I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4991 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a pilot program under 
which eligible individuals may elect to receive financial assistance in 
lieu of educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance 
Program to establish and operate a qualified business enterprise, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 8, 2019 
Ms. GABBARD (for herself, Mr. SPANO, and Mr. LAWSON of Florida) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Vet-
erans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a pilot 
program under which eligible individuals may elect to 
receive financial assistance in lieu of educational assist-
ance under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Pro-
gram to establish and operate a qualified business enter-
prise, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Post-9/11 Veteran 
Business Acceleration Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM TO ALLOW ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS 
TO ELECT TO RECEIVE FINANCIAL ASSIST-
ANCE IN LIEU OF POST-9/11 EDUCATIONAL 
ASSISTANCE TO ESTABLISH AND OPERATE A 
QUALIFIED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT
OF PILOT PROGRAM.—Sub-
chapter III of chapter 33 of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 3328. Pilot program to allow election to receive fi-
nancial assistance to establish and oper-
ate a small business 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—(1) Not later than January 
1, 2021, the Secretary, in collaboration with the Adminis-
trator of the Small Business Administration, shall estab-
lish a pilot program under which an eligible individual may 
elect to receive financial assistance, in lieu of educational 
assistance under this chapter, for a three-year period— 
‘‘(A) to establish and operate a new qualified 
business enterprise; or 
‘‘(B) to operate an existing qualified business 
enterprise. 
‘‘(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), an eligible indi-
vidual is an individual who— 
‘‘(A) is entitled to 36 months of educational as-
sistance under this chapter; 
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‘‘(B) is not in bankruptcy proceedings at the 
time of application; and 
‘‘(C) has a credit score equal to or greater than 
the minimum credit score required by the Adminis-
trator to receive a loan under section 7(a) of the 
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(a)). 
‘‘(b) APPLICATION PROCESS.—The Secretary shall 
establish an application process to select individuals to 
participate in the pilot program. 
‘‘(c) ALLOWABLE EXPENSES.—An individual may 
use financial assistance under the pilot program for the 
following expenses in connection with the establishment or 
operation of a qualified business enterprise: 
‘‘(1) Payment of a mortgage or lease with re-
spect to property used regularly and exclusively to 
operate the qualified business enterprise. 
‘‘(2) Utilities, phone, and computer expenses. 
‘‘(3) Equipment, furniture, and machinery. 
‘‘(4) Vehicles and travel expenses. 
‘‘(5) Property maintenance costs. 
‘‘(6) Insurance. 
‘‘(7) Wages, salaries, payroll taxes, and bene-
fits. 
‘‘(8) Supplies and other office expenses. 
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‘‘(9) Professional fees, including legal and ac-
counting services. 
‘‘(10) Advertising and marketing costs. 
‘‘(11) Such other expenses as the Secretary de-
termines appropriate. 
‘‘(d) AMOUNT AND PAYMENT OF FINANCIAL ASSIST-
ANCE.—(1) The Secretary shall make available to an indi-
vidual under the pilot program financial assistance in the 
following amounts: 
‘‘(A) In the first year of the pilot program, an 
amount equal to the sum of— 
‘‘(i) $20,000; and 
‘‘(ii) the monthly amount of the basic al-
lowance for housing payable under section 403 
of title 37 for a member with dependents in pay 
grade E–5 residing in the military housing area 
that encompasses all or the majority portion of 
the ZIP code area in which is located the pri-
mary residence of the individual, multiplied by 
12. 
‘‘(B) In the second year of the pilot program, 
$20,000. 
‘‘(C) In the third year of the pilot program, 
$20,000. 
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‘‘(2) The Secretary shall make payments under this 
section as follows: 
‘‘(A) In the first year of the pilot program, and 
as requested by an individual under the program— 
‘‘(i) for— 
‘‘(I) the first month, in a lump sum 
equal to 60 percent of the total amount 
under subsection (d)(1)(A); and 
‘‘(II) each subsequent month, in an 
amount equal to 40 percent of the total 
amount under such subsection divided by 
11; or 
‘‘(ii) on a monthly basis. 
‘‘(B) In the second and third year of the pilot 
program, on a monthly basis. 
‘‘(e) EXPENDITURE REPORTING AND TRACKING SYS-
TEM.—The Secretary, in collaboration with the Adminis-
trator, shall establish and operate a secure electronic re-
porting system through which— 
‘‘(1) an individual participating in the pilot pro-
gram may report— 
‘‘(A) expenditures of a qualified business 
enterprise established or operated under the 
pilot program; and 
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‘‘(B) such other information as the Sec-
retary may require; and 
‘‘(2) the Secretary may track expenditures and 
other information reported under paragraph (1). 
‘‘(f) REVIEW OF EXPENDITURES; IMPROPER USE OF 
FUNDS.—The Secretary shall— 
‘‘(1) at least once every two months, review the 
system established under subsection (e) to determine 
whether an individual participating in the pilot pro-
gram is using financial assistance under the pilot 
program for allowable expenses described in sub-
section (c); and 
‘‘(2) require an individual who uses financial 
assistance for a nonallowable expense to remit to the 
Secretary an amount equal to the amount used for 
the nonallowable expense. 
‘‘(g) COMBINATION OF BENEFITS.—The Secretary 
may allow multiple individuals to use financial assistance 
under the pilot program to establish or operate a single 
qualified business enterprise. 
‘‘(h) TRAINING.—The Secretary, in collaboration 
with the Administrator, shall provide training to individ-
uals participating in the pilot program with respect to the 
establishment and operation of a business, including how 
to avoid becoming a victim of predatory lending. 
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‘‘(i) WITHDRAWAL FROM PILOT PROGRAM.—(1) An 
individual, upon notice to the Secretary, may withdraw 
from participation in the pilot program at any time prior 
to the completion of the three-year period of the program. 
‘‘(2) In the event that an individual withdraws from 
the pilot program under paragraph (1), the Secretary 
shall— 
‘‘(A) determine the remaining educational as-
sistance to which the individual is entitled under this 
chapter; and 
‘‘(B) allow the individual to use such remaining 
educational assistance in accordance with this chap-
ter. 
‘‘(j) DURATION.—The Secretary shall carry out the 
pilot program for a period of seven years. 
‘‘(k) 
QUALIFIED
BUSINESS
ENTERPRISE
DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘qualified business en-
terprise’ means a business enterprise engaged in lawful 
activities under— 
‘‘(1) Federal law; or 
‘‘(2) the law of the State in which the business 
enterprise is located.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 3301 of 
such title is amended by adding at the end the following 
new paragraph: 
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‘‘(5) The term ‘educational assistance under 
this chapter’ does not include financial assistance 
under section 3328.’’. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of chapter 33 of such title is amended 
by inserting after the item relating to section 3327 the 
following new item: 
‘‘3328. Pilot program to allow election to receive financial assistance to establish 
and operate a small business.’’. 
Æ 
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