PILOT TECHNOLOGY ACCESS PROGRAM.

SEC. 232. PILOT TECHNOLOGY ACCESS PROGRAM. (a) Establishment.— The Small Business Administration, in consultation with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Technical Information Service, shall establish a Pilot Technology Access Program (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Program”), for making grants under this section to a maximum of 5 States. (b) Criteria for Selection of States.— The Administrator of the Small Business Administration shall establish competitive, merit-104 STAT. 2825based criteria for the selection of States to receive grants on the basis of— (1) the ability of the State to carry out the purposes described in subsection (d) in a manner relevant to the needs of industries in that State; (2) the ability of the State to integrate the implementation of the Program with existing Federal and State technical and business assistance resources, including Small Business Development Centers; and (3) the ability of the State to continue the program established pursuant to this section after the termination of the Program. (c) Matching Requirement.— To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a State shall be required to provide at least an equal amount of funds as that received under such grant. (d) Purpose of Grants.— Grants made to States under this section shall be for the purpose of increasing access by small businesses to on-line data base services that provide technical and business information, and access to technical experts, in a wide range of technologies, through such activities as— (1) defraying the cost of access by small businesses to the data base services; (2) training small businesses in the use of the data base services; and (3) establishing a public point of access to the data base services. Activities described in paragraphs (1) through (3) may be carried out through contract with a private entity. (e) Evaluation.— After the completion of 3 years after the date on which the first grant is issued under this section, and within 6 months after the termination of the Program, the General Accounting Office shall evaluate the effectiveness of the Program in stimulating technological progress, and shall report the findings to the Committee on Small Business and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and to the Committee on Small Business and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. (f) Termination.— The Program shall terminate on September 30, 1995. (g) Authorization of Appropriations.— There are authorized to be appropriated to the Small Business Administration for carrying out this section— (1) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 1991; and (2) $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995.