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HR 8708
Introduced Re-checks Congress.gov for new actions and updates the bill's status, and fills in any sponsors, committees, or related bills that are missing. It does not re-pull sponsors/cosponsors/committees/related — those rarely change — and it skips all work if nothing has changed upstream, so it's cheap to click.

Main Street BRIDGE Act

To direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration and the National Director of the Minority Business Development Agency to direct small business development centers and MBDA Business Centers to collaborate to better serve small business concerns, and for other purposes.

Introduced May 7, 2026

Latest action (May 7, 2026) Referred to the Committee on Small Business, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Referred to
Financial Services Committee Small Business Committee
Policy area
Commerce
Issues
Economy & Taxes

Summary
  • Directs the Small Business Administration and Minority Business Development Agency to require their respective business centers to collaborate to better serve small business concerns within 180 days of enactment.
  • Requires small business development centers and MBDA Business Centers to work together on consultations, educational activities, and outreach to entrepreneurs.
  • Requires a joint report to Congress two years after enactment describing the collaboration results, including numbers of businesses served, new businesses started, and jobs created.
  • The report must include the dollar amount of financial assistance provided to small businesses and recommendations for enhancing collaboration between the centers.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)
1 cosponsor

Money behind the sponsor

Top reported contributors to Hillary J. Scholten’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.

  • MILLER JOHNSON $49,450
  • Employer not reported $31,400
  • VARNUM LLP $18,500
  • COREWELL HEALTH $14,705
  • ALSOP LOUIE PARTNERS $12,500

Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Hillary J. Scholten → · Outside spending →

Actions (2)
  1. May 7, 2026 Referred to the Committee on Small Business, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. · house
  2. May 7, 2026 Introduced in House

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

  • HR 8882 — Main Street Competes Act · Passed House Jun 24, 2026 · Cong. 119 61%
  • HR 4929 — Expanding Opportunities for Main Street Act of 2010 · Introduced Mar 24, 2010 · Cong. 111 61%
  • HR 5764 — AI for Main Street Act · Passed House Jan 26, 2026 · Cong. 119 61%
  • S 4241 — Boosting Housing Supply through Small Businesses Act of 2026 · Introduced Mar 26, 2026 · Cong. 119 60%
  • HR 4329 — Building Civic Bridges Act · Introduced Jul 10, 2025 · Cong. 119 59%
  • HR 6855 — White House Conference on Small Business Act of 2025 · Introduced Dec 18, 2025 · Cong. 119 59%

Text versions (1)
  • Introduced in House · May 7, 2026

Only one text version is on file, so there’s no earlier version to compare against yet.

Full text

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 7, 2026

Ms. Scholten (for herself and Ms. Pettersen) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Small Business, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL

To direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration and the National Director of the Minority Business Development Agency to direct small business development centers and MBDA Business Centers to collaborate to better serve small business concerns, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Main Street Business Resource Integration and Development for Growth and Equity Act” or “Main Street BRIDGE Act”.

SEC. 2. COLLABORATION BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS AND MBDA BUSINESS CENTERS.

(a) Collaboration Required.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator and the Secretary, acting through the Director, shall direct small business development centers and MBDA Business Centers, respectively, to collaborate to better serve small business concerns.

(b) Report.—Not later than two years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator and the Director shall jointly submit to Congress a report that includes the following:

(1) A summary of the results of the collaboration required under subsection (a).

(2) A description of the challenges faced by small business development centers and MBDA Business Centers in carrying out the collaboration required under subsection (a).

(3) The number of consultations, educational activities, and outreach activities performed by small business development centers and MBDA Business Centers in connection with the collaboration required under subsection (a).

(4) The number of small business concerns served as a result of the collaboration required under subsection (a).

(5) The number of new small business concerns started as a result of the collaboration required under subsection (a).

(6) The number of new jobs created and existing jobs supported, in small business concerns, as a result of the collaboration required under subsection (a).

(7) The dollar amount of financial assistance provided to small business concerns as a result of assistance received from small business development centers and MBDA Business Centers in connection with the collaboration required under subsection

(a).

(8) Any recommendations for enhancing collaboration between small business development centers and MBDA Business Centers.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:

(1) Administrator.—The term “Administrator” means the Administrator of the Small Business Administration.

(2) Director.—The term “Director” means the National Director of the Minority Business Development Agency.

(3) MBDA business center.—The term “MBDA Business Center” has the meaning given that term in section 100002(7) of the Minority Business Development Act of 2021 (15 U.S.C. 9501(7)).

(4) Secretary.—The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Commerce.

(5) Small business concern.—The term “small business concern” has the meaning given the term under section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632).

(6) Small business development center.—The term “small business development center” has the meaning given that term in section 3(t) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632(t)). <all>

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