IIB 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3537 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 14, 2019 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and 

Entrepreneurship 

AN ACT 

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, 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
2 

HR 3537 RFS

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veteran Entrepreneur3 ship Training Act of 2019’’. 

4 SEC. 2. BOOTS TO BUSINESS PROGRAM. 

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

6 657b) is amended by adding at the end the following new 

7 subsection: 

8 ‘‘(h) BOOTS TO BUSINESS PROGRAM.— 

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

10 subsection, the term ‘covered individual’ means— 

11 ‘‘(A) a member of the Armed Forces, in12 cluding the National Guard or Reserves; 

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

14 the Transition Assistance Program established 

15 under section 1144 of title 10, United States 

16 Code; 

17 ‘‘(C) an individual who— 

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

19 branch of the Armed Forces, including the 

20 National Guard or Reserves; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) was discharged or released from 

22 such service under conditions other than 

23 dishonorable; and 

24 ‘‘(D) a spouse or dependent of an indi25 vidual described in subparagraph (A), (B), or 

26 (C). 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
3 

HR 3537 RFS

1 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—Beginning on the first 

2 October 1 after the enactment of this subsection and 

3 for the subsequent 4 fiscal years, the Administrator 

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

5 to Business Program’ to provide entrepreneurship 

6 training to covered individuals. 

7 ‘‘(3) GOALS.—The goals of the Boots to Busi8 ness Program are to— 

9 ‘‘(A) provide assistance and in-depth train10 ing to covered individuals interested in business 

11 ownership; and 

12 ‘‘(B) provide covered individuals with the 

13 tools, skills, and knowledge necessary to identify 

14 a business opportunity, draft a business plan, 

15 identify sources of capital, connect with local 

16 resources for small business concerns, and start 

17 up a small business concern. 

18 ‘‘(4) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Boots to Busi20 ness Program may include— 

21 ‘‘(i) a presentation providing exposure 

22 to the considerations involved in self-em23 ployment and ownership of a small busi24 ness concern; 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
4 

HR 3537 RFS

1 ‘‘(ii) an online, self-study course fo2 cused on the basic skills of entrepreneur3 ship, the language of business, and the 

4 considerations involved in self-employment 

5 and ownership of a small business concern; 

6 ‘‘(iii) an in-person classroom instruc7 tion component providing an introduction 

8 to the foundations of self employment and 

9 ownership of a small business concern; and 

10 ‘‘(iv) in-depth training delivered 

11 through online instruction, including an 

12 online course that leads to the creation of 

13 a business plan. 

14 ‘‘(B) COLLABORATION.—The Adminis15 trator may— 

16 ‘‘(i) collaborate with public and pri17 vate entities to develop course curricula for 

18 the Boots to Business Program; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) modify program components in 

20 coordination with entities participating in a 

21 Warriors in Transition program, as defined 

22 in section 738(e) of the National Defense 

23 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 

24 (10 U.S.C. 1071 note). 

25 ‘‘(C) USE OF RESOURCE PARTNERS.— 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
5 

HR 3537 RFS

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

2 shall— 

3 ‘‘(I) ensure that Veteran Busi4 ness Outreach Centers regularly par5 ticipate, on a nationwide basis, in the 

6 Boots to Business Program; and 

7 ‘‘(II) to the maximum extent 

8 practicable, use a variety of other re9 source partners and entities in admin10 istering the Boots to Business Pro11 gram. 

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

13 out clause (i), the Administrator may make 

14 grants to Veteran Business Outreach Cen15 ters, other resource partners, or other enti16 ties to carry out components of the Boots 

17 to Business Program. 

18 ‘‘(D) AVAILABILITY TO DEPARTMENT OF

19 DEFENSE.—The Administrator shall make 

20 available to the Secretary of Defense informa21 tion regarding the Boots to Business Program, 

22 including all course materials and outreach ma23 terials related to the Boots to Business Pro24 gram, for inclusion on the website of the De25 partment of Defense relating to the Transition 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
6 

HR 3537 RFS

1 Assistance Program, in the Transition Assist2 ance Program manual, and in other relevant 

3 materials available for distribution from the 

4 Secretary of Defense. 

5 ‘‘(E) AVAILABILITY TO VETERANS AF6 FAIRS.—In consultation with the Secretary of 

7 Veterans Affairs, the Administrator shall make 

8 available for distribution and display at local fa9 cilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

10 outreach materials regarding the Boots to Busi11 ness Program which shall, at a minimum— 

12 ‘‘(i) describe the Boots to Business 

13 Program and the services provided; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) include eligibility requirements 

15 for participating in the Boots to Business 

16 Program. 

17 ‘‘(5) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 

18 the date of the enactment of this subsection and 

19 every year thereafter, the Administrator shall submit 

20 to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepre21 neurship of the Senate and the Committee on Small 

22 Business of the House of Representatives a report 

23 on the performance and effectiveness of the Boots to 

24 Business Program, which may be included as part of 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
7 

HR 3537 RFS

1 another report submitted to such Committees by the 

2 Administrator, and which shall include— 

3 ‘‘(A) information regarding grants award4 ed under paragraph (4)(C); 

5 ‘‘(B) the total cost of the Boots to Busi6 ness Program; 

7 ‘‘(C) the number of program participants 

8 using each component of the Boots to Business 

9 Program; 

10 ‘‘(D) the completion rates for each compo11 nent of the Boots to Business Program; 

12 ‘‘(E) to the extent possible— 

13 ‘‘(i) the demographics of program par14 ticipants, to include gender, age, race, rela15 tionship to military, military occupational 

16 specialty, and years of service of program 

17 participants; 

18 ‘‘(ii) the number of small business 

19 concerns formed or expanded with assist20 ance under the Boots to Business Pro21 gram; 

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

24 the Boots to Business Program; 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
8 

HR 3537 RFS

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

2 assistance under the Boots to Business 

3 Program; 

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

5 resources and programs of the Administra6 tion; 

7 ‘‘(vi) the number of program partici8 pants receiving financial assistance under 

9 loan programs of the Administration; 

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

11 financial assistance received by program 

12 participants under any loan program of the 

13 Administration; and 

14 ‘‘(viii) results of participant satisfac15 tion surveys, including a summary of any 

16 comments received from program partici17 pants; 

18 ‘‘(F) an evaluation of the effectiveness of 

19 the Boots to Business Program in each region 

20 of the Administration during the most recent 

21 fiscal year; 

22 ‘‘(G) an assessment of additional perform23 ance outcome measures for the Boots to Busi24 ness Program, as identified by the Adminis25 trator; 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
9 

HR 3537 RFS

1 ‘‘(H) any recommendations of the Admin2 istrator for improvement of the Boots to Busi3 ness Program, which may include expansion of 

4 the types of individuals who are covered individ5 uals; 

6 ‘‘(I) an explanation of how the Boots to 

7 Business Program has been integrated with 

8 other transition programs and related resources 

9 of the Administration and other Federal agen10 cies; and 

11 ‘‘(J) any additional information the Ad12 ministrator determines necessary.’’. 

Passed the House of Representatives November 13, 

2019. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS