(1) The board of regents of Washington State University shall establish the Washington State University small business development center.
(2) The center shall provide management and technical assistance including but not limited to training, counseling, and research services to small businesses throughout the state. The center shall work with the department of commerce, the state board for community and technical colleges, the workforce training and education coordinating board, the employment security department, associate development organizations, and workforce development councils to:
(a) Integrate small business development centers with other state and local economic development and workforce development programs;
(b) Target the centers' services to small businesses;
(c) Tailor outreach and services at each center to the needs and demographics of entrepreneurs and small businesses located within the service area;
(d) Establish and expand small business development center satellite offices when financially feasible; and
(e) Coordinate delivery of services to avoid duplication.
(3) The administrator of the center may contract with other public or private entities for the provision of specialized services.
(4) The small business development center may accept and disburse federal grants or federal matching funds or other funds or donations from any source when made, granted, or donated to carry out the center's purposes. When drawing on funds from the business assistance account created in RCW
28B.30.531, the center must first use the funds to make increased management and technical assistance available to existing small businesses and start-up businesses at satellite offices. The funds may also be used to develop and expand assistance programs such as small business planning workshops and small business counseling.
(5) By December 1, 2010, the center shall provide a written progress report and a final report to the appropriate committees of the legislature with respect to the requirements in subsection (2) of this section and the amount and use of funding received through the business assistance account. The reports must also include data on the number, location, staffing, and budget levels of satellite offices; affiliations with community colleges, associate development organizations or other local organizations; the number, size, and type of small businesses assisted; and the types of services provided. The reports must also include information on the outcomes achieved, such as jobs created or retained, private capital invested, and return on the investment of state and federal dollars.
(6)(a) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, by December 1, 2010, the center, in conjunction with the department of commerce, must prepare and present to the governor and appropriate legislative committees a specific, actionable plan to increase access to capital and technical assistance to small businesses and entrepreneurs beginning with the 2011-2013 biennium. In developing the plan, the center and the department may consult with the Washington state microenterprise association, and with other government, nonprofit, and private organizations as necessary. The plan must identify:
(i) Existing sources of capital and technical assistance for small businesses and entrepreneurs;
(ii) Critical gaps and barriers to availability of capital and delivery of technical assistance to small businesses and entrepreneurs;
(iii) Workable solutions to filling the gaps and removing barriers identified in (a)(ii) of this subsection; and
(iv) The financial resources and statutory changes necessary to put the plan into effect beginning with the 2011-2013 biennium.
(b) With respect to increasing access to capital, the plan must identify specific, feasible sources of capital and practical mechanisms for expanding access to it.
(c) The center and the department must include, within the analysis and recommendations in (a) of this subsection, any specific gaps, barriers, and solutions related to rural and low-income communities and small manufacturers interested in exporting.
