Coordinated Support for Rural Small Businesses Act
The Coordinated Support for Rural Small Businesses Act would formally create and strengthen the Office of Rural Affairs within the Small Business Administration (SBA). The Office would be led by an Assistant Administrator who is a Senior Executive Service noncareer appointee. The bill expands the Office’s duties to coordinate federal programs for rural small businesses, with a strong emphasis on outreach, interagency collaboration (notably with the Department of Agriculture), and improved access to capital, technical assistance, export opportunities, and procurement. It requires regular reporting to Congress and public disclosure, and it establishes structured processes for coordinating programs, sharing information, and hosting regional outreach events. The overall aim is to better connect federal resources to rural small businesses and reduce fragmentation across agencies. Key changes include redefining terms for consistency (rural small business concerns), creating defined outreach responsibilities, formal interagency working groups to align capital access and related services, and periodic reporting on office activity, lending programs, and interagency efforts. The bill also requires timely updates to Congress whenever a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Agriculture changes, and increases transparency through regular public reporting.
Key Points
- 1Establishment and leadership of the Office: Creates the Office of Rural Affairs within SBA, led by an Assistant Administrator who is a noncareer Senior Executive Service appointee, with formal duties and a documented leadership position.
- 2Expanded duties and focus: Recrafts the Office’s mission to center on rural small business concerns (not just “small business concerns located in rural areas”) and to coordinate policies and programs of SBA and other federal agencies to support rural small businesses.
- 3Outreach obligation: The Assistant Administrator must host outreach events in various regions and involve SBA district offices, resource partners, and other federal/state entities to engage rural communities and stakeholders.
- 4Interagency cooperation with the Department of Agriculture: Establishes formal coordination and joint working groups with USDA to address capital access, program overlap, information sharing, and program design. Topics include loan program overlap, coordination of SBA and USDA financing, disaster assistance, and opportunities for cooperatives.
- 5Reporting and accountability: Requires a biannual/annual reporting framework to Congress and public website publication, detailing office operations, budgets, staff, outreach, lending program performance for rural businesses, and progress of interagency efforts and memoranda of understanding with USDA. Also requires updates to congressional committees within 7 days of any MoU changes.
- 6Definitions and scope clarifications: Clarifies terms like “rural small business concerns,” “Assistant Administrator,” and “Department” (USDA) to ensure clear scope and governance.