SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

SEC. 9. SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. (a) In General.—The Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 21, the following new section: “21A. SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. “(a) The Administration is authorized to make grants to establish pilot programs at 5 Small Business Development Centers in order to increase access by small businesses in each center’s service area to online data bases. The purpose of this program shall be to provide small businesses, in states selected to participate in this demonstration program, with improved online access to public and private technology, services and expertise, so as to accelerate the transfer of technology and expertise to small businesses and to improve the productivity and economic competitiveness of these small businesses. “(b) Any Small Business Development Center which is funded by the Administration is eligible to receive an additional grant to provide access to online data bases as described in subsection (a) providing it contributes at least a fifty percent matching contribution. “(c) The grants authorized by this section must be used to— “(1) defray all or part of the cost of accessing data bases from private vendors for a limited period of time. “(2) demonstrate to small businesses the benefits of accessing such data bases, and “(3) train small businesses to use such data bases to access technical information and services.”. (b) Authorization.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Small Business Administration for each of fiscal years 1991 and 1992, $1,200,000 to carry out the terms of section 21A of the Small Business Act.