Sponsors (7)
The bill gives targeted fee relief and easier SBA credit access to long‑tenured career law enforcement officers to support small business activity, while limiting fiscal exposure and misconduct risk — at the cost of excluding newer officers, adding administrative complexity, and leaving the possibility of reinstated fees to protect taxpayers.
Long‑serving career law enforcement officers (≥10 years) who qualify will face lower borrowing costs because SBA express‑loan guarantee fees are waived starting Jan 1, 2027, improving their access to SBA‑backed credit to start or expand small businesses.
Taxpayers are protected because the SBA Administrator can reinstate guarantee fees in a fiscal year if the exemption produces a net cost, limiting open‑ended fiscal exposure from the fee waiver.
Law enforcement officers with pending criminal or administrative investigations are excluded from the benefit, reducing the risk that the fee waiver would support borrowers with alleged misconduct.
Newer law enforcement officers (those with fewer than 10 years' service) are excluded, so many officers who still face barriers to startup or expansion capital won’t benefit.
Qualified officers could face restored guarantee fees for a fiscal year if the Administrator determines the waiver causes net costs, creating the risk of unexpected increases in borrowing costs.
The SBA will have added administrative work to verify service history and check for pending investigations, which could slow express‑loan processing or require more agency resources.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes SBA express-loan guarantee fee exemptions for qualified career law enforcement officers (10+ years of service) beginning Jan 1, 2027, unless the SBA suspends it for cost reasons.
Authorizes the Small Business Administration to waive express-loan guarantee fees for certain career law enforcement officers who qualify as "qualified career law enforcement officers," effective January 1, 2027, subject to a cost-based waiver by the SBA Administrator. It defines eligibility by cross-reference to the federal career law enforcement officer definition, adds a 10-year service requirement, and disqualifies individuals with specified misconduct findings. The provision does not appropriate new funds; it simply changes fee treatment for eligible borrowers unless the Administrator determines the guarantees produce a net cost greater than zero attributable to those loans in a fiscal year and thus suspends the exemption for that year.
Official title: To amend the Small Business Act to provide no-collateral express loans for qualified career law enforcement officers, and for other purposes.
Introduced September 10, 2026 by Robert P. Bresnahan · Last progress September 10, 2026