Sponsors (4)
The bill creates a GAO study to generate region-specific SBA metrics that could improve oversight and future processing for underserved areas, but it delivers no immediate relief to small businesses and adds federal workload and potential data/privacy burdens.
Congress (and agencies overseeing SBA programs) will receive region-specific metrics (2021–2024) that enable targeted oversight and policy adjustments for underserved areas, improving the evidence base for future SBA improvements.
Small-business owners in Appalachian and non‑Appalachian portions could receive data-driven recommendations that shorten application-to-disbursement times and better status notifications, potentially speeding access to capital and reducing applicant uncertainty if implemented.
Small-business owners will not see guaranteed or immediate relief because the bill mandates a study and recommendations rather than required operational changes or funding to implement them.
The required GAO study and associated data collection/reporting could impose federal workload and costs (including SBA staff time) and create administrative burdens or confidentiality/privacy risks if granular, region-based metrics require sensitive or labor‑intensive record matching.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires the GAO to study 2021–2024 small business loan disbursement processes and report recommendations, with Appalachian-region breakdowns and timelines for interim and final reports.
Official title: To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on the disbursement process for certain small business loans, and for other purposes.
Introduced December 10, 2025 by David J. Taylor · Last progress December 10, 2025
Directs the Government Accountability Office (Comptroller General) to study how small business loans were disbursed from 2021–2024 and report findings to Congress, with an interim briefing within one year and a final report within two years. The study must produce regional measures for each SBA region that overlaps the Appalachian region, separating results for the portion inside Appalachia from the portion outside, and make recommendations to improve access, shorten application-to-disbursement time, and improve applicant status information. The study covers loans under specified Small Business Act and Small Business Investment Act programs (including 7(a), 7(m), and SBIC-related loans) but excludes pandemic-era COVID-19 programs. It requires detailed metrics (processing times, counts per 1,000 applicants, loan sizes, aggregate dollars-per-1,000) and identifies internal agency process changes to increase lending accessibility.