Office of Rural Affairs Enhancement Act

The bill would amend Section 26 of the Small Business Act to clarify and expand the responsibilities of the SBA's Office of Rural Affairs. It would require that the office's Assistant Administrator be selected through a competitive hiring process and meet specific qualifications — including education or professional experience with rural affairs, small business issues, and development assistance for rural businesses. The bill would also direct the office to host webinars and regional outreach events across the country for rural small businesses, inviting district office representatives, resource partners, and federal and state agencies to participate. Additionally, it would update an outdated agency reference, replacing "United States Tourism and Travel Administration" with "National Travel and Tourism Office of the Department of Commerce."

The bill would require the SBA Administrator to submit an annual report to the House and Senate Small Business committees covering the office's operational details, budget, staffing, outreach activity, lending program analysis, and information gathered from outreach events. It would not create new grant programs or appropriate additional funding.

Rural small businesses and entrepreneurs seeking SBA assistance; the SBA's Office of Rural Affairs and its staff, including the incoming Assistant Administrator who would need to meet new qualifications; SBA district offices and resource partners such as Small Business Development Centers, Women's Business Centers, SCORE chapters, and Veteran Business Outreach Centers invited to participate in outreach events.

Rural small businesses often have less access to federal support than urban counterparts. By professionalizing the hiring of the office's top official, expanding outreach obligations, and requiring transparent annual reporting, the bill would hold the SBA more accountable for how it serves rural entrepreneurs — and give Congress a clearer annual picture of whether the office is doing its job.

The SBA would select an Assistant Administrator through a competitive civil-service process, subject to the new qualification requirements. The Assistant Administrator would then organize webinars and regional outreach events, coordinating with district offices, resource partners, and other federal and state agencies. The Administrator would submit the first annual report to the relevant House and Senate committees within 180 days of enactment, and annually thereafter, covering staffing, budget, outreach activity, lending data, and event findings; each report would also be made publicly available on an SBA website.