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HR 3818 108th Congress House

Microenterprise Results and Accountability Act of 2004

Official title: To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to improve the results and accountability of microenterprise development assistance programs, and for other purposes.

Introduced: February 24, 2004 Introduced by: Smith, Christopher H. Republican · New Jersey See on congress.gov
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 Everywhere this bill has been 18 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Dec 23, 2004
Became Public Law No: 108-484.
Dec 23, 2004
Signed by President.
Dec 16, 2004
Presented to President.
Dec 9, 2004
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Dec 8, 2004
Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S12018)
Dec 8, 2004
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.(consideration: CR S12018)
Nov 20, 2004
Received in the Senate, read twice.
Nov 20, 2004
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Nov 20, 2004
On passage Passed without objection.
Nov 20, 2004
Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed without objection.
Nov 20, 2004
Considered by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR H10211-10217; text of measure as reported in House: CR H10211-10214)
Nov 20, 2004
Mr. Smith (NJ) asked unanimous consent to discharge the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and consider.
Apr 2, 2004
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on International Relations. H. Rept. 108-459.
Apr 2, 2004
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 262.
Feb 25, 2004
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Feb 25, 2004
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Feb 24, 2004
Introduced in House
Feb 24, 2004
Referred to the House Committee on International Relations.
 Amendments to this bill 1

Amendments propose changes to this bill. Members vote on amendments separately before the final bill vote. An agreed amendment becomes part of the bill; a failed amendment does not.

1 agreed to

AmendmentSponsorPurposeStatusLatest action
HAMDT 812 Smith, Christopher H. Amendment in the nature of a substitute. Agreed to Nov 20, 2004
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 Latest action December 23, 2004

Became Public Law No: 108-484.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the House on November 20, 2004. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Microenterprise Results and Accountability Act of 2004 - (Sec. 3) Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to repeal existing microenterprise development grant authority and reestablish and revise it as a separate title, title VI - Microenterprise Development Assistance.

Authorizes microenterprise development grant assistance in developing countries for: (1) expanding credit, savings, and other financial services; (2) training, technical assistance, and business development services; (3) capacity-building; and (4) policy and regulatory programs at the country level that improve the environment for microenterprise institutions serving the poor and very poor.

Establishes the Office of Microenterprise Development within the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to be headed by a Director capable in both microenterprise development leadership and technical expertise. Requires assistance to emphasize the use of implementing partner organizations meeting high standards of efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability and that especially provide the greatest possible resources to the poor and very poor. Requires the Office, in order to ensure that grant assistance is distributed effectively and efficiently, to also seek to implement a program of central funding under which assistance is administered directly by the Office.

Targets 50 percent of microenterprise assistance for very poor clients (individuals living in the bottom 50 percent below a country's poverty level).

Requires the assistance monitoring system to meet certain performance standards.

Directs USAID, by April 1, 2005, to develop and certify for use at least two poverty measurement methods for partner organization use, which shall be used by such organizations no later than October 1, 2006.

(Sec. 4) Transfers to this title authority for the: (1) microenterprise and small enterprise development credit program; and (2) United States Microfinance Loan Facility.

(Sec. 6) Directs the Administrator to report annually on implementation of this title.

Defines specified terms.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 6 versions

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 3818: Microenterprise Results and Accountability Act of 2004. 108th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/108-HR-3818/
MLA
"H.R. 3818: Microenterprise Results and Accountability Act of 2004." 108th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/108-HR-3818/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 3818, 108th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/108-HR-3818/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 3818: Microenterprise Results and Accountability Act of 2004](https://openamerica.io/bill/108-HR-3818/)
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