Sponsors (4)
The bill funds a GAO review whose recommendations could speed and clarify loan access for small businesses in Appalachian and similar regions, at the cost of modest additional administrative expenses and use of GAO resources.
Small-business owners in Appalachian and other covered regions could receive faster loan disbursements and better transparency about application status and expected timelines if agencies implement GAO recommendations to streamline processing and improve applicant information.
Congress and local policymakers will get region-level data on loan access and processing disparities between Appalachian and non‑Appalachian areas, enabling more targeted policymaking to address gaps.
Taxpayers could face higher administrative costs if agencies implement recommendations that require new processes or technology to change loan programs or processing.
The GAO study will consume staff time and resources, which could divert GAO capacity from other oversight priorities.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires GAO to study small business loan disbursement (2021–2024), report region-level measures for Appalachian and non-Appalachian areas, and recommend improvements within two years.
Introduced December 10, 2025 by David J. Taylor · Last progress December 10, 2025
Requires the Government Accountability Office to study how small business loans were processed and disbursed from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2024, producing region-level measures for each federal Administration region that overlaps the Appalachian region and separately for the parts inside and outside Appalachia. The GAO must provide a progress briefing to Congress within one year and deliver a final report within two years with data, analysis, and recommendations to improve access, shorten application-to-disbursement times, improve applicant status communications, and address internal processing inefficiencies. Definitions specify which loan programs and which businesses are in scope and exclude pandemic-era emergency loan programs.