Supporting Disabled Entrepreneurs Act

What it does

• •Establishes a Coordinator for Disabled Small Business Concerns position within the SBA's Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights.
• •Requires the Coordinator to develop strategies, provide technical support, facilitate outreach, and establish partnerships to support disabled small business concerns across capital access, contracting, and counseling programs.
• •Mandates the Coordinator hold public stakeholder meetings at least every 6 months (starting 1 year after enactment) and submit a report to Congress within 2 years with activity summaries and recommendations.
• •Requires the SBA to collect voluntary data on disability status of small businesses in program intake forms within 1 year and publicly report services provided to disabled entrepreneurs.

Why it matters

• •Creates a dedicated federal position focused specifically on disabled entrepreneurs' access to SBA programs, addressing gaps in support across capital, counseling, and contracting.
• •Establishes accountability through regular public stakeholder meetings and congressional reporting, enabling oversight of program effectiveness and identification of unmet needs.
• •Directs data collection on disability status to enable evidence-based improvements to SBA services for this underserved population.

Who is affected

• •Disabled small business owners and entrepreneurs seeking access to SBA capital, contracting opportunities, and business counseling.
• •The Small Business Administration and its resource partners (small business development centers, women's business centers, SCORE chapters, Veteran Business Outreach Centers).
• •Federal agencies including the National Council on Disability, Department of Labor, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Education, and others collaborating on disabled entrepreneur support.

What happens next

The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship; if approved, the SBA Administrator would have 180 days to designate a Coordinator and begin implementation of the specified duties and data collection requirements.