II 

Calendar No. 162 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 38 

To amend the Small Business Act to codify the Boots to Business Program, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 24 (legislative day, JANUARY 3), 2023 

Ms. DUCKWORTH (for herself and Ms. ERNST) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business 

and Entrepreneurship 

JULY 25, 2023 

Reported by Mr. CARDIN, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To amend the Small Business Act to codify the Boots to 

Business Program, 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 ‘‘Veteran Entrepreneur5 ship Training Act of 2023’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. BOOTS TO BUSINESS PROGRAM. 

2 Section 32 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

3 657b) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(h) BOOTS TO BUSINESS PROGRAM.— 

5 ‘‘(1) COVERED INDIVIDUAL DEFINED.—In this 

6 subsection, the term ‘covered individual’ means— 

7 ‘‘(A) a member of the Armed Forces, in8 cluding the National Guard or Reserves; 

9 ‘‘(B) an individual who is participating in 

10 the Transition Assistance Program established 

11 under section 1144 of title 10, United States 

12 Code; 

13 ‘‘(C) an individual who— 

14 ‘‘(i) served on active duty in any 

15 branch of the Armed Forces, including the 

16 National Guard or Reserves; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) was discharged or released from 

18 such service under conditions other than 

19 dishonorable; and 

20 ‘‘(D) a spouse or dependent of an indi21 vidual described in subparagraph (A), (B), or 

22 (C). 

23 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—During the period be24 ginning on the date of enactment of this subsection 

25 and ending on September 30, 2028, the Adminis26 trator shall carry out a program to be known as the 


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1 ‘Boots to Business Program’ to provide entrepre2 neurship training to covered individuals. 

3 ‘‘(3) GOALS.—The goals of the Boots to Busi4 ness Program are to— 

5 ‘‘(A) provide assistance and in-depth train6 ing to covered individuals interested in business 

7 ownership; and 

8 ‘‘(B) provide covered individuals with the 

9 tools, skills, and knowledge necessary to identify 

10 a business opportunity, draft a business plan, 

11 identify sources of capital, connect with local 

12 resources for small business concerns, and start 

13 up a small business concern. 

14 ‘‘(4) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Boots to Busi16 ness Program may include— 

17 ‘‘(i) a presentation providing exposure 

18 to the considerations involved in self-em19 ployment and ownership of a small busi20 ness concern; 

21 ‘‘(ii) an online, self-study course fo22 cused on the basic skills of entrepreneur23 ship, the language of business, and the 

24 considerations involved in self-employment 

25 and ownership of a small business concern; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) an in-person classroom instruc2 tion component providing an introduction 

3 to the foundations of self employment and 

4 ownership of a small business concern; and 

5 ‘‘(iv) in-depth training delivered 

6 through online instruction, including an 

7 online course that leads to the creation of 

8 a business plan. 

9 ‘‘(B) COLLABORATION.—The Adminis10 trator may— 

11 ‘‘(i) collaborate with public and pri12 vate entities to develop course curricula for 

13 the Boots to Business Program; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) modify program components in 

15 coordination with entities participating in a 

16 Warriors in Transition program, as defined 

17 in section 738(e) of the National Defense 

18 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 

19 (10 U.S.C. 1071 note). 

20 ‘‘(C) USE OF RESOURCE PARTNERS AND

21 DISTRICT OFFICES.— 

22 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

23 shall— 

24 ‘‘(I) ensure that Veteran Busi25 ness Outreach Centers regularly parVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S38.RS S38

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1 ticipate, on a nationwide basis, in the 

2 Boots to Business Program; and 

3 ‘‘(II) to the maximum extent 

4 practicable, use district offices of the 

5 Administration and a variety of other 

6 resource partners and entities in ad7 ministering the Boots to Business 

8 Program. 

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

10 out clause (i), the Administrator may make 

11 grants to Veteran Business Outreach Cen12 ters, other resource partners, or other enti13 ties to carry out components of the Boots 

14 to Business Program. 

15 ‘‘(D) AVAILABILITY TO DEPARTMENT OF

16 DEFENSE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR.— 

17 The Administrator shall make available to the 

18 Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of 

19 Labor information regarding the Boots to Busi20 ness Program, including all course materials 

21 and outreach materials related to the Boots to 

22 Business Program, for inclusion on the websites 

23 of the Department of Defense and the Depart24 ment of Labor relating to the Transition Assist25 ance Program, in the Transition Assistance 


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1 Program manual, and in other relevant mate2 rials available for distribution from the Sec3 retary of Defense and the Secretary of Labor. 

4 ‘‘(E) AVAILABILITY TO DEPARTMENT OF

5 VETERANS AFFAIRS.—In consultation with the 

6 Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Adminis7 trator shall make available for distribution and 

8 display on the website of the Department of 

9 Veterans Affairs and at local facilities of the 

10 Department of Veterans Affairs outreach mate11 rials regarding the Boots to Business Program, 

12 which shall, at a minimum— 

13 ‘‘(i) describe the Boots to Business 

14 Program and the services provided; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) include eligibility requirements 

16 for participating in the Boots to Business 

17 Program. 

18 ‘‘(F) AVAILABILITY TO OTHER PARTICI19 PATING AGENCIES.—The Administrator shall 

20 ensure information regarding the Boots to 

21 Business program, including all course mate22 rials and outreach materials related to the 

23 Boots to Business Program, is made available 

24 to other participating agencies in the Transition 


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1 Assistance Program and upon request of other 

2 agencies. 

3 ‘‘(5) COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROCEDURES.— 

4 The Administration shall use relevant competitive 

5 bidding procedures with respect to any contract or 

6 cooperative agreement executed by the Administra7 tion under the Boots to Business Program. 

8 ‘‘(6) PUBLICATION OF NOTICE OF FUNDING OP9 PORTUNITY.—Not later than 30 days before the 

10 deadline for submitting applications for any funding 

11 opportunity under the Boots to Business Program, 

12 the Administration shall publish a notice of the 

13 funding opportunity. 

14 ‘‘(7) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 

15 the date of enactment of this subsection, and not 

16 less frequently than annually thereafter, the Admin17 istrator shall submit to the Committee on Small 

18 Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate and 

19 the Committee on Small Business of the House of 

20 Representatives a report on the performance and ef21 fectiveness of the Boots to Business Program, 

22 which— 

23 ‘‘(A) may be included as part of another 

24 report submitted to such committees by the AdVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S38.RS S38

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1 ministrator related to the Office of Veterans 

2 Business Development; and 

3 ‘‘(B) shall summarize available information 

4 relating to— 

5 ‘‘(i) grants awarded under paragraph 

6 (4)(C); 

7 ‘‘(ii) the total cost of the Boots to 

8 Business Program; 

9 ‘‘(iii) the amount of program funds 

10 used for domestic and international travel 

11 expenses; 

12 ‘‘(iv) the number of program partici13 pants using each component of the Boots 

14 to Business Program; 

15 ‘‘(v) the completion rates for each 

16 component of the Boots to Business Pro17 gram; 

18 ‘‘(vi) to the extent possible— 

19 ‘‘(I) the demographics of pro20 gram participants, to include gender, 

21 age, race, ethnicity, and relationship 

22 to military; 

23 ‘‘(II) the number of program 

24 participants that connect with a dis25 trict office of the Administration, a 


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1 Veteran Business Outreach Center, or 

2 another resource partner of the Ad3 ministration; 

4 ‘‘(III) the number of program 

5 participants that start a small busi6 ness concern; 

7 ‘‘(IV) the results of the Boots to 

8 Business and Boots to Business 

9 Reboot course quality surveys con10 ducted by the Office of Veterans Busi11 ness Development before and after at12 tending each of those courses, includ13 ing a summary of any comments re14 ceived from program participants; 

15 ‘‘(V) the results of the Boots to 

16 Business Program outcome surveys 

17 conducted by the Office of Veterans 

18 Business Development, including a 

19 summary of any comments received 

20 from program participants; and 

21 ‘‘(VI) the results of other ger22 mane participant satisfaction surveys; 

23 ‘‘(C) an evaluation of the overall effective24 ness of the Boots to Business Program based 


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1 on each geographic region covered by the Ad2 ministration during the most recent fiscal year; 

3 ‘‘(D) an assessment of additional perform4 ance outcome measures for the Boots to Busi5 ness Program, as identified by the Adminis6 trator; 

7 ‘‘(E) any recommendations of the Adminis8 trator for improvement of the Boots to Busi9 ness Program, which may include expansion of 

10 the types of individuals who are covered individ11 uals; 

12 ‘‘(F) an explanation of how the Boots to 

13 Business Program has been integrated with 

14 other transition programs and related resources 

15 of the Administration and other Federal agen16 cies; and 

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

19 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

20 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veteran Entrepreneur21 ship Training Act of 2023’’. 

22 SEC. 2. BOOTS TO BUSINESS PROGRAM. 

23 Section 32 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657b) 

24 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

25 ‘‘(h) BOOTS TO BUSINESS PROGRAM.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) COVERED INDIVIDUAL DEFINED.—In this 

2 subsection, the term ‘covered individual’ means— 

3 ‘‘(A) a member of the Armed Forces, includ4 ing the National Guard or Reserves; 

5 ‘‘(B) an individual who is participating in 

6 the Transition Assistance Program established 

7 under section 1144 of title 10, United States 

8 Code; 

9 ‘‘(C) an individual who— 

10 ‘‘(i) served on active duty in any 

11 branch of the Armed Forces, including the 

12 National Guard or Reserves; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) was discharged or released from 

14 such service under conditions other than 

15 dishonorable; and 

16 ‘‘(D) a spouse or dependent of an indi17 vidual described in subparagraph (A), (B), or 

18 (C). 

19 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—During the period be20 ginning on the date of enactment of this subsection 

21 and ending on September 30, 2028, the Administrator 

22 shall carry out a program to be known as the ‘Boots 

23 to Business Program’ to provide entrepreneurship 

24 training to covered individuals. 


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1 ‘‘(3) GOALS.—The goals of the Boots to Business 

2 Program are to— 

3 ‘‘(A) provide assistance and in-depth train4 ing to covered individuals interested in business 

5 ownership; and 

6 ‘‘(B) provide covered individuals with the 

7 tools, skills, and knowledge necessary to identify 

8 a business opportunity, draft a business plan, 

9 identify sources of capital, connect with local re10 sources for small business concerns, and start up 

11 a small business concern. 

12 ‘‘(4) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Boots to Business 

14 Program may include— 

15 ‘‘(i) an in-person and virtual, as ap16 plicable, presentation providing exposure to 

17 the considerations involved in self-employ18 ment and ownership of a small business 

19 concern; 

20 ‘‘(ii) an online, self-study course fo21 cused on the basic skills of entrepreneurship, 

22 the language of business, and the consider23 ations involved in self-employment and 

24 ownership of a small business concern; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) an in-person and virtual, as ap2 plicable, classroom instruction component 

3 providing an introduction to the founda4 tions of self employment and ownership of 

5 a small business concern; and 

6 ‘‘(iv) in-depth training delivered 

7 through online instruction, including an on8 line course that leads to the creation of a 

9 business plan. 

10 ‘‘(B) TRAVEL COSTS.— 

11 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the other 

12 provisions of this subparagraph, of the total 

13 amount of grant funding that a Veteran 

14 Business Outreach Center participating in 

15 the Boots to Business Program receives from 

16 the Administration, the center may not ex17 pend more than 35 percent of that funding 

18 on costs relating to international travel 

19 with respect to the Boots to Business Pro20 gram. 

21 ‘‘(ii) COSTS NOT INCLUDED IN CAP.— 

22 Costs relating to the salaries of, or stipends 

23 for, instructors under the Boots to Business 

24 Program shall not be included for the pur25 poses of the limitation under clause (i). 


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1 ‘‘(iii) PETITION.— 

2 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—A Veteran 

3 Business Outreach Center may petition 

4 the Administrator for the center to ex5 pend additional funds beyond the limi6 tation under clause (i) for the purposes 

7 described in that clause. 

8 ‘‘(II) NOTIFICATION REQUIRE9 MENT.—If the Administrator grants 

10 any petition submitted under subclause 

11 (I), the Administrator shall submit to 

12 the Committee on Small Business and 

13 Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the 

14 Committee on Small Business of the 

15 House of Representatives a notification 

16 regarding that decision by the Admin17 istrator. 

18 ‘‘(C) COLLABORATION.—The Administrator 

19 may— 

20 ‘‘(i) collaborate with public and pri21 vate entities to develop course curricula for 

22 the Boots to Business Program; 

23 ‘‘(ii) modify program components in 

24 coordination with entities participating in 

25 a Warriors in Transition program, as deVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S38.RS S38

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1 fined in section 738(e) of the National De2 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 

3 2013 (10 U.S.C. 1071 note); and 

4 ‘‘(iii) consult with Directors of Veteran 

5 Business Outreach Centers regarding the ne6 cessity of instructor international travel 

7 and the feasibility of incorporating virtual 

8 classroom components. 

9 ‘‘(D) USE OF RESOURCE PARTNERS AND

10 DISTRICT OFFICES.— 

11 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

12 shall— 

13 ‘‘(I) ensure that Veteran Business 

14 Outreach Centers regularly participate, 

15 on a nationwide basis, in the Boots to 

16 Business Program; and 

17 ‘‘(II) to the maximum extent 

18 practicable, use district offices of the 

19 Administration and a variety of other 

20 resource partners and entities in ad21 ministering the Boots to Business Pro22 gram. 

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

24 out clause (i), the Administrator may make 

25 grants to Veteran Business Outreach CenVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S38.RS S38

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1 ters, other resource partners, or other enti2 ties to carry out components of the Boots to 

3 Business Program. 

4 ‘‘(E) AVAILABILITY TO DEPARTMENT OF DE5 FENSE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR.—The 

6 Administrator shall make available to the Sec7 retary of Defense and the Secretary of Labor in8 formation regarding the Boots to Business Pro9 gram, including all course materials and out10 reach materials related to the Boots to Business 

11 Program, for inclusion on the websites of the De12 partment of Defense and the Department of 

13 Labor relating to the Transition Assistance Pro14 gram, in the Transition Assistance Program 

15 manual, and in other relevant materials avail16 able for distribution from the Secretary of De17 fense and the Secretary of Labor. 

18 ‘‘(F) AVAILABILITY TO DEPARTMENT OF

19 VETERANS AFFAIRS.—In consultation with the 

20 Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Administrator 

21 shall make available for distribution and display 

22 on the website of the Department of Veterans Af23 fairs and at local facilities of the Department of 

24 Veterans Affairs outreach materials regarding 


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1 the Boots to Business Program, which shall, at 

2 a minimum— 

3 ‘‘(i) describe the Boots to Business Pro4 gram and the services provided; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) include eligibility requirements 

6 for participating in the Boots to Business 

7 Program. 

8 ‘‘(G) AVAILABILITY TO OTHER PARTICI9 PATING AGENCIES.—The Administrator shall en10 sure information regarding the Boots to Business 

11 program, including all course materials and out12 reach materials related to the Boots to Business 

13 Program, is made available to other partici14 pating agencies in the Transition Assistance 

15 Program and upon request of other agencies. 

16 ‘‘(5) COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROCEDURES.—The 

17 Administration shall use relevant competitive bidding 

18 procedures with respect to any contract or cooperative 

19 agreement executed by the Administration under the 

20 Boots to Business Program. 

21 ‘‘(6) PUBLICATION OF NOTICE OF FUNDING OP22 PORTUNITY.—Not later than 30 days before the dead23 line for submitting applications for any funding op24 portunity under the Boots to Business Program, the 


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1 Administration shall publish a notice of the funding 

2 opportunity. 

3 ‘‘(7) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the 

4 date of enactment of this subsection, and not less fre5 quently than annually thereafter, the Administrator 

6 shall submit to the Committee on Small Business and 

7 Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Committee on 

8 Small Business of the House of Representatives a re9 port on the performance and effectiveness of the Boots 

10 to Business Program, which— 

11 ‘‘(A) may be included as part of another re12 port submitted to such committees by the Admin13 istrator related to the Office of Veterans Business 

14 Development; and 

15 ‘‘(B) shall summarize available information 

16 relating to— 

17 ‘‘(i) grants awarded under paragraph 

18 (4)(D); 

19 ‘‘(ii) the total cost of the Boots to Busi20 ness Program; 

21 ‘‘(iii) the amount of program funds 

22 used for domestic and international travel 

23 expenses; 


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1 ‘‘(iv) each domestic location and inter2 national location traveled to for Boots to 

3 Business program instruction; 

4 ‘‘(v) the number of program partici5 pants using each component of the Boots to 

6 Business Program; 

7 ‘‘(vi) the completion rates for each 

8 component of the Boots to Business Pro9 gram; and 

10 ‘‘(vii) to the extent possible— 

11 ‘‘(I) the demographics of program 

12 participants, to include gender, age, 

13 race, ethnicity, and relationship to the 

14 Armed Forces; 

15 ‘‘(II) the number of program par16 ticipants that connect with a district 

17 office of the Administration, a Veteran 

18 Business Outreach Center, or another 

19 resource partner of the Administration; 

20 ‘‘(III) the number of program 

21 participants that start a small busi22 ness concern; 

23 ‘‘(IV) the results of the Boots to 

24 Business and Boots to Business Reboot 

25 course quality surveys conducted by the 


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1 Office of Veterans Business Develop2 ment before and after attending each of 

3 those courses, including a summary of 

4 any comments received from program 

5 participants; 

6 ‘‘(V) the results of the Boots to 

7 Business Program outcome surveys 

8 conducted by the Office of Veterans 

9 Business Development, including a 

10 summary of any comments received 

11 from program participants; and 

12 ‘‘(VI) the results of other germane 

13 participant satisfaction surveys; 

14 ‘‘(C) an evaluation of the overall effective15 ness of the Boots to Business Program based on 

16 each geographic region covered by the Adminis17 tration during the most recent fiscal year; 

18 ‘‘(D) an assessment of additional perform19 ance outcome measures for the Boots to Business 

20 Program, as identified by the Administrator; 

21 ‘‘(E) any recommendations of the Adminis22 trator for improvement of the Boots to Business 

23 Program, which may include expansion of the 

24 types of individuals who are covered individuals; 


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1 ‘‘(F) an explanation of how the Boots to 

2 Business Program has been integrated with other 

3 transition programs and related resources of the 

4 Administration and other Federal agencies; and 

5 ‘‘(G) any additional information the Ad6 ministrator determines necessary.’’. 


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Calendar No. 162 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 38 

A BILL 

To amend the Small Business Act to codify the 

poses. Boots to Business Program, and for other purJULY 25, 2023 

Reported with an amendment 


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