Sponsors (5)
The bill creates a dedicated SBA Office and funding pathway to expand culturally informed small‑business support for Native American and Native Hawaiian communities, but its real-world impact depends on future staffing, funding, and implementation choices and will increase federal spending.
Native American tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations will get a dedicated SBA Office to coordinate entrepreneurial, contracting, and capital-access programs, improving their ability to obtain federal small-business support.
Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations can receive grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements to fund training, counseling, workshops, and supplier events, expanding capacity-building and business development.
Annual budget recommendations and appropriations authority through FY2026–FY2030 create a defined funding pathway that increases the likelihood of sustained programming and support.
Tribes and small businesses risk limited benefits if the new Office lacks sufficient staffing, funding, or interagency cooperation—outcomes the statute does not guarantee.
Alternative work sites that are not full SBA field offices may provide more limited services than branch offices, leaving some communities underserved.
Routing financial assistance through intermediary nonprofits may lead to uneven service quality if intermediary organizations vary in capacity.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates an SBA Office of Native American Affairs led by an Associate Administrator to coordinate entrepreneurial, contracting, and capital-access programs for Tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations and authorizes funding for FY2026–2030.
Introduced September 17, 2025 by John Wright Hickenlooper · Last progress September 17, 2025
Creates an Office of Native American Affairs inside the Small Business Administration led by an Associate Administrator to coordinate SBA entrepreneurial development, contracting, and capital-access programs for Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations. The Office will run outreach, provide grants/contracts/cooperative assistance to Tribes and qualifying nonprofits, help connect Tribes to other federal programs, support Tribal consultation, and recommend budgets; appropriations are authorized for FY2026–FY2030.