HUBZone Improvement Act of 2006

H.R. 5934, the HUBZone Improvement Act of 2006, would have expanded the number of rural areas eligible for federal small business assistance by changing how "qualified nonmetropolitan counties" are defined. Under this bill, certain small counties located within larger metropolitan areas could qualify for the HUBZone program if they had a population of 80,000 or less, a low percentage of urban residents, and met specific economic criteria regarding income or unemployment. The practical impact would have been to grant small businesses in these specific rural pockets access to federal contracting preferences and set-asides, intended to stimulate job creation and economic growth in underutilized areas.