Bill · S. 298· Senate(119-S-298)
Returning SBA to Main Street Act
- Introduced
- 1/29/2025
- Last activity
- 3/4/2025 — Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 21.
- Sponsored by
- Joni Ernst
- Cosponsors
- - 2 - 0
- Introduced
- On Calendar
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "Returning SBA to Main Street Act," requires the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to relocate at least 30 percent of headquarters employees to offices outside the Washington metropolitan area. The relocation process involves changing permanent duty stations to locations throughout the Administration's various regions. Employees subject to these changes will have their pay recalculated based on their new location's pay locality and will no longer be authorized to telework on a full-time basis. Additionally, the Administrator must reduce headquarters office space by at least 30 percent. The bill includes specific requirements for reporting, implementation timelines, and considerations for geographic diversity.
Yes· 3 of 4
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?+5
The bill requires reducing headquarters office space by 30 percent and relocating employees to lower-cost pay localities to reduce federal costs.
Does this invest in rural communities?+3
The bill directs the Administrator to promote geographic diversity by considering rural markets when determining new duty stations.
Would people in rural areas be better off under this?+3
The bill aims to increase staffing and in-person customer service within various regions, including rural markets.
The opposite
Would people with disabilities be better off under this?-3
The bill restricts full-time telework for all employees except those receiving reasonable accommodations under the ADA.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?-1
The bill's impact on low-income households is indirect and not explicitly addressed in the text.
Does this make housing cost less?-1
The bill's focus on reducing office space and relocating staff does not directly impact housing affordability.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Increased In-Person Customer Service: The Administrator is directed to ensure adequate staffing throughout the Administration's regions to promote in-person customer service (Section 3(b)(2)).
-
Geographic Diversity: The determination of new duty stations is required to promote geographic diversity, which includes considering rural markets (Section 3(b)(1)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
-
Changes to Pay: For employees whose duty stations are changed, the rate of pay will be recalculated based on the pay locality of the new permanent duty station (Section 3(a)(2)(A)).
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Restrictions on Telework: Employees whose duty stations are relocated will not be authorized to telework on a full-time basis (Section 3(a)(2)(B)). Furthermore, full-time teleworkers remaining in the Washington metropolitan area will also no longer be authorized to telework on a full-time basis (Section 3(e)(2)(A)).
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Loss of Relocation Incentives: If an employee's official worksite changes from their residence to the headquarters of the Administration, they are not to be paid any relocation incentive (Section 3(e)(3)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Economy And Finance
- Reduces Government Spending+5
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Rural Development+3
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+2
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Rural Residents+3Good For People With Disabilities-3Good For Low Income Households-1
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Affordable Housing-1
- 3/4/2025
- Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Reported by Senator Ernst with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
- Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 21.
- 2/20/2025
- Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- 1/29/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Marsha BlackburnRepublican · Tennessee
Tim ScottRepublican · South Carolina