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H.R. 3496

U.S. House•In Senate Committee

Summary

H.R. 3496, the Northern Mariana Islands Small Business Access Act, was introduced in the House on May 19, 2025 by Rep. Kimberlyn King-Hinds (R) with 3 co-sponsors. It was referred to Small Business And Entrepreneurship, and last saw action on Jan 26, 2026: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Record

Text

H.R. 3496 has 3 co-sponsors.

hb3496/engrossed-in-house.txt
119 HR 3496 EH: Northern Mariana Islands Small Business Access Act
 U.S. House of Representatives
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 IB
 119th CONGRESS  2d Session
 H. R. 3496
 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 AN ACT
To amend the Small Business Act for microloan eligibility for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Northern Mariana Islands Small Business Access Act  .
2.
Inclusion of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in the microloan program
(a)
In general
Section 7(m)(7)(B) of the Small Business Act ( 15 U.S.C. 636(m)(7)(B) ) is amended—
(1)
by inserting  , the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands  after  Guam  each place it appears; and
(2)
in clause (i)(I)(bb), by striking   1/55   and inserting   1/56  .
(b)
Technical amendment
Section 7(m)(11)(C)(ii) of the Small Business Act ( 15 U.S.C. 636(m)(11)(C)(ii) ) is amended by striking  rural  and all that follows through the end of the clause and inserting  rural; and .
     Passed the House of Representatives January 20, 2026.  Kevin F. McCumber,  Clerk.

Tracker

The tracker indicates the progress of this legislation as it moves through the legislative process.

  1. Introduced2025-05-19
  2. Passed House2026-01-20
  3. Passed Senate
  4. Conference
  5. To President
  6. Became Law

CRS Summary

The summaries are the Congressional Research Service’s, one per stage. Read them in full.

Reported to House Dec 12, 2025

hb3496/reported-to-house.md

Shown Here:
Reported to House (12/12/2025)

Northern Mariana Islands Small Business Access Act

This bill expands eligibility for the Small Business Administration microloan program to include entities in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The microloan program provides loans up to $50,000 for small businesses and certain nonprofit childcare centers.

Sponsors

Rep. Kimberlyn King-Hinds (R) sponsors H.R. 3496, and 3 members have co-sponsored it.

Committees

H.R. 3496 went before 2 committees: Small Business and Entrepreneurship and Small Business.

Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Referred To · Jan 26, 2026 · 80 Bills
Small Business
Small Business
Reported By · Dec 12, 2025 · 81 Bills

Reports

1 committee report has been filed on H.R. 3496, the latest H. Rept. 119-402.

Actions

H.R. 3496 has taken 13 actions since May 19, 2025, the latest on Jan 26, 2026.

ChamberAction
Jan 26, 2026
Senate
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee
Jan 20, 202615:30
House
Mr. Williams (TX) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
Jan 20, 202615:30
House
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H929-930)
Jan 20, 202615:30
House
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3496.
Jan 20, 202615:38
House
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H929)

Votes

H.R. 3496 has not gone to a roll call.

Titles

H.R. 3496 goes by 7 titles, 4 of them short titles.

  • Northern Mariana Islands Small Business Access Act — Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text
  • Northern Mariana Islands Small Business Access Act — Short Title(s) as Passed House
  • To amend the Small Business Act for microloan eligibility for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and for other purposes. — Official Titles from EH (Engrossed in House) bill text
  • Northern Mariana Islands Small Business Access Act — Short Title(s) as Reported to House
  • Northern Mariana Islands Small Business Access Act — Display Title
  • Northern Mariana Islands Small Business Access Act — Short Title(s) as Introduced
  • To amend the Small Business Act for microloan eligibility for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and for other purposes. — Official Title as Introduced

Classification

The Congressional Research Service files H.R. 3496 under Commerce, one of its 31 policy areas, and gives it 5 legislative subjects.

CRS Subjects

CRS assigns every bill one policy area from its 31; H.R. 3496’s is Commerce.

hr3496/policy-areas.txt
CommerceAgriculture and FoodAnimalsArmed Forces and National SecurityArts, Culture, ReligionCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority IssuesCongressCrime and Law EnforcementEconomics and Public FinanceEducationEmergency ManagementEnergyEnvironmental ProtectionFamiliesFinance and Financial SectorForeign Trade and International FinanceGovernment Operations and PoliticsHealthHousing and Community DevelopmentImmigrationInternational AffairsLabor and EmploymentLawNative AmericansPublic Lands and Natural ResourcesScience, Technology, CommunicationsSocial WelfareSports and RecreationTaxationTransportation and Public WorksWater Resources Development

Legislative Subjects

H.R. 3496 carries 5 of CRS’s legislative subjects, from Administrative remedies to Small Business Administration.

hr3496/subjects.txt
Administrative remediesGovernment lending and loan guaranteesNorthern Mariana IslandsSmall businessSmall Business Administration

Constitutional authority

The clause the sponsor cites as Congress’s power to enact H.R. 3496, as entered in the Congressional Record.

[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 84 (Monday, May 19, 2025)][House]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Ms. KING-HINDS:H.R. 3496.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution[Page H2147]

Source: congress.gov · legiscan.com