Administrator shall coordinate
any such contracting in advance with the Commission if it has met and
organized; and
(3) shall prescribe such financial controls and accounting procedures for
the handling of income received by the Commission as fees and charges and
the payment by the Commission of authorized meal and meeting room expenses.
(b) The Chief Counsel for Advocacy shall assist in carrying out the
provisions of this Act by preparing and providing background materials for
use by participants in the National Conference, as well as by participants
in State and regional conferences.
(c) The White House Conference on Small Business Commission shall conduct
appropriate outreach efforts to obtain the participation, at both state
conferences and at the National Conference, of individuals who are not
actively involved in small business or trade organizations.
(d) EXPENSES- Each delegate to the National Conference shall pay his or
her expenses of attending the Conference. However, prior to the National
Conference, any delegate may seek reimbursement from the Conference upon
written application establishing that his or her anticipated expenses
would constitute a financial burden.
(1) The Commission shall adopt rules, guidelines, and procedures to
implement this provision. No delegate shall be reimbursed for any expense
except transportation, meals and lodging and shall not be reimbursed at
more than the rates provided to employees of the Federal Government who
travel to Washington, DC, on official business during the time when the
National Conference is held.
(2) At the beginning of each State conference, all attendees shall be
advised of this provision and any rules or procedures adopted by the
Commission to implement it.
(3) A separate accounting for these reimbursed expenses shall be provided
to the Small Business Administration.
REPORTS REQUIRED

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Conference is convened, a final report of the National Conference shall
be submitted to the President and the Congress. The report shall include
the findings and recommendations of the delegates as well as proposals for
any legislative action necessary to implement their recommendations. The
report shall be available to the public.
(b) At the same time, the Commission shall--
(1) provide a final financial report to the Small Business Administration
and shall deliver to the Agency all of its financial books and records; and
(2) deposit in the Treasury of the United States, for crediting as
miscellaneous receipts, any monies collected as fees and charges pursuant
to the authority of this Act which remain unexpended.
FOLLOWUP ACTIONS

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annually during the three-year period following the submission of the final
report of the National Conference on the status and implementation of the
findings and recommendations.
AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS

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year 1992, or any year thereafter, not to exceed $5,000,000 to carry out
the provisions of this Act, and such sums shall remain available until
expended. New spending authority or authority to enter contracts as provided
in this Act shall be effective only to such extent and in such amounts as
are provided in advance in appropriations Acts.
(b) No funds appropriated to the Small Business Administration shall be
made available to carry out the provisions of this Act other than funds
appropriated specifically for the purpose of conducting the National
Conference. Any funds remaining unexpended at the termination of the
National Conference, including submission of the report pursuant to section
7, shall be returned to the Treasury of the United States and credited as
miscellaneous receipts.
Passed the House of Representatives September 10, 1990.
Attest:
Clerk.

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White House Conference on Small Business Authorization Act

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