II 

Calendar No. 392 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3564 

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

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 2, 2022 

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 

MAY 25, 2022 

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 2022’’. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•S 3564 RS

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.—Beginning on the first 

24 October 1 after the date of enactment of this sub25 section and for the subsequent 4 fiscal years, the 

26 Administrator shall carry out a program to be 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•S 3564 RS

1 known as the ‘Boots to Business Program’ to pro2 vide entrepreneurship training to covered individ3 uals. 

4 ‘‘(3) GOALS.—The goals of the Boots to Busi5 ness Program are to— 

6 ‘‘(A) provide assistance and in-depth train7 ing to covered individuals interested in business 

8 ownership; and 

9 ‘‘(B) provide covered individuals with the 

10 tools, skills, and knowledge necessary to identify 

11 a business opportunity, draft a business plan, 

12 identify sources of capital, connect with local 

13 resources for small business concerns, and start 

14 up a small business concern. 

15 ‘‘(4) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Boots to Busi17 ness Program may include— 

18 ‘‘(i) a presentation providing exposure 

19 to the considerations involved in self-em20 ployment and ownership of a small busi21 ness concern; 

22 ‘‘(ii) an online, self-study course fo23 cused on the basic skills of entrepreneur24 ship, the language of business, and the 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•S 3564 RS

1 considerations involved in self-employment 

2 and ownership of a small business concern; 

3 ‘‘(iii) an in-person classroom instruc4 tion component providing an introduction 

5 to the foundations of self-employment and 

6 ownership of a small business concern; and 

7 ‘‘(iv) in-depth training delivered 

8 through online instruction, including an 

9 online course that leads to the creation of 

10 a business plan. 

11 ‘‘(B) COLLABORATION.—The Adminis12 trator may— 

13 ‘‘(i) collaborate with public and pri14 vate entities to develop course curricula for 

15 the Boots to Business Program; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) modify program components in 

17 coordination with entities participating in a 

18 Warriors in Transition program, as defined 

19 in section 738(e) of the National Defense 

20 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 

21 (10 U.S.C. 1071 note). 

22 ‘‘(C) USE OF RESOURCE PARTNERS.— 

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

24 shall— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
5 

•S 3564 RS

1 ‘‘(I) ensure that Veteran Busi2 ness Outreach Centers regularly par3 ticipate, on a nationwide basis, in the 

4 Boots to Business Program; and 

5 ‘‘(II) to the maximum extent 

6 practicable, use a variety of other re7 source partners and entities in admin8 istering the Boots to Business Pro9 gram. 

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

11 out clause (i), the Administrator may make 

12 grants to Veteran Business Outreach Cen13 ters, other resource partners, or other enti14 ties to carry out components of the Boots 

15 to Business Program. 

16 ‘‘(D) AVAILABILITY TO DEPARTMENT OF

17 DEFENSE.—The Administrator shall make 

18 available to the Secretary of Defense informa19 tion regarding the Boots to Business Program, 

20 including all course materials and outreach ma21 terials related to the Boots to Business Pro22 gram, for inclusion on the website of the De23 partment of Defense relating to the Transition 

24 Assistance Program, in the Transition Assist25 ance Program manual, and in other relevant 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
6 

•S 3564 RS

1 materials available for distribution from the 

2 Secretary of Defense. 

3 ‘‘(E) AVAILABILITY TO VETERANS AF4 FAIRS.—In consultation with the Secretary of 

5 Veterans Affairs, the Administrator shall make 

6 available for distribution and display at local fa7 cilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

8 outreach materials regarding the Boots to Busi9 ness Program which shall, at a minimum— 

10 ‘‘(i) describe the Boots to Business 

11 Program and the services provided; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) include eligibility requirements 

13 for participating in the Boots to Business 

14 Program. 

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

16 the date of enactment of this subsection and every 

17 year thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to 

18 the Committee on Small Business and Entrepre19 neurship of the Senate and the Committee on Small 

20 Business of the House of Representatives a report 

21 on the performance and effectiveness of the Boots to 

22 Business Program, which may be included as part of 

23 another report submitted to such committees by the 

24 Administrator, and which shall include— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
7 

•S 3564 RS

1 ‘‘(A) information regarding grants award2 ed under paragraph (4)(C); 

3 ‘‘(B) the total cost of the Boots to Busi4 ness Program; 

5 ‘‘(C) the number of program participants 

6 using each component of the Boots to Business 

7 Program; 

8 ‘‘(D) the completion rates for each compo9 nent of the Boots to Business Program; 

10 ‘‘(E) to the extent possible— 

11 ‘‘(i) the demographics of program par12 ticipants, to include gender, age, race, rela13 tionship to military, military occupational 

14 specialty, and years of service of program 

15 participants; 

16 ‘‘(ii) the number of small business 

17 concerns formed or expanded with assist18 ance under the Boots to Business Pro19 gram; 

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

22 the Boots to Business Program; 

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

24 assistance under the Boots to Business 

25 Program; 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
8 

•S 3564 RS

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

2 resources and programs of the Administra3 tion; 

4 ‘‘(vi) the number of program partici5 pants receiving financial assistance under 

6 loan programs of the Administration; 

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

8 financial assistance received by program 

9 participants under any loan program of the 

10 Administration; and 

11 ‘‘(viii) results of participant satisfac12 tion surveys, including a summary of any 

13 comments received from program partici14 pants; 

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

16 the Boots to Business Program in each region 

17 of the Administration during the most recent 

18 fiscal year; 

19 ‘‘(G) an assessment of additional perform20 ance outcome measures for the Boots to Busi21 ness Program, as identified by the Adminis22 trator; 

23 ‘‘(H) any recommendations of the Admin24 istrator for improvement of the Boots to Busi25 ness Program, which may include expansion of 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
9 

•S 3564 RS

1 the types of individuals who are covered individ2 uals; 

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

4 Business Program has been integrated with 

5 other transition programs and related resources 

6 of the Administration and other Federal agen7 cies; and 

8 ‘‘(J) any additional information the Ad9 ministrator determines necessary.’’. 

10 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

11 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veteran Entrepreneur12 ship Training Act of 2022’’. 

13 SEC. 2. BOOTS TO BUSINESS PROGRAM. 

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

15 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(h) BOOTS TO BUSINESS PROGRAM.— 

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

18 subsection, the term ‘covered individual’ means— 

19 ‘‘(A) a member of the Armed Forces, includ20 ing the National Guard or Reserves; 

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

22 the Transition Assistance Program established 

23 under section 1144 of title 10, United States 

24 Code; 

25 ‘‘(C) an individual who— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
10 

•S 3564 RS

1 ‘‘(i) served on active duty in any 

2 branch of the Armed Forces, including the 

3 National Guard or Reserves; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) was discharged or released from 

5 such service under conditions other than 

6 dishonorable; and 

7 ‘‘(D) a spouse or dependent of an indi8 vidual described in subparagraph (A), (B), or 

9 (C). 

10 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—During the period be11 ginning on the date of enactment of this subsection 

12 and ending on September 30, 2027, the Administrator 

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

14 to Business Program’ to provide entrepreneurship 

15 training to covered individuals. 

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

17 Program are to— 

18 ‘‘(A) provide assistance and in-depth train19 ing to covered individuals interested in business 

20 ownership; and 

21 ‘‘(B) provide covered individuals with the 

22 tools, skills, and knowledge necessary to identify 

23 a business opportunity, draft a business plan, 

24 identify sources of capital, connect with local reVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:00 May 26, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S3564.RS S3564

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
11 

•S 3564 RS

1 sources for small business concerns, and start up 

2 a small business concern. 

3 ‘‘(4) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.— 

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

5 Program may include— 

6 ‘‘(i) a presentation providing exposure 

7 to the considerations involved in self-em8 ployment and ownership of a small business 

9 concern; 

10 ‘‘(ii) an online, self-study course fo11 cused on the basic skills of entrepreneurship, 

12 the language of business, and the consider13 ations involved in self-employment and 

14 ownership of a small business concern; 

15 ‘‘(iii) an in-person classroom instruc16 tion component providing an introduction 

17 to the foundations of self employment and 

18 ownership of a small business concern; and 

19 ‘‘(iv) in-depth training delivered 

20 through online instruction, including an on21 line course that leads to the creation of a 

22 business plan. 

23 ‘‘(B) COLLABORATION.—The Administrator 

24 may— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
12 

•S 3564 RS

1 ‘‘(i) collaborate with public and pri2 vate entities to develop course curricula for 

3 the Boots to Business Program; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) modify program components in 

5 coordination with entities participating in 

6 a Warriors in Transition program, as de7 fined in section 738(e) of the National De8 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 

9 2013 (10 U.S.C. 1071 note). 

10 ‘‘(C) USE OF RESOURCE PARTNERS AND

11 DISTRICT OFFICES.— 

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

13 shall— 

14 ‘‘(I) ensure that Veteran Business 

15 Outreach Centers regularly participate, 

16 on a nationwide basis, in the Boots to 

17 Business Program; and 

18 ‘‘(II) to the maximum extent 

19 practicable, use district offices of the 

20 Administration and a variety of other 

21 resource partners and entities in ad22 ministering the Boots to Business Pro23 gram. 

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

25 out clause (i), the Administrator may make 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
13 

•S 3564 RS

1 grants to Veteran Business Outreach Cen2 ters, other resource partners, or other enti3 ties to carry out components of the Boots to 

4 Business Program. 

5 ‘‘(D) AVAILABILITY TO DEPARTMENT OF DE6 FENSE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR.—The 

7 Administrator shall make available to the Sec8 retary of Defense and the Secretary of Labor in9 formation regarding the Boots to Business Pro10 gram, including all course materials and out11 reach materials related to the Boots to Business 

12 Program, for inclusion on the websites of the De13 partment of Defense and the Department of 

14 Labor relating to the Transition Assistance Pro15 gram, in the Transition Assistance Program 

16 manual, and in other relevant materials avail17 able for distribution from the Secretary of De18 fense and the Secretary of Labor. 

19 ‘‘(E) AVAILABILITY TO DEPARTMENT OF

20 VETERANS AFFAIRS.—In consultation with the 

21 Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Administrator 

22 shall make available for distribution and display 

23 on the website of the Department of Veterans Af24 fairs and at local facilities of the Department of 

25 Veterans Affairs outreach materials regarding 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
14 

•S 3564 RS

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 ‘‘(F) 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 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
15 

•S 3564 RS

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)(C); 

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

21 ‘‘(iii) the number of program partici22 pants using each component of the Boots to 

23 Business Program; 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
16 

•S 3564 RS

1 ‘‘(iv) the completion rates for each 

2 component of the Boots to Business Pro3 gram; 

4 ‘‘(v) to the extent possible— 

5 ‘‘(I) the demographics of program 

6 participants, to include gender, age, 

7 race, ethnicity, and relationship to 

8 military; 

9 ‘‘(II) the number of program par10 ticipants that connect with a district 

11 office of the Administration, a Veteran 

12 Business Outreach Center, or another 

13 resource partner of the Administration; 

14 ‘‘(III) the number of program 

15 participants that start a small busi16 ness concern; 

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

18 Business and Boots to Business Reboot 

19 course quality surveys conducted by the 

20 Office of Veterans Business Develop21 ment before and after attending each of 

22 those courses, including a summary of 

23 any comments received from program 

24 participants; 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
17 

•S 3564 RS

1 ‘‘(V) the results of the Boots to 

2 Business Program outcome surveys 

3 conducted by the Office of Veterans 

4 Business Development, including a 

5 summary of any comments received 

6 from program participants; and 

7 ‘‘(VI) the results of other germane 

8 participant satisfaction surveys; 

9 ‘‘(C) an evaluation of the overall effective10 ness of the Boots to Business Program based on 

11 each geographic region covered by the Adminis12 tration during the most recent fiscal year; 

13 ‘‘(D) an assessment of additional perform14 ance outcome measures for the Boots to Business 

15 Program, as identified by the Administrator; 

16 ‘‘(E) any recommendations of the Adminis17 trator for improvement of the Boots to Business 

18 Program, which may include expansion of the 

19 types of individuals who are covered individuals; 

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

21 Business Program has been integrated with other 

22 transition programs and related resources of the 

23 Administration and other Federal agencies; and 

24 ‘‘(G) any additional information the Ad25 ministrator determines necessary.’’. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
Calendar No. 392 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3564 

A BILL 

To amend the Small Business Act to codify the 

poses. Boots to Business Program, and for other purMAY 25, 2022 

Reported with an amendment 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB