On March 23, the House Small Business Committee approved, by voice vote, H.R. 207, the Small Business Development Centers Improvement Act, sponsored by Ranking Member Nydia Velázquez (D-NY).
As amended, the bill seeks to reauthorize and modernize the Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers (WBCs), and Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) programs. Among other provisions, the bill would reauthorize the WBCs program through 2020 and establish an accreditation process that would hold WBCs nationwide to the same standards.
WBCs provide training and counseling to women entrepreneurs.