H.R. 6441 would authorize the appropriation of $31.5 million for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2025 for the Women’s Business Centers (WBC) program, administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA). That program awards grants to centers that provide counseling and training to women-owned businesses. Among other changes, H.R. 6441 would expand eligibility for grants, raise the maximum grant level, and permit grantees to use funds to cover the costs of soliciting nonfederal matching dollars.
In 2022, the SBA allocated $24.4 million for the WBC program, which falls within the agency’s appropriation for entrepreneurial development programs. The authorization for fiscal year 2022 reflects the difference between the $31.5 million that would be authorized under H.R. 6441 and the $24.4 million allocated for the program.
CBO assumes that the bill will be enacted near the end of 2022. Assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, and based on historical spending patterns, CBO estimates that implementing the program would cost $96 million over the 2022-2026 period and $7 million after 2026. The costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall within budget function 370 (commerce and housing credit).
