PUBLIC LAW 104-208—SEPT. 30, 1996 110 STAT. 3009 -730 shall conduct a demonstration program, within the parameters described in paragraph (2), to evaluate the comparative costs and benefits of having the Administration's portfolio of disaster loans serviced under contract rather than directly by employees of the Administration. All costs of the demonstration program shall be paid from amounts made available for the Salaries and Expenses Account of the Administration. (B) INITIATION DATE.— Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administration shall issue a request for proposals for the program parameters described in paragraph (2). (2) DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM PARAMETERS. — (A) LOAN SAMPLE.— The sample of loans for the demonstration program shall be randomly drawn from the Administration's portfolio of loans made pursuant to section 7(b) of the Small Business Act and shall include a representative group of not less than 30 percent of all loans for residential properties, including 30 percent of all loans made during the demonstration program after the date of enactment of this Act, which loans shall be selected by the Administration on the basis of geographic distribution and such other factors as the Administration determines to be appropriate. (B) CONTRACT AND OPTIONS. —The Administration shall solicit and competitively award one or more contracts to service the loans included in the sample of loans described in subparagraph (A) for a term of not less than one year, with 3 one-year contract renewal options, each of which shall be exercised by the Administration unless the Administration terminates the contractor or contractors for good cause. (3) TERM OF DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.— The demonstration program shall commence not later than October 1, 1997. (4) REPORTS.— (A) INTERIM REPORTS.— Not later than 120 days before the expiration of the initial 4-year contract performance period, the Administrator shall submit to the Committees on Small Business of the House of Representatives and the Senate an interim report on the conduct of the demonstration program. The contractor shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to attach comments to each such report. (B) FINAL REPORT. —Not later than 120 days after the termination of the demonstration program, the Administrator shall submit to the Committees on Small Business of the House of Representatives and the Senate a final report on the performance of the demonstration program, together with the recommendations of the Administrator for continuation, termination, or modification of the demonstration program. (b) DEFINITION OF DISASTER.— (1) IN GENERAL.— Section 3(k) (15 U.S.C. 632(k)) is amended by inserting "commercial fishery failures or fishery resource disasters (as determined by the Secretary of Commerce under section 308(b) of the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act of 1986)," after "tidal waves,".
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