Main Street Lending Improvement Act of 2025
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Taylor (for himself and Mr. Finstad) introduced the following …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Main Street Lending Improvement Act of 2025 directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate whether small businesses in Appalachian states face longer wait times and reduced access to SBA-backed loans compared to businesses in other regions. The study aims to identify bottlenecks in the loan disbursement process and recommend improvements.
Who Benefits and How
Small businesses in Appalachian regions (parts of 13 states from New York to Mississippi) could benefit if the study leads to faster loan processing and better access to capital. The study will specifically compare Appalachian outcomes to non-Appalachian areas within the same SBA regions, potentially exposing disparities that could be addressed through policy changes.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The GAO must conduct a comprehensive multi-year study covering 2021-2024 data across multiple SBA regions, with a progress briefing due within one year and a final report within two years. The SBA and participating lenders may face scrutiny of their processes and potential recommendations for operational changes.
Key Provisions
- Requires GAO study comparing SBA loan disbursement times and approval rates in Appalachian vs. non-Appalachian areas
- Mandates analysis of average loan processing time from application to disbursement
- Requires measurement of loan approval and disbursement rates per 1,000 small businesses
- Directs GAO to recommend process improvements to increase accessibility and reduce wait times
- Covers SBA 7(a) loans, 504 loans, and microloans (but excludes COVID-19 pandemic programs)
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Directs the Comptroller General to study small business loan disbursement processes, with particular focus on comparing Appalachian regions to non-Appalachian regions to identify disparities and inefficiencies.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Investigate whether small businesses in Appalachian regions face longer wait times and reduced access to SBA loans compared to non-Appalachian areas, to inform potential policy reforms"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Small businesses in Appalachian regions (potential future policy improvements)
- Small business loan applicants (improved transparency and processing times if recommendations are implemented)
Likely Burden Bearers
- Government Accountability Office (must conduct comprehensive multi-year study)
- Small Business Administration (subject to scrutiny and potential process changes)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_administration"
- → Small Business Administration (SBA)
- "comptroller_general"
- → Comptroller General of the United States (GAO)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A region of the Administration that includes any part of the Appalachian region
Has the meaning given such term by section 14102(a)(1) of title 40, United States Code
Has the meaning given such term in section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)
Has the meaning given such term under section 3(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632(a))
A loan made under title V of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, section 7(a) or 7(m) of the Small Business Act, excluding COVID-19 pandemic response loans
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology