To modify the Federal and State Technology Partnership Program of the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Risch (for himself, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Crapo, …
Summary
What This Bill Does:
This bill, called the FAST Fix Act of 2023, makes changes to a program run by the Small Business Administration (SBA). It aims to help states that don't get many SBIR and STTR Phase I awards – these are programs that give small businesses grants for research and development. The goal is to boost support for these underperforming states.
Who Benefits and How:
- Small businesses in underperforming states: They'll have more chances to get funding through the SBIR and STTR programs.
- States with fewer awards: These states will receive priority status, which means they could get additional assistance and their matching funds requirements might be waived.
Who Bears the Burden and How:
- SBA Administrator: They'll need to track and report more data about the FAST program, including issues encountered in managing it.
- Taxpayers: While there's no direct cost mentioned, this bill could potentially increase spending on the SBIR and STTR programs.
Key Provisions:
- Defines "underperforming state" as one of 18 states receiving the fewest SBIR and STTR Phase I awards.
- Prioritizes applicants located in underperforming states for funding.
- Removes the limit on proposals from recipients in underperforming states.
- Allows additional assistance and waives matching requirements for recipients in underperforming states upon application.
- Requires biennial reports on FAST program performance, including the proportion of awards given to underperforming states.
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
The FAST Fix Act of 2023 modifies the Federal and State Technology Partnership Program of the Small Business Administration, focusing on enhancing support for underperforming states in SBIR and STTR programs.
Policy Domains
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of the Small Business Administration
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A state participating in the SBIR or STTR program that has been calculated by the Administrator to be one of 18 states receiving the fewest SBIR and STTR Phase I awards.
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