,,ii  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #ibi  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,april #be1         
#bjag,mrs4 ,shaheen introduced the      
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,small   
,business and ,entrepreneurship  ,a     
,,bill  ,to improve the ,h,u,b,zone     
program4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act   
may be cited as the ,invest in ,rural   
,small ,business ,act of #bjag4  #b4    
,flexibility for residency in           
,h,u,b,zones ,section                   
#c7p77#e77;,a77i77,i7 of the ,small     
,business ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4           
#fcb7p77#e77;,a77i77,i77 is amended by  
striking #ce percent each place that    
term appears and inserting #cc percent4 
#c4 ,enabling local communities to      
maximize economic potential ,the ,small 
,business ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #fca et   
seq47 is amended-- 7#a7 in section      
#c7p77#a7 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #fcb7p77#a77-- 
7,a7 in subparagraph 7,e71 by striking  
or at the end2  7,b7 by redesignating   

subparagraph 7,f7 as subparagraph 7,g72 
and  7,c7 by inserting after            
subparagraph 7,e7 the following3  7,f7  
another qualified area designated by the
 ,administrator under section #ca7;d72  
or  2 and  7#b7 in section #ca 7#ae     
,u4,s4,c4 #feg;a7-- 7,a7 by             
redesignating subsection 7d7 as         
subsection 7e72 and  7,b7 by inserting  
after subsection 7c7 the following3  7d7
 ,other qualified areas  7#a7           
,definitions ,in this subsection--  7,a7
 the term covered area means an area in 
a ,state-- 7i7 that is located outside  
of an urbanized area1 as determined by  
the ,bureau of the ,census2 and  7ii7   
with a population of not more than      
#ej1jjj2  7,b7 the term governor means  
the chief executive of a ,state2 and    
7,c7 the term ,state means each of the  
several ,states1 the ,district of       
,columbia1 the ,commonwealth of ,puerto 
,rico1 the ,virgin ,islands1 ,guam1 the 
,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana 
,islands1 and ,american ,samoa4  7#b7   

,designation ,a governor may petition   
the ,administrator to designate one or  
more covered areas as a ,h,u,b,zone if  
the average unemployment rate of each   
covered area is not less than #abj      
percent of the average unemployment rate
 of the ,united ,states or of the ,state
 in which the covered area is located1  
whichever is less1 based on the most    
recent data available from the ,american
 ,community ,survey conducted by the    
,bureau of the ,census4  7#c7 ,criteria 
,in reviewing a petition submitted by a 
governor under paragraph 7#b71 the      
,administrator may consider--  7,a7 the 
potential for job creation and          
investment2  7,b7 the demonstrated      
interest of small business concerns in  
the covered area to participate in the  
,h,u,b,zone program established under   
section #ca2 and  7,c7 the consideration
 by ,state and local government         
officials of a ,h,u,b,zone as part of an
 economic development strategy4  7#d7   
,petition ,with respect to a petition   

submitted by a governor to the          
,administrator under paragraph 7#b7--   
7,a7 the governor may submit not more   
than #a petition in a fiscal year unless
 the ,administrator determines that an  
additional petition from the ,state of  
the governor is appropriate2  7,b7 the  
governor may not submit a petition for  
more than #aj percent of the total      
number of covered areas in the ,state of
 the governor2 and  7,c7 if the         
,administrator grants the petition and  
designates one or more covered areas as 
a ,h,u,b,zone1 the governor shall1 not  
less frequently than annually1 submit   
data to the ,administrator certifying   
that each covered area continues to meet
 the requirements of clauses 7i7 and    
7ii7 of paragraph 7#a77;,a74  7#e7      
,process ,the ,administrator shall      
establish procedures-- 7,a7 to ensure   
that the ,administration accepts        
petitions under paragraph 7#b7 from all 
,states each fiscal year2 and  7,b7 to  
provide technical assistance1 before the

 filing of a petition under paragraph   
7#b71 to a governor who is interested in
 filing such a petition4  4  #d4        
,ensuring timely consideration of       
,h,u,b,zone applications ,section       
#c7p77#e7 of the ,small ,business ,act  
7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #fcb7p77#e77 is amended  
by adding at the end the following3     
7,c7 ,review of applications ,not later 
than #fj days after the date on which   
the ,administrator receives an          
application from a small business       
concern to be certified as a qualified  
,h,u,b,zone small business concern under
 subparagraph 7,a77i71 the              
,administrator shall approve or deny the
 application4  4