II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 121 

To establish the veterans’ business outreach center program, to improve 

the programs for veterans of the Small Business Administration, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 12, 2017 

Mr. HELLER introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship 

A BILL 

To establish the veterans’ business outreach center program, 

to improve the programs for veterans of the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans Small Busi5 ness Ownership Improvements Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. VETERANS’ BUSINESS OUTREACH CENTER PRO2 GRAM; OFFICE OF VETERANS BUSINESS DE3 VELOPMENT. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 32 of the Small Business 

5 Act (15 U.S.C. 657b) is amended by striking subsections 

6 (d), (e), and (f) and inserting the following: 

7 ‘‘(d) BOOTS TO BUSINESS PROGRAM.— 

8 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection— 

9 ‘‘(A) the term ‘covered individual’ means— 

10 ‘‘(i) a member of the Armed Forces, 

11 without regard to whether the member is 

12 participating in the Transition Assistance 

13 Program of the Department of Defense; 

14 ‘‘(ii) an individual who is participating 

15 in the Transition Assistance Program of 

16 the Department of Defense; 

17 ‘‘(iii) an individual who— 

18 ‘‘(I) served on active duty in any 

19 branch of the Armed Forces, includ20 ing the National Guard and Reserves; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(II) was discharged or released 

23 from such service under conditions 

24 other than dishonorable; and 


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1 ‘‘(iv) a spouse or dependent of an in2 dividual described in clause (i), (ii), or (iii); 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(B) the term ‘Vet Center’ means a center 

5 for readjustment counseling and related mental 

6 health services for veterans under section 

7 1712A of title 38, United States Code. 

8 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a 

9 program to be known as the ‘Boots to Business Pro10 gram’ to provide entrepreneurship training to cov11 ered individuals, which shall be carried out by the 

12 Administrator. 

13 ‘‘(3) GOALS.—The goals of the Boots to Busi14 ness Program are to— 

15 ‘‘(A) provide exposure, introduction, and 

16 in-depth training for covered individuals inter17 ested in business ownership; and 

18 ‘‘(B) provide covered individuals with the 

19 tools and knowledge necessary to identify a 

20 business opportunity, draft a business plan, 

21 identify sources of capital, connect with local 

22 small business resources, and launch a small 

23 business concern. 

24 ‘‘(4) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Boots to Busi2 ness Program may include— 

3 ‘‘(i) a brief presentation providing ex4 posure to the considerations involved in 

5 self-employment and small business owner6 ship; 

7 ‘‘(ii) an online, self-study course fo8 cused on the basic skills of entrepreneur9 ship, the language of business, and the 

10 considerations involved in self-employment 

11 and small business ownership; 

12 ‘‘(iii) an in-person classroom instruc13 tion component providing an introduction 

14 to the foundations of self employment and 

15 small business ownership; and 

16 ‘‘(iv) in-depth training delivered 

17 through online instruction, including an 

18 online course that leads to the creation of 

19 a business plan. 

20 ‘‘(B) COLLABORATION.—The Adminis21 trator may— 

22 ‘‘(i) collaborate with public and pri23 vate entities to develop a course curriculum 

24 for the Boots to Business Program; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) modify program components in 

2 coordination with entities participating in 

3 the Warriors in Transition programs, as 

4 defined in section 738(f) of the National 

5 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 

6 2013 (10 U.S.C. 1071 note). 

7 ‘‘(C) UTILIZATION OF RESOURCE PART8 NERS.— 

9 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Associate Ad10 ministrator shall— 

11 ‘‘(I) ensure that veterans’ busi12 ness outreach centers regularly par13 ticipate, on a nationwide basis, in the 

14 Boots to Business Program; and 

15 ‘‘(II) to the maximum extent 

16 practicable, use a variety of other re17 source partners and entities in admin18 istering the Boots to Business Pro19 gram. 

20 ‘‘(ii) GRANT AUTHORITY.—In carrying 

21 out clause (i), the Associate Administrator 

22 may make grants to veterans’ business 

23 outreach centers, other resource partners, 

24 and other entities to carry out components 

25 of the Boots to Business Program. 


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1 ‘‘(D) AVAILABILITY TO DOD.—The Admin2 istrator shall— 

3 ‘‘(i) make available electronically in4 formation regarding the Boots to Business 

5 Program and all course materials created 

6 for the Boots to Business Program to the 

7 Secretary of Defense for inclusion on the 

8 website of the Department of Defense re9 lating to the Transition Assistance Pro10 gram and in the Transition Assistance 

11 Program manual and other publications 

12 and materials available for distribution 

13 from the Secretary of Defense; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) fully participate in the inter15 agency governance of the Transition As16 sistance Program. 

17 ‘‘(E) AVAILABILITY TO VETERANS AF18 FAIRS.—In consultation with the Secretary of 

19 Veterans Affairs, the Associate Administrator 

20 shall make available outreach materials regard21 ing the Boots to Business Program for distribu22 tion and display at local facilities of the Depart23 ment of Veterans Affairs (including medical 

24 centers, community-based outpatient clinics, 

25 Vet Centers, and other facilities determined apVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Jan 26, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S121.IS S121

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1 propriate by the Associate Administrator and 

2 the Secretary), which shall, at a minimum— 

3 ‘‘(i) describe the Boots to Business 

4 Program, including a description of serv5 ices provided; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) include eligibility requirements 

7 for participating in the Boots to Business 

8 Program. 

9 ‘‘(5) REVIEW.—The Inspector General of the 

10 Administration shall submit to the Committee on 

11 Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate 

12 and the Committee on Small Business of the House 

13 of Representatives an annual report regarding the 

14 awarding of grants under the Boots to Business 

15 Program. 

16 ‘‘(e) WOMEN VETERANS BUSINESS TRAINING PRO17 GRAM.— 

18 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 

19 ‘covered individual’ means an individual who— 

20 ‘‘(A) is female; and 

21 ‘‘(B) is— 

22 ‘‘(i) a member of the Armed Forces; 

23 ‘‘(ii) a veteran; or 

24 ‘‘(iii) the spouse or dependent of a 

25 member of the Armed Forces or a veteran. 


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1 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator 

2 shall establish a program, to be known as the 

3 Women Veterans Business Training Program, to 

4 provide specific training for covered individuals in5 terested in exploring careers as owners of small busi6 ness concerns. 

7 ‘‘(3) GOALS.—The goals of the Women Vet8 erans Business Training Program are to— 

9 ‘‘(A) help covered individuals by providing 

10 the tools to become successful entrepreneurs; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(B) integrate the leadership, integrity, 

13 focus, and drive of covered individuals into a 

14 premier education training program taught by 

15 accomplished entrepreneurs and entrepreneur16 ship educators from across the United States. 

17 ‘‘(4) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Women Veterans 

19 Business Training Program may include— 

20 ‘‘(i) an online, self-study course fo21 cused on the basic skills of entrepreneur22 ship and the language of business; 

23 ‘‘(ii) a conference where participants 

24 are exposed to accomplished entrepreneurs 


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1 and entrepreneurship educators from 

2 across the United States; and 

3 ‘‘(iii) a plan to provide ongoing sup4 port and mentorship. 

5 ‘‘(B) COLLABORATION.—The Adminis6 trator may collaborate with public and private 

7 entities to develop a course curriculum for the 

8 Women Veterans Business Training Program. 

9 ‘‘(5) WOMEN VETERANS BUSINESS TRAINING.— 

10 The Associate Administrator shall— 

11 ‘‘(A) compile information on resources 

12 available to women veterans for business train13 ing, including resources for— 

14 ‘‘(i) vocational and technical edu15 cation; 

16 ‘‘(ii) general business skills, such as 

17 marketing and accounting; and 

18 ‘‘(iii) business assistance programs 

19 targeted to women veterans; 

20 ‘‘(B) disseminate the information compiled 

21 under subparagraph (A) through veterans’ busi22 ness outreach centers and women’s business 

23 centers; and 

24 ‘‘(C) in consultation with the Secretary of 

25 Veterans Affairs, make available outreach mateVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Jan 26, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S121.IS S121

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1 rials regarding the Women Veterans Business 

2 Training Program for distribution and display 

3 at local facilities of the Department of Veterans 

4 Affairs (including medical centers, community5 based outpatient clinics, Vet Centers (as de6 fined in subsection (d)(1)), and other facilities 

7 determined appropriate by the Associate Ad8 ministrator and the Secretary), which shall, at 

9 a minimum— 

10 ‘‘(i) describe the Women Veterans 

11 Business Training Program, including a 

12 description of services provided; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) include eligibility requirements 

14 for participating in the Women Veterans 

15 Business Training Program. 

16 ‘‘(6) GRANT AUTHORITY.—The Associate Ad17 ministrator may make grants to veterans’ business 

18 outreach centers, women’s business centers, and 

19 other entities, including other resource partners, to 

20 carry out components of the Women Veterans Busi21 ness Training Program. 

22 ‘‘(f) BUSINESS TRAINING PROGRAM FOR SERVICE

23 DISABLED VETERANS.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es25 tablish a Business Training Program for Service 


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1 Disabled Veterans to provide specific training for 

2 service-disabled veterans interested in exploring ca3 reers as owners of small business concerns. 

4 ‘‘(2) GOALS.—The goals of the Business Train5 ing Program for Service Disabled Veterans are to— 

6 ‘‘(A) help service-disabled veterans by pro7 viding the tools to become successful entre8 preneurs; and 

9 ‘‘(B) integrate the leadership, integrity, 

10 focus, and drive of service-disabled veterans 

11 into a premier education training program 

12 taught by accomplished entrepreneurs and en13 trepreneurship educators from across the 

14 United States. 

15 ‘‘(3) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Business Train17 ing Program for Service Disabled Veterans may 

18 include— 

19 ‘‘(i) an online, self-study course fo20 cused on the basic skills of entrepreneur21 ship and the language of business; 

22 ‘‘(ii) a conference where participants 

23 are exposed to accomplished entrepreneurs 

24 and entrepreneurship educators from 

25 across the United States; and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) a plan to provide ongoing sup2 port and mentorship. 

3 ‘‘(B) COLLABORATION.—The Adminis4 trator may collaborate with public and private 

5 entities to develop a course curriculum for the 

6 Business Training Program for Service Dis7 abled Veterans. 

8 ‘‘(4) AVAILABILITY TO VETERANS AFFAIRS.—In 

9 consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 

10 the Associate Administrator shall make available 

11 outreach materials regarding the Business Training 

12 Program for Service Disabled Veterans for distribu13 tion and display at local facilities of the Department 

14 of Veterans Affairs (including medical centers, com15 munity-based outpatient clinics, Vet Centers (as de16 fined in subsection (d)(1)), and other facilities deter17 mined appropriate by the Associate Administrator 

18 and the Secretary), which shall, at a minimum— 

19 ‘‘(A) describe the Business Training Pro20 gram for Service Disabled Veterans, including a 

21 description of services provided; and 

22 ‘‘(B) include eligibility requirements for 

23 participating in the Business Training Program 

24 for Service Disabled Veterans. 


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1 ‘‘(5) GRANT AUTHORITY.—The Associate Ad2 ministrator may make grants to veterans’ business 

3 outreach centers and other entities, including other 

4 resource partners, to carry out components of the 

5 Business Training Program for Service Disabled 

6 Veterans. 

7 ‘‘(g) VETERANS’ BUSINESS OUTREACH CENTER

8 PROGRAM.— 

9 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection— 

10 ‘‘(A) the term ‘active duty’ has the mean11 ing given that term in section 101 of title 10, 

12 United States Code; 

13 ‘‘(B) the term ‘Reservist’ means a member 

14 of a reserve component of the Armed Forces, as 

15 described in section 10101 of title 10, United 

16 States Code; 

17 ‘‘(C) the term ‘small business concern 

18 owned and controlled by veterans’— 

19 ‘‘(i) has the meaning given that term 

20 in section 3(q); and 

21 ‘‘(ii) includes a small business con22 cern— 

23 ‘‘(I) not less than 51 percent of 

24 which is owned by 1 or more spouses 

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1 licly owned business, not less than 51 

2 percent of the stock of which is owned 

3 by 1 or more spouses of veterans; and 

4 ‘‘(II) the management and daily 

5 business operations of which are con6 trolled by 1 or more spouses of vet7 erans; 

8 ‘‘(D) the term ‘spouse’, relating to a mem9 ber of the Armed Forces on active duty, vet10 eran, service-disabled veteran, or Reservist, in11 cludes an individual who, on the date on which 

12 the member of the Armed Forces on active 

13 duty, veteran, service-disabled veteran, or Re14 servist died, is the spouse of the member of the 

15 Armed Forces on active duty, veteran, service16 disabled veteran, or Reservist; and 

17 ‘‘(E) the term ‘veterans’ business outreach 

18 center program’ means the program established 

19 under paragraph (2)(A). 

20 ‘‘(2) PROGRAM ESTABLISHED.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, 

22 acting through the Associate Administrator, 

23 shall establish a veterans’ business outreach 

24 center program, under which the Associate Ad25 ministrator may provide financial assistance to 


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1 educational institutions, veterans’ nonprofit 

2 community-based organizations, and Federal, 

3 State, and local departments and agencies to 

4 conduct a 5-year project for the benefit of small 

5 business concerns owned and controlled by vet6 erans, which, upon application by the entity re7 ceiving financial assistance, may be renewed for 

8 1 or more additional 5-year periods. 

9 ‘‘(B) FORM OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 

10 Financial assistance under this subsection may 

11 be in the form of a grant, a contract, or a coop12 erative agreement. 

13 ‘‘(3) VETERANS’ BUSINESS OUTREACH CEN14 TERS.—Each entity that receives financial assistance 

15 under this subsection shall establish or operate a 

16 veterans’ business outreach center (which may in17 clude establishing or operating satellite offices in the 

18 region described in paragraph (5) served by that en19 tity) that provides to veterans (including service-dis20 abled veterans), Reservists, and the spouses of mem21 bers of the Armed Forces on active duty, veterans 

22 (including service-disabled veterans), and Reserv23 ists— 

24 ‘‘(A) financial advice, including training 

25 and counseling on applying for and securing 


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1 business credit and investment capital, pre2 paring and presenting financial statements, and 

3 managing cash flow and other financial oper4 ations of a small business concern; 

5 ‘‘(B) management advice, including train6 ing and counseling on the planning, organiza7 tion, staffing, direction, and control of each 

8 major activity and function of a small business 

9 concern; 

10 ‘‘(C) technical assistance, training, and 

11 counseling to assist in identifying and obtaining 

12 Federal procurement opportunities; 

13 ‘‘(D) marketing advice, including training 

14 and counseling on identifying and segmenting 

15 domestic and international market opportuni16 ties, preparing and executing marketing plans, 

17 developing pricing strategies, locating contract 

18 opportunities, negotiating contracts, and using 

19 public relations and advertising techniques; and 

20 ‘‘(E) other advice, including training and 

21 counseling. 

22 ‘‘(4) APPLICATION.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An entity desiring to 

24 receive financial assistance under this sub25 section shall submit an application to the AssoVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Jan 26, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S121.IS S121

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1 ciate Administrator at such time and in such 

2 manner as the Associate Administrator may re3 quire. 

4 ‘‘(B) 5-YEAR PLAN.—Each application de5 scribed in subparagraph (A) shall include a 5- 

6 year plan on proposed fundraising and training 

7 activities relating to the veterans’ business out8 reach center. 

9 ‘‘(C) DETERMINATION AND NOTIFICA10 TION.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

11 on which applications for a fiscal year are re12 quired to be submitted under subparagraph (A), 

13 the Associate Administrator shall approve or 

14 deny any application submitted and notify the 

15 applicant of the determination. 

16 ‘‘(D) AVAILABILITY OF APPLICATION.— 

17 The Associate Administrator shall make every 

18 effort to make the application under subpara19 graph (A) available online. 

20 ‘‘(5) ELIGIBILITY.—The Associate Adminis21 trator may select to receive financial assistance 

22 under this subsection— 

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1 tion 8(b)(17) on or before the day before the 

2 date of enactment of this subsection; or 

3 ‘‘(B) educational institutions, veterans’ 

4 nonprofit community-based organizations, and 

5 Federal, State, and local departments and 

6 agencies located in various regions of the 

7 United States, as the Associate Administrator 

8 determines is appropriate. 

9 ‘‘(6) SELECTION CRITERIA.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Associate Admin11 istrator shall establish selection criteria, stated 

12 in terms of relative importance, to evaluate and 

13 rank applicants under paragraph (5)(B) for fi14 nancial assistance under this subsection. 

15 ‘‘(B) CRITERIA.—The selection criteria es16 tablished under this paragraph shall include— 

17 ‘‘(i) the experience of the applicant in 

18 conducting programs or ongoing efforts de19 signed to impart or upgrade the business 

20 skills of veterans (including service-dis21 abled veterans), Reservists, and the 

22 spouses of members of the Armed Forces 

23 on active duty, veterans (including service24 disabled veterans), and Reservists who own 

25 or may own small business concerns; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) for an applicant for initial finan2 cial assistance under this subsection— 

3 ‘‘(I) the ability of the applicant 

4 to begin operating a veterans’ busi5 ness outreach center within a min6 imum amount of time; and 

7 ‘‘(II) the geographic region to be 

8 served by the veterans’ business out9 reach center; 

10 ‘‘(iii) the demonstrated ability of the 

11 applicant to— 

12 ‘‘(I) provide managerial coun13 seling and technical assistance to en14 trepreneurs; and 

15 ‘‘(II) coordinate services provided 

16 by veterans service organizations and 

17 other public or private entities; 

18 ‘‘(iv) the demonstrated ability to le19 verage and coordinate with existing re20 sources and infrastructure of the Adminis21 tration; and 

22 ‘‘(v) for any applicant for a renewal of 

23 financial assistance under this subsection, 

24 the results of the most recent examination 

25 under paragraph (11) of the veterans’ 


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1 business outreach center operated by the 

2 applicant. 

3 ‘‘(C) CRITERIA PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.— 

4 The Associate Administrator shall— 

5 ‘‘(i) make publicly available the selec6 tion criteria established under this para7 graph; 

8 ‘‘(ii) include the criteria in each solici9 tation for applications for financial assist10 ance under this subsection; 

11 ‘‘(iii) make every effort to ensure re12 gional accessibility and geographic rep13 resentation in awarding financial assist14 ance under this subsection; and 

15 ‘‘(iv) to the extent practicable, make 

16 publicly available the approximate antici17 pated date for the determination of award 

18 recipients by the Administration and the 

19 anticipated timing of disbursement. 

20 ‘‘(7) AMOUNT OF ASSISTANCE.—The amount of 

21 financial assistance provided under this subsection 

22 to an entity for each fiscal year shall be not less 

23 than $100,000. 

24 ‘‘(8) FEDERAL SHARE.— 

25 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) INITIAL FINANCIAL ASSIST2 ANCE.—Except as provided in clause (ii) 

3 and subparagraph (E), an entity that re4 ceives financial assistance under this sub5 section shall provide non-Federal contribu6 tions for the operation of the veterans’ 

7 business outreach center established by the 

8 entity in an amount equal to— 

9 ‘‘(I) in each of the first and sec10 ond years of the project, not less than 

11 33 percent of the amount of the fi12 nancial assistance received under this 

13 subsection; and 

14 ‘‘(II) in each of the third through 

15 fifth years of the project, not less 

16 than 50 percent of the amount of the 

17 financial assistance received under 

18 this subsection. 

19 ‘‘(ii) RENEWALS.—An entity that re20 ceives a renewal of financial assistance 

21 under this subsection shall provide non22 Federal contributions for the operation of 

23 the veterans’ business outreach center es24 tablished by the entity in an amount equal 

25 to not less than 50 percent of the amount 


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1 of the financial assistance received under 

2 this subsection. 

3 ‘‘(B) FORM OF NON-FEDERAL SHARE.— 

4 Not more than 50 percent of the non-Federal 

5 share for a project carried out using financial 

6 assistance under this subsection may be in the 

7 form of in-kind contributions. 

8 ‘‘(C) TIMING OF DISBURSEMENT.—The 

9 Associate Administrator may disburse not more 

10 than 25 percent of the financial assistance 

11 awarded to an entity before the entity obtains 

12 the non-Federal share required under this para13 graph with respect to that award. 

14 ‘‘(D) FAILURE TO OBTAIN NON-FEDERAL

15 FUNDING.— 

16 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—If an entity that 

17 receives financial assistance under this 

18 subsection fails to obtain the non-Federal 

19 share required under this paragraph dur20 ing 2 consecutive fiscal years, the entity 

21 may not receive a disbursement under this 

22 subsection in a subsequent fiscal year or a 

23 disbursement for any other project funded 

24 by the Administration, unless the Adminis25 trator makes a written determination that 


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1 the entity will be able to obtain a non-Fed2 eral contribution. 

3 ‘‘(ii) RESTORATION.—An entity pro4 hibited from receiving a disbursement 

5 under clause (i) in a fiscal year may re6 ceive financial assistance in a subsequent 

7 fiscal year if the entity obtains the non8 Federal share required under this para9 graph for the subsequent fiscal year. 

10 ‘‘(E) WAIVER OF NON-FEDERAL SHARE

11 FOR INITIAL RECIPIENTS.— 

12 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Upon request by 

13 an entity, and in accordance with this sub14 paragraph, the Administrator may waive, 

15 in whole or in part, the requirement to ob16 tain non-Federal funds under subpara17 graph (A)(i) for a fiscal year. The Admin18 istrator may not waive the requirement for 

19 an entity to obtain non-Federal funds 

20 under this subparagraph for more than a 

21 total of 2 fiscal years. 

22 ‘‘(ii) CONSIDERATIONS.—In deter23 mining whether to waive the requirement 

24 to obtain non-Federal funds under this 


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1 subparagraph, the Administrator shall con2 sider— 

3 ‘‘(I) the economic conditions af4 fecting the entity; 

5 ‘‘(II) the impact a waiver under 

6 this subparagraph would have on the 

7 credibility of the veterans’ business 

8 outreach center program; 

9 ‘‘(III) the demonstrated ability of 

10 the entity to raise non-Federal funds; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(IV) the performance of the en13 tity. 

14 ‘‘(iii) LIMITATION.—The Adminis15 trator may not waive the requirement to 

16 obtain non-Federal funds under this sub17 paragraph if granting the waiver would un18 dermine the credibility of the veterans’ 

19 business outreach center program. 

20 ‘‘(9) AFFILIATION WITH SMALL BUSINESS DE21 VELOPMENT CENTERS.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An entity receiving fi23 nancial assistance under this subsection shall 

24 enter into an agreement to affiliate with a small 

25 business development center for purposes of 


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1 carrying out the activities of the entity using 

2 the financial assistance. 

3 ‘‘(B) CONSISTENCY WITH AGREEMENT.— 

4 The terms of an agreement to affiliate under 

5 subparagraph (A) shall be in accordance with 

6 the terms of any agreement between the appli7 cable small business development center and the 

8 Administration. 

9 ‘‘(10) CONTRACT AUTHORITY.—A veterans’ 

10 business outreach center may enter into a contract 

11 with a Federal department or agency to provide spe12 cific assistance to veterans, service-disabled veterans, 

13 Reservists, or the spouses of members of the Armed 

14 Forces on active duty, veterans, service-disabled vet15 erans, or Reservists with prior written approval of 

16 the Associate Administrator. Performance of such 

17 contract shall not hinder the veterans’ business out18 reach center in carrying out the terms of the grant 

19 received by the veterans’ business outreach center 

20 from the Administrator. 

21 ‘‘(11) EXAMINATION AND DETERMINATION OF

22 PERFORMANCE.— 

23 ‘‘(A) EXAMINATION.— 

24 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 

25 180 days after the date of enactment of 


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1 this subsection and every year thereafter, 

2 the Associate Administrator shall conduct 

3 an annual examination of the programs 

4 and finances of each veterans’ business 

5 outreach center established or operated 

6 using financial assistance under this sub7 section. 

8 ‘‘(ii) FACTORS.—In conducting the ex9 amination under clause (i), the Associate 

10 Administrator shall consider whether the 

11 veterans’ business outreach center has 

12 failed— 

13 ‘‘(I) to provide the information 

14 required to be provided under sub15 paragraph (B), or the information 

16 provided by the center is inadequate; 

17 ‘‘(II) to comply with a require18 ment for participation in the veterans’ 

19 business outreach center program, as 

20 determined by the Associate Adminis21 trator, including— 

22 ‘‘(aa) failure to acquire or 

23 properly document a non-Federal 

24 share; 


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1 ‘‘(bb) failure to establish an 

2 appropriate partnership or pro3 gram for marketing and outreach 

4 to small business concerns; 

5 ‘‘(cc) failure to achieve re6 sults described in a financial as7 sistance agreement; and 

8 ‘‘(dd) failure to provide to 

9 the Administrator a description 

10 of the amount and sources of any 

11 non-Federal funding received by 

12 the center; 

13 ‘‘(III) to carry out the 5-year 

14 plan described in paragraph (4)(B); 

15 ‘‘(IV) to meet the eligibility re16 quirements under paragraph (5); or 

17 ‘‘(V) to serve small business con18 cerns in the geographic region served 

19 by the veterans’ business outreach 

20 center. 

21 ‘‘(B) INFORMATION PROVIDED.—In the 

22 course of an examination under subparagraph 

23 (A), the veterans’ business outreach center shall 

24 provide to the Associate Administrator— 


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1 ‘‘(i) an itemized cost breakdown of ac2 tual expenditures for costs incurred during 

3 the most recent full fiscal year, including 

4 the amount spent on administrative ex5 penses; 

6 ‘‘(ii) documentation of the amount of 

7 non-Federal contributions obtained and ex8 pended by the veterans’ business outreach 

9 center during the most recent full fiscal 

10 year; 

11 ‘‘(iii) with respect to any in-kind con12 tribution under paragraph (8)(B), 

13 verification of the existence and valuation 

14 of such contribution; and 

15 ‘‘(iv) any additional information the 

16 Associate Administrator determines nec17 essary. 

18 ‘‘(C) DETERMINATION OF PERFORM19 ANCE.— 

20 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Associate Ad21 ministrator shall analyze the results of 

22 each examination under subparagraph (A) 

23 and, based on that analysis, make a deter24 mination regarding the performance of the 


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1 programs and finances of each veterans’ 

2 business outreach center. 

3 ‘‘(ii) NONDELEGATION OF DETER4 MINATION.—The duty under clause (i) to 

5 make a determination regarding the per6 formance of the programs and finances of 

7 a veterans’ business outreach center may 

8 not be delegated. 

9 ‘‘(D) DISCONTINUATION OF FUNDING.— 

10 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Associate Ad11 ministrator may discontinue an award of 

12 financial assistance to an entity at any 

13 time for poor performance as determined 

14 under subparagraph (C). 

15 ‘‘(ii) RESTORATION.—The Associate 

16 Administrator may continue to provide fi17 nancial assistance to an entity in a subse18 quent fiscal year if the Associate Adminis19 trator determines under subparagraph (C) 

20 that the veterans’ business outreach center 

21 has taken appropriate measures to improve 

22 its performance and it is viable. 

23 ‘‘(12) COORDINATION OF EFFORTS AND CON24 SULTATION.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) COORDINATION AND CONSULTA2 TION.—To the extent practicable, the Associate 

3 Administrator and each entity that receives fi4 nancial assistance under this subsection shall— 

5 ‘‘(i) coordinate outreach and other ac6 tivities with other programs of the Admin7 istration and the programs of other Fed8 eral agencies, including programs at local 

9 facilities of the Department of Veterans 

10 Affairs; 

11 ‘‘(ii) consult with technical representa12 tives of the district offices of the Adminis13 tration in carrying out activities using fi14 nancial assistance under this subsection; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(iii) provide information to the vet17 erans business development officers des18 ignated under subparagraph (B) and co19 ordinate with the veterans business devel20 opment officers to increase the ability of 

21 the veterans business development officers 

22 to provide services throughout the area 

23 served by the veterans business develop24 ment officers. 


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1 ‘‘(B) VETERANS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

2 OFFICERS.— 

3 ‘‘(i) DESIGNATION.—The Adminis4 trator shall designate not fewer than 1 in5 dividual in each district office of the Ad6 ministration as a veterans business devel7 opment officer, who shall communicate and 

8 coordinate activities of the district office 

9 with entities that receive financial assist10 ance under this subsection. 

11 ‘‘(ii) INITIAL DESIGNATION.—The 

12 first individual in each district office of the 

13 Administration designated by the Adminis14 trator as a veterans business development 

15 officer under clause (i) shall be an indi16 vidual that is employed by the Administra17 tion on the date of enactment of this sub18 section. 

19 ‘‘(13) EXISTING CONTRACTS.—An award of fi20 nancial assistance under this subsection shall not 

21 void any contract or cooperative agreement between 

22 any entity and the Administration or grant to any 

23 entity from the Administration that is in effect on 

24 the date of such award. 


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1 ‘‘(h) VETERANS BUSINESS OWNERS INITIATIVE

2 PILOT PROGRAM.— 

3 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection— 

4 ‘‘(A) the term ‘covered individual’ means— 

5 ‘‘(i) a member of the Armed Forces 

6 on active duty, as defined in section 

7 101(d)(1) of title 10, United States Code; 

8 ‘‘(ii) a member of the Armed Forces 

9 who is participating in the Transition As10 sistance Program of the Department of 

11 Defense; 

12 ‘‘(iii) a member of a reserve compo13 nent of the Armed Forces named in section 

14 10101 of title 10, United States Code; 

15 ‘‘(iv) a veteran; and 

16 ‘‘(v) a spouse or dependent of an indi17 vidual described in clause (i), (ii), (iii), or 

18 (iv); 

19 ‘‘(B) the term ‘institution of higher edu20 cation’ has the meaning given the term in sec21 tion 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

22 (20 U.S.C. 1002); and 

23 ‘‘(C) the term ‘pilot program’ means the 

24 Veterans Business Owners Initiative Pilot Pro25 gram established under paragraph (2). 


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1 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days 

2 after the date of enactment of this subsection, the 

3 Administrator shall establish a pilot program, to be 

4 known as the Veterans Business Owners Initiative 

5 Pilot Program, to provide grants to nonprofit enti6 ties to carry out peer support groups that provide 

7 training to covered individuals interested in explor8 ing careers as owners of small business concerns. 

9 ‘‘(3) GOALS.—The goals of the pilot program 

10 are— 

11 ‘‘(A) to facilitate training for covered indi12 viduals, staff, and mentors to develop the as13 sistance to be provided through peer support 

14 groups under the pilot program, including edu15 cation, coaching, peer support, business men16 toring, and benefits counseling; and 

17 ‘‘(B) to arrange for external assistance, in18 cluding micro-financing, for covered individuals. 

19 ‘‘(4) APPLICATION.—A nonprofit entity that de20 sires a grant under the pilot program shall submit 

21 to the Administrator an application at such time, in 

22 such manner, and containing such information as 

23 the Administrator may require. 


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1 ‘‘(5) PILOT PROGRAM COMPONENTS.—Activities 

2 carried out through a peer support group under the 

3 pilot program may include— 

4 ‘‘(A) providing assistance to covered indi5 viduals to identify their passions and skill sets 

6 with respect to business, including coaching and 

7 mentorship for covered individuals who suffer 

8 from the consequences of being at war; 

9 ‘‘(B) providing exposure to covered individ10 uals to the considerations involved in self-em11 ployment and small business ownership; 

12 ‘‘(C) an instruction component that pro13 vides an introduction to the foundations of self14 employment and small business ownership; and 

15 ‘‘(D) in-depth training that leads to the 

16 creation of a business plan. 

17 ‘‘(6) COLLABORATION.—The Administrator 

18 may— 

19 ‘‘(A) collaborate with public and private 

20 entities to develop a course initiative for peer 

21 support groups carried out under the pilot pro22 gram; and 

23 ‘‘(B) design the course curriculum to allow 

24 covered individuals to receive college credit or a 

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1 cation upon completion of all components of the 

2 curriculum. 

3 ‘‘(i) ONLINE COORDINATION.— 

4 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 

5 ‘veterans’ assistance provider’ means— 

6 ‘‘(A) a veterans’ business outreach center 

7 established under subsection (g); 

8 ‘‘(B) an employee of the Administration 

9 assigned to the Office of Veterans Business De10 velopment; or 

11 ‘‘(C) a veterans business development offi12 cer designated under subsection (g)(12)(B). 

13 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Associate Admin14 istrator shall establish an online mechanism to— 

15 ‘‘(A) provide information that assists vet16 erans’ assistance providers in carrying out the 

17 activities of the veterans’ assistance providers; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(B) coordinate and leverage the work of 

20 the veterans’ assistance providers, including by 

21 allowing a veterans’ assistance provider to— 

22 ‘‘(i) distribute best practices and 

23 other materials; 

24 ‘‘(ii) communicate with other vet25 erans’ assistance providers regarding the 


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1 activities of the veterans’ assistance pro2 vider on behalf of veterans; and 

3 ‘‘(iii) pose questions to and request 

4 input from other veterans’ assistance pro5 viders. 

6 ‘‘(j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

7 is authorized to be appropriated for each of fiscal years 

8 2017 through 2021— 

9 ‘‘(1) $2,500,000 to carry out subsection (g); 

10 ‘‘(2) $8,000,000 to carry out subsections (d), 

11 (e), and (f); and 

12 ‘‘(3) such sums as may be necessary to carry 

13 out subsection (h). 

14 ‘‘(k) LIMITATIONS ON USE FOR OVERSEAS TRAV15 EL.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Financial assistance made 

17 available under this section may not be used for 

18 travel outside of the United States (as defined in 

19 section 202(a)(7) of the State Department Basic 

20 Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 4302(a)(7))) 

21 until after the date on which the Administrator sub22 mits to the Committee on Small Business and En23 trepreneurship of the Senate and the Committee on 

24 Small Business of the House of Representatives a 

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1 ents, and how the Administrator will oversee the 

2 provision of services, outside of the United States. 

3 ‘‘(2) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—After the date de4 scribed in paragraph (1), a recipient of financial as5 sistance made available under this section may use 

6 not more than 5 percent of the amount of the finan7 cial assistance for travel outside of the United 

8 States. 

9 ‘‘(l) REPORTS.—Not later than 180 days after the 

10 date of enactment of this subsection and every year there11 after, the Associate Administrator shall submit to the 

12 Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of 

13 the Senate and the Committee on Small Business of the 

14 House of Representatives a report on the performance and 

15 effectiveness for the programs authorized under this sec16 tion, which may be included as part of another report sub17 mitted to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepre18 neurship of the Senate and the Committee on Small Busi19 ness of the House of Representatives by the Associate Ad20 ministrator, and which shall include the following: 

21 ‘‘(1) BOOTS TO BUSINESS.—For the Boots to 

22 Business Program under subsection (d)— 

23 ‘‘(A) the number of program participants 

24 using each component of the Boots to Business 

25 Program; 


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1 ‘‘(B) the completion rates for each compo2 nent of the Boots to Business Program; 

3 ‘‘(C) to the extent possible— 

4 ‘‘(i) the demographics of program par5 ticipants, to include gender, age, race, rela6 tionship to military, Military Occupational 

7 Code, and years of service of program par8 ticipants; 

9 ‘‘(ii) the number of small business 

10 concerns formed or expanded with assist11 ance under the Boots to Business Pro12 gram; 

13 ‘‘(iii) the gross receipts of small busi14 ness concerns receiving assistance under 

15 the Boots to Business Program; 

16 ‘‘(iv) the number of jobs created with 

17 assistance under the Boots to Business 

18 Program; 

19 ‘‘(v) the number of referrals to other 

20 resources and programs of the Administra21 tion; 

22 ‘‘(vi) the number of program partici23 pants receiving financial assistance under 

24 loan programs of the Administration; 


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1 ‘‘(vii) the type and dollar amount of 

2 financial assistance received by program 

3 participants under loan programs of the 

4 Administration; and 

5 ‘‘(viii) results of participant satisfac6 tion surveys, including a summary of any 

7 comments received from program partici8 pants; 

9 ‘‘(D) an evaluation of the effectiveness of 

10 the Boots to Business Program in each region 

11 of the Administration during the most recent 

12 fiscal year; 

13 ‘‘(E) an assessment of additional perform14 ance outcome measures for the Boots to Busi15 ness Program, as identified by the Associate 

16 Administrator; 

17 ‘‘(F) any recommendations of the Adminis18 trator for improvement of the Boots to Busi19 ness Program, which may include expansion of 

20 the types of individuals who are covered individ21 uals; 

22 ‘‘(G) an explanation of how the Boots to 

23 Business Program has been integrated with 

24 other transition programs and related resources 


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1 of the Administration and other Federal agen2 cies; and 

3 ‘‘(H) any additional information the Ad4 ministrator determines necessary. 

5 ‘‘(2) WOMEN VETERANS BUSINESS TRAINING

6 PROGRAM.—For the Women Veterans Business 

7 Training Program under subsection (e)— 

8 ‘‘(A) the number of program participants 

9 using each component of the Women Veterans 

10 Business Training Program; 

11 ‘‘(B) the completion rates for each compo12 nent of the Women Veterans Business Training 

13 Program; 

14 ‘‘(C) to the extent possible— 

15 ‘‘(i) the demographics of program par16 ticipants, to include gender, age, race, rela17 tionship to military, and years of service; 

18 ‘‘(ii) the number of small business 

19 concerns formed or expanded with assist20 ance under the Women Veterans Business 

21 Training Program; 

22 ‘‘(iii) the gross receipts of small busi23 ness concerns receiving assistance under 

24 the Women Veterans Business Training 

25 Program; 


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1 ‘‘(iv) the number of jobs created with 

2 assistance under the Women Veterans 

3 Business Training Program; 

4 ‘‘(v) the number of referrals to other 

5 resources and programs of the Administra6 tion; 

7 ‘‘(vi) the number of referrals from 

8 other resources and programs of the Ad9 ministration and other Federal agencies; 

10 ‘‘(vii) the number of program partici11 pants receiving financial assistance under 

12 loan programs of the Administration; 

13 ‘‘(viii) the type and dollar amount of 

14 financial assistance received by program 

15 participants under loan programs of the 

16 Administration; and 

17 ‘‘(ix) the results of participant satis18 faction surveys, including a summary of 

19 any comments received from program par20 ticipants; 

21 ‘‘(D) an assessment of additional perform22 ance outcome measures for the Women Vet23 erans Business Training Program, as identified 

24 by the Associate Administrator; 


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1 ‘‘(E) any recommendations of the Adminis2 trator for improvement of the Women Veterans 

3 Business Training Program; 

4 ‘‘(F) an explanation of how the Women 

5 Veterans Business Training Program has been 

6 integrated with other transition programs and 

7 related resources of the Administration and 

8 other Federal agencies; and 

9 ‘‘(G) any additional information the Ad10 ministrator determines necessary. 

11 ‘‘(3) BUSINESS TRAINING PROGRAM FOR SERV12 ICE DISABLED VETERANS.—For the Business Train13 ing Program for Service Disabled Veterans under 

14 subsection (f)— 

15 ‘‘(A) the number of program participants 

16 using each component of the Business Training 

17 Program for Service Disabled Veterans; 

18 ‘‘(B) the completion rates for each compo19 nent of the Business Training Program for 

20 Service Disabled Veterans; 

21 ‘‘(C) to the extent possible— 

22 ‘‘(i) the demographics of program par23 ticipants, to include gender, age, race, rela24 tionship to military, and years of service; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) the number of small business 

2 concerns formed or expanded with assist3 ance under the Business Training Program 

4 for Service Disabled Veterans; 

5 ‘‘(iii) the gross receipts of small busi6 ness concerns receiving assistance under 

7 the Business Training Program for Service 

8 Disabled Veterans; 

9 ‘‘(iv) the number of jobs created with 

10 assistance under the Business Training 

11 Program for Service Disabled Veterans; 

12 ‘‘(v) the number of referrals to other 

13 resources and programs of the Administra14 tion; 

15 ‘‘(vi) the number of referrals from 

16 other resources and programs of the Ad17 ministration and other Federal agencies; 

18 ‘‘(vii) the number of program partici19 pants receiving financial assistance under 

20 loan programs of the Administration; 

21 ‘‘(viii) the type and dollar amount of 

22 financial assistance received by program 

23 participants under loan programs of the 

24 Administration; and 


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1 ‘‘(ix) the results of participant satis2 faction surveys, including a summary of 

3 any comments received from program par4 ticipants; 

5 ‘‘(D) an assessment of additional perform6 ance outcome measures for the Business Train7 ing Program for Service Disabled Veterans, as 

8 identified by the Associate Administrator; 

9 ‘‘(E) any recommendations of the Adminis10 trator for improvement of the Business Train11 ing Program for Service Disabled Veterans; 

12 ‘‘(F) an explanation of how the Business 

13 Training Program for Service Disabled Vet14 erans has been integrated with other transition 

15 programs and related resources of the Adminis16 tration and other Federal agencies; and 

17 ‘‘(G) any additional information the Ad18 ministrator determines necessary. 

19 ‘‘(4) VETERAN’S BUSINESS OUTREACH CENTER

20 PROGRAM.—For the veterans’ business outreach cen21 ter program under subsection (g)— 

22 ‘‘(A) an evaluation of the effectiveness of 

23 the veterans’ business outreach center program 

24 in each region of the Administration during the 

25 most recent full fiscal year; 


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1 ‘‘(B) for each veterans’ business outreach 

2 center established or operated using financial 

3 assistance provided under subsection (g)— 

4 ‘‘(i) the number of individuals receiv5 ing assistance from the veterans’ business 

6 outreach center, including the number of 

7 such individuals who are— 

8 ‘‘(I) veterans or spouses of vet9 erans; 

10 ‘‘(II) service-disabled veterans or 

11 spouses of service-disabled veterans; 

12 ‘‘(III) Reservists (as defined in 

13 subsection (g)) or spouses of Reserv14 ists; or 

15 ‘‘(IV) spouses of members of the 

16 Armed Forces on active duty; 

17 ‘‘(ii) the average distance traveled by 

18 veterans to access services at the veterans’ 

19 business outreach center; 

20 ‘‘(iii) the number of small business 

21 concerns formed by individuals receiving 

22 assistance from the veterans’ business out23 reach center, including— 

24 ‘‘(I) veterans or spouses of vet25 erans; 


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1 ‘‘(II) service-disabled veterans or 

2 spouses of service-disabled veterans; 

3 ‘‘(III) Reservists or spouses of 

4 Reservists; or 

5 ‘‘(IV) spouses of members of the 

6 Armed Forces on active duty; and 

7 ‘‘(iv) to the extent possible— 

8 ‘‘(I) the gross receipts of small 

9 business concerns receiving assistance 

10 from the veterans’ business outreach 

11 center; 

12 ‘‘(II) the employment increases 

13 or decreases of small business con14 cerns receiving assistance from the 

15 veterans’ business outreach center; 

16 ‘‘(III) the increases or decreases 

17 in profits of small business concerns 

18 receiving assistance from the veterans’ 

19 business outreach center; 

20 ‘‘(IV) the number of referrals by 

21 the veterans’ business outreach center 

22 to other resources and programs of 

23 the Administration; 

24 ‘‘(V) the results of satisfaction 

25 surveys, including a summary of any 


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1 comments received from small busi2 ness concerns receiving assistance 

3 from the veterans’ business outreach 

4 center; 

5 ‘‘(VI) the number of small busi6 ness concerns receiving assistance 

7 from the veterans’ business outreach 

8 center that received financial assist9 ance under loan programs of the Ad10 ministration; 

11 ‘‘(VII) the type and dollar 

12 amount of financial assistance re13 ceived under loan programs of the Ad14 ministration by small business con15 cerns receiving assistance from the 

16 veterans’ business outreach center; 

17 ‘‘(VIII) the number of small 

18 business concerns receiving assistance 

19 from the veterans’ business outreach 

20 center that obtained a Federal con21 tract through a small business con22 tracting program; 

23 ‘‘(IX) the type and dollar amount 

24 of the Federal contracts awarded to 

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1 sistance from the veterans’ business 

2 outreach center; 

3 ‘‘(X) an assessment of additional 

4 performance outcome measures for 

5 the veterans’ business outreach cen6 ter, as identified by the Associate Ad7 ministrator; and 

8 ‘‘(XI) the results of the examina9 tion of the veterans’ business outreach 

10 center under subsection (g)(10); 

11 ‘‘(C) any recommendations of the Adminis12 trator for improvement of the veterans’ busi13 ness outreach center program; 

14 ‘‘(D) an explanation of how the veterans’ 

15 business outreach center program has been in16 tegrated with other transition programs and re17 lated resources of the Administration and other 

18 Federal agencies; and 

19 ‘‘(E) any additional information the Ad20 ministrator determines necessary. 

21 ‘‘(5) OTHER ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS AD22 MINISTERED BY THE OFFICE OF VETERANS BUSI23 NESS DEVELOPMENT.—An evaluation of the effec24 tiveness of any other activities and programs admin25 istered by the Office of Veterans Business DevelopVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Jan 26, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00048 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S121.IS S121

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1 ment, including using the metrics identified in para2 graphs (1) through (4). 

3 ‘‘(6) VETERANS BUSINESS OWNERS INITIATIVE

4 PILOT PROGRAM.—For the Veterans Business Own5 ers Initiative Pilot Program under subsection (h)— 

6 ‘‘(A) the number of program participants 

7 using each component of the Veterans Business 

8 Owners Initiative Pilot Program; 

9 ‘‘(B) the completion rates for each compo10 nent of the Veterans Business Owners Initiative 

11 Pilot Program; 

12 ‘‘(C) to the extent possible— 

13 ‘‘(i) the demographics of program par14 ticipants, including gender, age, race, rela15 tionship to military, and years of service; 

16 ‘‘(ii) the number of small business 

17 concerns formed or expanded with assist18 ance under the Veterans Business Owners 

19 Initiative Pilot Program; 

20 ‘‘(iii) the gross receipts of small busi21 ness concerns receiving assistance under 

22 the Veterans Business Owners Initiative 

23 Pilot Program; 


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1 ‘‘(iv) the number of jobs created with 

2 assistance under the Veterans Business 

3 Owners Initiative Pilot Program; 

4 ‘‘(v) the number of referrals to other 

5 resources and programs of the Administra6 tion; 

7 ‘‘(vi) the number of referrals from 

8 other resources and programs of the Ad9 ministration and other Federal agencies; 

10 ‘‘(vii) the number of program partici11 pants receiving financial assistance under 

12 loan programs of the Administration; 

13 ‘‘(viii) the type and dollar amount of 

14 financial assistance received by program 

15 participants under loan programs of the 

16 Administration; and 

17 ‘‘(ix) the results of participant satis18 faction surveys, including a summary of 

19 any comments received from program par20 ticipants; 

21 ‘‘(D) an assessment of additional perform22 ance outcome measures for the Veterans Busi23 ness Owners Initiative Pilot Program, as identi24 fied by the Associate Administrator; 


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1 ‘‘(E) any recommendations of the Adminis2 trator for improvement of the Veterans Busi3 ness Owners Initiative Pilot Program; 

4 ‘‘(F) an explanation of how the Veterans 

5 Business Owners Initiative Pilot Program has 

6 been integrated with other transition programs 

7 and related resources of the Administration and 

8 other Federal agencies; and 

9 ‘‘(G) any additional information the Ad10 ministrator determines necessary.’’. 

11 (b) FEDERAL SHARE FOR EXISTING PROGRAM.— 

12 (1) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 

13 ‘‘existing award’’ means an award made under the 

14 Veterans’ Business Outreach Center Program of the 

15 Small Business Administration before the date of 

16 enactment of this Act that is in effect on the date 

17 of enactment of this Act. 

18 (2) EXCEPTION FROM PROVISION ON FAILURE

19 TO OBTAIN NON-FEDERAL FUNDING.—During the 2- 

20 year period beginning on the date of enactment of 

21 this Act, subsection (g)(8)(D) of section 32 of the 

22 Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657b), as added by 

23 subsection (a), shall not apply to an existing award. 

24 (c) GAO REPORTS.— 

25 (1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection— 


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1 (A) the term ‘‘covered individual’’ means— 

2 (i) a veteran; 

3 (ii) a service-disabled veteran; 

4 (iii) a Reservist; 

5 (iv) the spouse of an individual de6 scribed in clause (i), (ii), or (iii); or 

7 (v) the spouse of a member of the 

8 Armed Forces; 

9 (B) the terms ‘‘Reservist’’, ‘‘small business 

10 concern owned and controlled by veterans’’, and 

11 ‘‘veterans’ business outreach center program’’ 

12 have the meanings given those terms in section 

13 32(g) of the Small Business Act, as added by 

14 subsection (a); and 

15 (C) the terms ‘‘service-disabled veteran’’, 

16 ‘‘small business concern’’, and ‘‘veteran’’ have 

17 the meanings given those terms under section 3 

18 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632). 

19 (2) REPORT ON ACCESS TO CREDIT.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

21 after the date of enactment of this Act, the 

22 Comptroller General of the United States shall 

23 submit a report regarding the ability of small 

24 business concerns owned and controlled by cov25 ered individuals to access credit to— 


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1 (i) the Committee on Veterans’ Af2 fairs and the Committee on Small Business 

3 and Entrepreneurship of the Senate; and 

4 (ii) the Committee on Veterans’ Af5 fairs and the Committee on Small Business 

6 of the House of Representatives. 

7 (B) CONTENTS.—The report submitted 

8 under subparagraph (A) shall include an anal9 ysis of— 

10 (i) the sources of credit used by small 

11 business concerns owned and controlled by 

12 covered individuals and the percentage of 

13 the credit obtained by small business con14 cerns owned and controlled by covered in15 dividuals that is obtained from each 

16 source; 

17 (ii) the default rate for small business 

18 concerns owned and controlled by covered 

19 individuals separately for each source of 

20 credit described in clause (i), as compared 

21 to the default rate for the source of credit 

22 for small business concerns generally; 

23 (iii) the Federal lending programs 

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1 ness concerns owned and controlled by cov2 ered individuals; 

3 (iv) gaps, if any, in the availability of 

4 credit for small business concerns owned 

5 and controlled by covered individuals that 

6 are not being filled by the Federal Govern7 ment or private sources; 

8 (v) obstacles faced by covered individ9 uals in trying to access credit; 

10 (vi) the extent to which deployment 

11 and other military responsibilities affect 

12 the credit history of veterans and Reserv13 ists; and 

14 (vii) the extent to which covered indi15 viduals are aware of Federal programs tar16 geted towards helping covered individuals 

17 access credit. 

18 (3) REPORT ON VETERANS’ BUSINESS OUT19 REACH CENTER PROGRAM.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days 

21 after the end of the second fiscal year beginning 

22 after the date on which the veterans’ business 

23 outreach center program is established, the 

24 Comptroller General of the United States shall 

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1 ness outreach center program, and submit to 

2 Congress a report on the results of that evalua3 tion. 

4 (B) CONTENTS.—The report submitted 

5 under subparagraph (A) shall include— 

6 (i) an assessment of— 

7 (I) the use of amounts made 

8 available to carry out the veterans’ 

9 business outreach center program; 

10 (II) the effectiveness of the serv11 ices provided by each entity receiving 

12 financial assistance under the vet13 erans’ business outreach center pro14 gram; 

15 (III) whether the services de16 scribed in subclause (II) are duplica17 tive of services provided by other vet18 erans service organizations, programs 

19 of the Small Business Administration, 

20 or programs of another Federal de21 partment or agency and, if so, rec22 ommendations regarding how to al23 leviate the duplication of the services; 

24 (IV) whether there are areas of 

25 the United States in which there are 


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1 not adequate entrepreneurial services 

2 for small business concerns owned and 

3 controlled by veterans and, if so, 

4 whether there is a veterans’ business 

5 outreach center established under the 

6 veterans’ business outreach center 

7 program providing services to that 

8 area; and 

9 (V) whether there is a correlation 

10 between the proximity of a veterans’ 

11 business outreach center to small 

12 business concerns owned and con13 trolled by veterans and the rate of the 

14 use of the services of the veterans’ 

15 business outreach center; and 

16 (ii) recommendations, if any, for im17 proving the veterans’ business outreach 

18 center program. 

19 SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENTS TO BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND 

20 ENTREPRENEURIAL PROGRAMS. 

21 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

22 (1) the terms ‘‘Administration’’ and ‘‘Adminis23 trator’’ mean the Small Business Administration 

24 and the Administrator thereof, respectively; 


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1 (2) the term ‘‘individual eligible for a veteran 

2 entrepreneurial development program’’ means— 

3 (A) a covered individual, as defined in sec4 tion 32(d)(1) of the Small Business Act, as 

5 amended by section 2; 

6 (B) a covered individual, as defined in sec7 tion 32(e)(1) of the Small Business Act, as 

8 amended by section 2; 

9 (C) a service-disabled veteran, as defined 

10 in section 3(q)(1) of the Small Business Act 

11 (15 U.S.C. 632(q)(1)); and 

12 (D) an individual who qualifies to be the 

13 owner of a small business concern owned and 

14 controlled by veterans, as defined in section 

15 32(g)(1)(C) of the Small Business Act, as 

16 amended by section 2; 

17 (3) the term ‘‘one-stop resource’’ means the 

18 one-stop online resource established under sub19 section (c)(1); and 

20 (4) the term ‘‘small business concern’’ has the 

21 meaning given that term under section 3 of the 

22 Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632). 

23 (b) VETERAN PEER-TO-PEER NETWORKS.—Not later 

24 than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 

25 Administrator shall establish guidelines to improve the 


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1 network of peer-to-peer counseling and mentoring for indi2 viduals eligible for a veteran entrepreneurial development 

3 program relating to the business development and entre4 preneurial programs of the Administration. 

5 (c) ONE-STOP ONLINE RESOURCE.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es7 tablish an online mechanism that serves as a one8 stop online resource for veterans regarding all of the 

9 entrepreneurial development programs of the Admin10 istration. 

11 (2) CONTENTS.—The one-stop resource shall 

12 include descriptions of each entrepreneurial program 

13 of the Administration (which shall include the pro14 grams described in paragraph (3)), including— 

15 (A) target client descriptions for each pro16 gram; 

17 (B) contact information for information on 

18 or assistance regarding each program from lo19 cally, statewide, and nationally available 

20 sources; 

21 (C) a detailed description of the services 

22 available under each program; 

23 (D) a description of any costs associated 

24 with the services under each program; 


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1 (E) an outline of program curriculums if 

2 training seminars or courses are offered; and 

3 (F) other resource information that the 

4 Administrator determines appropriate and nec5 essary for veteran entrepreneurs and veterans 

6 who own small business concerns, in order to 

7 ensure the one-stop online resource provides in8 formation and resources necessary for a veteran 

9 beginning to develop a small business concern. 

10 (3) PROGRAMS.—The programs identified and 

11 described under the one-stop resource shall in12 clude— 

13 (A) the small business development center 

14 program under section 21 of the Small Busi15 ness Act (15 U.S.C. 648); 

16 (B) the women’s business center program 

17 under section 29 of the Small Business Act (15 

18 U.S.C. 656); 

19 (C) the programs of the Office of Entre20 preneurship Education of the Administration; 

21 (D) the Boots to Business Program under 

22 section 32(d) of the Small Business Act, as 

23 amended by section 2(a) of this Act; 

24 (E) the Women Veterans Business Train25 ing Program under section 32(e) of the Small 


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1 Business Act, as amended by section 2(a) of 

2 this Act; 

3 (F) the Business Training Program for 

4 Service Disabled Veterans under section 32(f) 

5 of the Small Business Act, as amended by sec6 tion 2(a) of this Act; 

7 (G) the veterans’ business outreach center 

8 program under section 32(g) of the Small Busi9 ness Act, as amended by section 2(a) of this 

10 Act; 

11 (H) the Service Corps of Retired Execu12 tives program authorized by section 8(b)(1) of 

13 the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(b)(1)); 

14 and 

15 (I) any other program of the Administra16 tion determined appropriate by the Adminis17 trator. 

18 SEC. 4. REPORTING REQUIREMENT FOR INTERAGENCY 

19 TASK FORCE. 

20 Section 32(c) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

21 657b(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(4) REPORT.—Not less frequently than once 

23 each year, the Administrator shall submit to Con24 gress a report— 


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1 ‘‘(A) discussing the appointments made to 

2 and activities of the task force; and 

3 ‘‘(B) identifying and outlining a plan for 

4 outreach and promotion of all the programs au5 thorized under the Veterans Small Business 

6 Ownership Improvements Act, or an amend7 ment made by that Act.’’. 

8 SEC. 5. EDUCATIONAL TRAINING. 

9 Section 8(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

10 637(b)) is amended— 

11 (1) in paragraph (16), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

12 end; 

13 (2) in paragraph (17), by striking the period at 

14 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

15 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(18) to make a grant to, or enter into a coop17 erative agreement with, a nonprofit entity to operate 

18 an educational training program to provide assist19 ance to small business concerns owned and con20 trolled by veterans regarding how to increase the 

21 likelihood of being awarded contracts with the Fed22 eral Government— 

23 ‘‘(A) which shall be made to or entered 

24 into with a nonprofit entity that has a track 

25 record of successfully providing educational and 


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1 job training services to targeted veterans popu2 lations in diverse locations; 

3 ‘‘(B) under which the nonprofit entity shall 

4 be required to match any Federal funds re5 ceived for the program with State, local, or pri6 vate sector funds; and 

7 ‘‘(C) under which the nonprofit entity shall 

8 use a diverse group of professional service ex9 perts, such as Federal, State, and local con10 tracting experts and private sector industry ex11 perts with first-hand experience in Federal Gov12 ernment contracting, to provide instruction to 

13 small business concerns owned and controlled 

14 by veterans.’’. 

Æ 


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