To direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration and the National Director of the Minority Business Development Agency to direct small business development centers and MBDA Business Centers to collaborate to better serve small business concerns, and for other purposes.

Summary of HR 8708 (119th Congress)

Purpose and intent

HR 8708 directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the National Director of the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) to coordinate and enhance collaboration between Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and MBDA Business Centers. The overarching goal is to improve support for small business concerns by leveraging the complementary strengths of SBDCs (which provide mentoring, counseling, and technical assistance) and MBDA centers (which focus on minority-owned businesses and targeted market opportunities).

Key provisions and changes

• Interagency collaboration instruction: The bill requires the SBA Administrator and the MBDA National Director to direct SBDCs and MBDA Business Centers to collaborate more closely. This implies structured coordination, joint programming, and possibly shared resources or referrals.
• Joint program development: Encourages the development of coordinated programs or services aimed at helping small businesses, including minority-owned firms, access to capital, contract opportunities, and business development services.
• Resource alignment: Potential alignment of training, counseling, and outreach efforts to reduce duplication and improve efficiency in delivering technical assistance and advisory services to small business concerns.
• Operational guidance: The directive appears to focus on how centers work together rather than creating new mandatory funding streams or changing existing eligibility criteria, but it may enable more integrated service delivery models.

Who is affected

• Small business concerns seeking assistance through SBDCs and MBDA Business Centers, including minority-owned enterprises that MBDA primarily serves.
• SBA and MBDA personnel responsible for administering SBDCs and MBDA programs, who would implement the collaboration requirements.
• Grant and contract administrators overseeing SBDC and MBDA activities, who may need to align reporting and performance metrics to reflect collaborative initiatives.

Procedural and timeline aspects

• Introduction and referrals: HR 8708 was introduced in May 2026 and referred to the House Committee on Small Business and the Committee on Financial Services for consideration of provisions within their jurisdiction.
  
• Sponsorship: Primary sponsor and co-sponsors include Rep. Brittany Pettersen and Rep. Hillary Scholten, indicating bipartisan sponsorship with additional support.
• Legislative trajectory: As a bill directing interagency collaboration, it sets a mandate for coordinated action but, based on available information, does not specify new mandatory funding or explicit implementation deadlines. The exact timelines for deploying collaborative programs would likely be determined during committee consideration and any subsequent floor action.

Potential impact

• Improved service delivery: By enhancing coordination between SBDCs and MBDA Centers, small businesses, particularly minority-owned firms, may receive more streamlined counseling, better access to resources, and more integrated support for growth, exports, contracts, and capital access.
• Efficiency gains: Reduced duplication of effort and better sharing of best practices could lead to more efficient use of existing SBA and MBDA resources.
• Performance monitoring: The collaboration could lead to new or aligned performance metrics to assess the effectiveness of joint initiatives, though specific metrics are not spelled out in the summary available.

Notes

• The bill’s content emphasizes collaboration rather than creating new funding programs or altering eligibility. The actual effect will depend on the implementing guidance issued by the SBA Administrator and MBDA Director and any accompanying appropriations or authorizations that may accompany future versions or related legislation.