IIB 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1803 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JULY 29, 2009 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and 
Entrepreneurship 
AN ACT 
To amend the Small Business Act to establish a Veterans 
Business Center program, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans Business 
Center Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. VETERANS BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM. 
Section 32 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
657b) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (f), by inserting ‘‘(other than 
subsections (g), (h), and (i))’’ after ‘‘this section’’; 
and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(g) VETERANS BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es-
tablish a Veterans Business Center program within 
the Administration to provide entrepreneurial train-
ing and counseling to veterans in accordance with 
this subsection. 
‘‘(2) DIRECTOR.—The Administrator shall ap-
point a Director of the Veterans Business Center 
program, who shall implement and oversee such pro-
gram and who shall report directly to the Associate 
Administrator for Veterans Business Development. 
‘‘(3) DESIGNATION
OF
VETERANS
BUSINESS 
CENTERS.—The Director shall establish by regula-
tion an application, review, and notification process 
to designate entities as veterans business centers for 
purposes of this section. The Director shall make 
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publicly known the designation of an entity as a vet-
erans business center and the award of a grant to 
such center under this subsection. 
‘‘(4) FUNDING FOR VETERANS BUSINESS CEN-
TERS.— 
‘‘(A) INITIAL
GRANTS.—The Director is 
authorized to make a grant (hereinafter in this 
subsection referred to as an ‘initial grant’) to 
each veterans business center each year for not 
more than 5 years in the amount of $200,000. 
‘‘(B) GROWTH FUNDING GRANTS.—After a 
veterans business center has received 5 years of 
initial grants under subparagraph (A), the Di-
rector is authorized to make a grant (herein-
after in this subsection referred to as a ‘growth 
funding grant’) to such center each year for not 
more than 3 years in the amount of $150,000. 
After such center has received 3 years of 
growth funding grants, the Director shall re-
quire such center to meet performance bench-
marks established by the Director to be eligible 
for growth funding grants in subsequent years. 
‘‘(5) CENTER
RESPONSIBILITIES.—Each vet-
erans business center receiving a grant under this 
subsection shall use the funds primarily on veteran 
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entrepreneurial development, counseling of veteran- 
owned small businesses through one-on-one instruc-
tion and classes, and providing government procure-
ment assistance to veterans. 
‘‘(6) MATCHING FUNDS.—Each veterans busi-
ness center receiving a grant under this subsection 
shall be required to provide a non-Federal match of 
50 percent of the Federal funds such center receives 
under this subsection. The Director may issue to a 
veterans business center, upon request, a waiver 
from all or a portion of such matching requirement 
upon a determination of hardship. The Director may 
waive the matching funds requirement under this 
paragraph with respect to veterans business centers 
that serve communities with a per capita income less 
than 75 percent of the national per capita income 
and an unemployment rate at least 150 percent 
higher than the national average. 
‘‘(7) TARGETED
AREAS.—The Director shall 
give priority to applications for designations and 
grants under this subsection that will establish a 
veterans business center in a geographic area, as de-
termined by the Director, that is not currently 
served by a veterans business center and in which— 
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‘‘(A) the population of veterans exceeds the 
national median of such measure; or 
‘‘(B) the population of veterans of Oper-
ation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring 
Freedom exceeds the national median of such 
measure. 
‘‘(8) TRAINING PROGRAM.—The Director shall 
develop and implement, directly or by contract, an 
annual training program for the staff and personnel 
of designated veterans business centers to provide 
education, support, and information on best prac-
tices with respect to the establishment and operation 
of such centers. The Director shall develop such 
training program in consultation with veterans busi-
ness centers, the interagency task force established 
under subsection (c), and veterans service organiza-
tions. 
‘‘(9) INCLUSION OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN 
PROGRAM.—Upon the date of the enactment of this 
subsection, each Veterans Business Outreach Center 
established by the Administrator under the authority 
of section 8(b)(17) and each center that received 
funds during fiscal year 2006 from the National 
Veterans Business Development Corporation estab-
lished under section 33 and that remains in oper-
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ation shall be treated as designated as a veterans 
business center for purposes of this subsection and 
shall be eligible for grants under this subsection. 
‘‘(10) RURAL AREAS.—The Director shall sub-
mit annually to the Administrator a report on 
whether a sufficient percentage, as determined by 
the Director, of veterans in rural areas have ade-
quate access to a veterans business center. If the Di-
rector submits a report under this paragraph that 
does not demonstrate that a sufficient percentage of 
veterans in rural areas have adequate access to a 
veterans business center, the Director shall give pri-
ority during the 1-year period following the date of 
the submission of such report to applications for 
designations and grants under this subsection that 
will establish veterans business centers in rural 
areas. 
‘‘(11) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this subsection $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 and 
$14,000,000 for fiscal year 2011. 
‘‘(h) ADDITIONAL GRANTS AVAILABLE TO VETERANS 
BUSINESS CENTERS.— 
‘‘(1) ACCESS TO CAPITAL GRANT PROGRAM.— 
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‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the 
Veterans Business Center program shall estab-
lish a grant program under which the Director 
is authorized to make, to veterans business cen-
ters designated under subsection (g), grants for 
the following: 
‘‘(i) Developing specialized programs 
to assist veteran-owned small businesses to 
secure capital and repair damaged credit. 
‘‘(ii) Providing informational seminars 
on securing loans to veteran-owned small 
businesses. 
‘‘(iii) Providing one-on-one counseling 
to veteran-owned small businesses to im-
prove the financial presentations of such 
businesses to lenders. 
‘‘(iv) Facilitating the access of vet-
eran-owned small businesses to both tradi-
tional 
and 
non-traditional 
financing 
sources. 
‘‘(v) Providing one-on-one or group 
counseling to owners of small business con-
cerns who are members of the reserve com-
ponents of the armed forces, as specified in 
section 10101 of title 10, United States 
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Code, to assist such owners to effectively 
prepare their small businesses for periods 
when such owners are deployed in support 
of a contingency operation. 
‘‘(vi) Developing specialized programs 
to assist unemployed veterans to become 
entrepreneurs. 
‘‘(B) AWARD SIZE.—The Director may not 
award a veterans business center more than 
$75,000 in grants under this paragraph. 
‘‘(C) 
AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIA-
TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 
to carry out this paragraph $1,500,000 for each 
of fiscal years 2010 and 2011. 
‘‘(2) PROCUREMENT ASSISTANCE GRANT PRO-
GRAM.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall es-
tablish a grant program under which the Direc-
tor is authorized to make, to veterans business 
centers designated under subsection (g), grants 
for the following: 
‘‘(i) Assisting veteran-owned small 
businesses to identify contracts that are 
suitable to such businesses. 
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‘‘(ii) Preparing veteran-owned small 
businesses to be ready as subcontractors 
and prime contractors for contracts made 
available through the American Recovery 
and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public 
Law 111–5) through training and business 
advisement, particularly with respect to the 
construction trades. 
‘‘(iii) Providing veteran-owned small 
businesses technical assistance with respect 
to the Federal procurement process, in-
cluding assisting such businesses to comply 
with Federal regulations and bonding re-
quirements. 
‘‘(B) AWARD SIZE.—The Director may not 
award a veterans business center more than 
$75,000 in grants under this paragraph. 
‘‘(C) 
AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIA-
TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 
to carry out this paragraph $1,500,000 for each 
of fiscal years 2010 and 2011. 
‘‘(3) 
SERVICE-DISABLED
VETERAN-OWNED 
SMALL BUSINESS GRANT PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall es-
tablish a grant program under which the Direc-
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tor is authorized to make, to veterans business 
centers designated under subsection (g), grants 
for the following: 
‘‘(i) Developing outreach programs for 
service-disabled veterans to promote self- 
employment opportunities. 
‘‘(ii) Providing training to service-dis-
abled veterans with respect to business 
plan development, marketing, budgeting, 
accounting, and merchandising. 
‘‘(iii) Assisting service-disabled vet-
eran-owned small businesses to locate and 
secure business opportunities. 
‘‘(B) AWARD SIZE.—The Director may not 
award a veterans business center more than 
$75,000 in grants under this paragraph. 
‘‘(C) 
AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIA-
TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 
to carry out this paragraph $1,500,000 for each 
of fiscal years 2010 and 2011. 
‘‘(i) VETERANS ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT 
SUMMIT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Vet-
erans Business Center program is authorized to 
carry out an event, once every two years, for the 
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purpose of providing networking opportunities, out-
reach, education, training, and support to veterans 
business centers funded under this section, veteran- 
owned small businesses, veterans service organiza-
tions, and other entities as determined appropriate 
for inclusion by the Director. Such event shall in-
clude education and training with respect to improv-
ing outreach to veterans in areas of high unemploy-
ment. 
‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this subsection $450,000 for fiscal years 2010 and 
2011. 
‘‘(j) INCLUSION OF SURVIVING SPOUSES.—For pur-
poses of subsections (g), (h), and (i) the following apply: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘veteran’ includes a surviving 
spouse of the following: 
‘‘(A) A member of the Armed Forces, in-
cluding a reserve component thereof. 
‘‘(B) A veteran. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘veteran-owned small business’ 
includes a small business owned by a surviving 
spouse of the following: 
‘‘(A) A member of the Armed Forces, in-
cluding a reserve component thereof. 
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‘‘(B) A veteran. 
‘‘(k) INCLUSION OF RESERVE COMPONENTS.—For 
purposes of subsections (g), (h), and (i) the following 
apply: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘veteran’ includes a member of 
the reserve components of the armed forces as speci-
fied in section 10101 of title 10, United States 
Code. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘veteran-owned small business’ 
includes a small business owned by a member of the 
reserve components of the armed forces as specified 
in section 10101 of title 10, United States Code.’’. 
SEC. 3. REPORTING REQUIREMENT FOR INTERAGENCY 
TASK FORCE. 
Section 32(c) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
657b(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) REPORT.—The Administrator shall submit 
to Congress biannually a report on the appointments 
made to and activities of the task force.’’. 
SEC. 4. COMPTROLLER GENERAL STUDY OF SMALL BUSI-
NESS CONCERNS OWNED AND CONTROLLED 
BY VETERANS. 
The Comptroller General shall carry out a study on 
the effects of this Act and the amendments made by this 
Act on small business concerns owned and controlled by 
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veterans and submit to Congress a report on the results 
of such study. Such report shall include the recommenda-
tions of the Comptroller General with respect to how this 
Act and the amendments made by this Act may be imple-
mented to more effectively serve small business concerns 
owned and controlled by veterans. 
Passed the House of Representatives July 28, 2009. 
Attest: 
LORRAINE C. MILLER, 
Clerk. 
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