Ensuring Access to Counseling and Training for All Small Businesses Act of 2021

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2652 To ensure that certain entrepreneurial development services of the Small Business Administration are made available to cannabis-related legitimate businesses and service providers, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 19, 2021 Mr. GOLDEN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Small Business A BILL To ensure that certain entrepreneurial development services of the Small Business Administration are made available to cannabis-related legitimate businesses and service pro- viders, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ensuring Access to 4 Counseling and Training for All Small Businesses Act of 5 2021’’. 6 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:58 Jun 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2652.IH H2652 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2652 IH SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS RELATING TO CANNABIS-RELATED 1 LEGITIMATE BUSINESSES AND SERVICE PRO- 2 VIDERS. 3 Section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632) 4 is amended by adding at the end the following new sub- 5 section: 6 ‘‘(gg) DEFINITIONS RELATING TO CANNABIS-RE- 7 LATED LEGITIMATE BUSINESSES AND SERVICE PRO- 8 VIDERS.—In this Act: 9 ‘‘(1) CANNABIS.—The term ‘cannabis’ has the 10 meaning given the term ‘marihuana’ in section 102 11 of the Controlled Substances Act. 12 ‘‘(2) CANNABIS PRODUCT.—The term ‘cannabis 13 product’ means any article which contains cannabis, 14 including an article which is a concentrate, an edi- 15 ble, a tincture, a cannabis-infused product, or a top- 16 ical. 17 ‘‘(3) CANNABIS-RELATED LEGITIMATE BUSI- 18 NESS.—The term ‘cannabis-related legitimate busi- 19 ness’ means a manufacturer, producer, or any per- 20 son or company that is a small business concern and 21 that— 22 ‘‘(A) engages in any activity described in 23 subparagraph (B) pursuant to a law established 24 by a State or a political subdivision of a State, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:58 Jun 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2652.IH H2652 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2652 IH as determined by such State or political subdivi- 1 sion; and 2 ‘‘(B) participates in any business or orga- 3 nized activity that involves handling cannabis or 4 cannabis products, including cultivating, pro- 5 ducing, manufacturing, selling, transporting, 6 displaying, dispensing, distributing, or pur- 7 chasing cannabis or cannabis products. 8 ‘‘(4) MANUFACTURER.—The term ‘manufac- 9 turer’ means a person who manufactures, com- 10 pounds, converts, processes, prepares, or packages 11 cannabis or cannabis products. 12 ‘‘(5) PRODUCER.—The term ‘producer’ means a 13 person who plants, cultivates, harvests, or in any 14 way facilitates the natural growth of cannabis. 15 ‘‘(6) SERVICE PROVIDER.—The term ‘service 16 provider’— 17 ‘‘(A) means a business, organization, or 18 other person that— 19 ‘‘(i) sells goods or services to a can- 20 nabis-related legitimate business; or 21 ‘‘(ii) provides any business services, 22 including the sale or lease of real or any 23 other property, legal or other licensed serv- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:58 Jun 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2652.IH H2652 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2652 IH ices, or any other ancillary service, relating 1 to cannabis; and 2 ‘‘(B) does not include a business, organiza- 3 tion, or other person that participates in any 4 business or organized activity that involves han- 5 dling cannabis or cannabis products, including 6 cultivating, producing, manufacturing, selling, 7 transporting, displaying, dispensing, distrib- 8 uting, or purchasing cannabis or cannabis prod- 9 ucts. 10 ‘‘(7) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means each of 11 the several States, the District of Columbia, Puerto 12 Rico, and any territory or possession of the United 13 States.’’. 14 SEC. 3. ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FOR 15 CANNABIS-RELATED LEGITIMATE BUSI- 16 NESSES AND SERVICE PROVIDERS. 17 (a) SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS.— 18 Section 21(c) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 19 648(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following new 20 paragraph: 21 ‘‘(9) SERVICES FOR CANNABIS-RELATED LE- 22 GITIMATE BUSINESSES AND SERVICE PROVIDERS.— 23 A small business development center may not decline 24 to provide services to an otherwise eligible small 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:58 Jun 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2652.IH H2652 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 2652 IH business concern under this section solely because 1 such concern is a cannabis-related legitimate busi- 2 ness or service provider.’’. 3 (b) WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTERS.—Section 29 of 4 the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656) is amended by 5 adding at the end the following new subsection: 6 ‘‘(p) SERVICES FOR CANNABIS-RELATED LEGITI- 7 MATE BUSINESSES AND SERVICE PROVIDERS.—A wom- 8 en’s business center may not decline to provide services 9 to an otherwise eligible small business concern under this 10 section solely because such concern is a cannabis-related 11 legitimate business or service provider.’’. 12 (c) SCORE.—Section 8(b)(1)(B) of the Small Busi- 13 ness Act (15 U.S.C. 637(b)(1)(B)) is amended by adding 14 at the end the following new sentence: ‘‘The head of the 15 SCORE program established under this subparagraph 16 may not decline to provide services to an otherwise eligible 17 small business concern solely because such concern is a 18 cannabis-related legitimate business or service provider.’’. 19 (d) VETERAN BUSINESS OUTREACH CENTERS.—Sec- 20 tion 32 of the Small Business Act is amended (15 U.S.C. 21 657b) is amended by adding at the end the following new 22 subsection: 23 ‘‘(h) SERVICES FOR CANNABIS-RELATED LEGITI- 24 MATE BUSINESSES AND SERVICE PROVIDERS.—A Vet- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:58 Jun 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2652.IH H2652 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 2652 IH eran Business Outreach Center may not decline to provide 1 services to an otherwise eligible small business concern 2 under this section solely because such concern is a can- 3 nabis-related legitimate business or service provider.’’. 4 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:58 Jun 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H2652.IH H2652 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS