II 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4253 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
DECEMBER 7, 2007 
Received 
AN ACT 
To improve and expand small business assistance programs 
for veterans of the armed forces and military reservists, 
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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Military Reservist and Veteran Small Business Reau-
thorization and Opportunity Act of 2007’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Definitions. 
TITLE I—VETERANS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 
Sec. 101. Increased funding for the Office of Veterans Business Development. 
Sec. 102. Interagency task force. 
Sec. 103. Permanent extension of SBA Advisory Committee on Veterans Busi-
ness Affairs. 
Sec. 104. Office of Veterans Business Development. 
Sec. 105. Increasing the number of outreach centers. 
Sec. 106. Independent study on gaps in availability of outreach centers. 
TITLE II—NATIONAL RESERVIST ENTERPRISE TRANSITION AND 
SUSTAINABILITY 
Sec. 201. Short title. 
Sec. 202. Purpose. 
Sec. 203. National Guard and Reserve business assistance. 
Sec. 204. Veterans Assistance and Services program. 
TITLE III—RESERVIST PROGRAMS 
Sec. 301. Reservist programs. 
Sec. 302. Reservist loans. 
Sec. 303. Noncollateralized loans. 
Sec. 304. Loan priority. 
Sec. 305. Relief from time limitations for veteran-owned small businesses. 
Sec. 306. Service-disabled veterans. 
Sec. 307. Study on options for promoting positive working relations between 
employers and their Reserve Component employees. 
Sec. 308. Increased Veteran Participation Program. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act— 
(1) the term ‘‘activated’’ means receiving an 
order placing a Reservist on active duty; 
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(2) the term ‘‘active duty’’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 101 of title 10, United 
States Code; 
(3) the terms ‘‘Administration’’ and ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ mean the Small Business Administration 
and the Administrator thereof, respectively; 
(4) the term ‘‘Reservist’’ means a member of a 
reserve component of the Armed Forces, as de-
scribed in section 10101 of title 10, United States 
Code; 
(5) the term ‘‘Service Corps of Retired Execu-
tives’’ means the Service Corps of Retired Execu-
tives authorized by section 8(b)(1) of the Small 
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(b)(1)); 
(6) the terms ‘‘service-disabled veteran’’ and 
‘‘small business concern’’ have the meaning as in 
section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
632); 
(7) the term ‘‘small business development cen-
ter’’ means a small business development center de-
scribed in section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 648); and 
(8) the term ‘‘women’s business center’’ means 
a women’s business center described in section 29 of 
the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656). 
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TITLE I—VETERANS BUSINESS 
DEVELOPMENT 
SEC. 101. INCREASED FUNDING FOR THE OFFICE OF VET-
ERANS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro-
priated to the Office of Veterans Business Development 
of the Administration, to remain available until ex-
pended— 
(1) $2,100,000 for fiscal year 2008; and 
(2) $2,300,000 for fiscal year 2009. 
(b) FUNDING OFFSET.—Amounts necessary to carry 
out subsection (a) shall be offset and made available 
through the reduction of the authorization of funding 
under section 20(e)(1)(B)(iv) of the Small Business Act 
(15 U.S.C. 631 note). 
(c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that any amounts provided pursuant to this section 
that are in excess of amounts provided to the Administra-
tion for the Office of Veterans Business Development in 
fiscal year 2007, should be used to support Veterans Busi-
ness Outreach Centers. 
SEC. 102. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE. 
Section 32 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
657b) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (c) as (f); and 
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(2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(c) INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days 
after the date of enactment of this subsection, the 
President shall establish an interagency task force to 
coordinate the efforts of Federal agencies necessary 
to increase capital and business development oppor-
tunities for, and increase the award of Federal con-
tracting and subcontracting opportunities to, small 
business concerns owned and controlled by service- 
disabled veterans and small business concerns owned 
and controlled by veterans (in this section referred 
to as the ‘task force’). 
‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The members of the task 
force shall include— 
‘‘(A) the Administrator, who shall serve as 
chairperson of the task force; 
‘‘(B) a senior level representative from— 
‘‘(i) the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs; 
‘‘(ii) the Department of Defense; 
‘‘(iii) the Administration (in addition 
to the Administrator); 
‘‘(iv) the Department of Labor; 
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‘‘(v) the Department of the Treasury; 
‘‘(vi) the General Services Administra-
tion; and 
‘‘(vii) the Office of Management and 
Budget; and 
‘‘(C) 4 representatives from a veterans 
service organization or military organization or 
association, selected by the President. 
‘‘(3) DUTIES.—The task force shall coordinate 
administrative and regulatory activities and develop 
proposals relating to— 
‘‘(A) increasing capital access and capacity 
of small business concerns owned and controlled 
by service-disabled veterans and small business 
concerns owned and controlled by veterans 
through loans, surety bonding, and franchising; 
‘‘(B) increasing access to Federal con-
tracting and subcontracting for small business 
concerns owned and controlled by service-dis-
abled veterans and small business concerns 
owned and controlled by veterans through ex-
panded mentor-prote´ge´ assistance and matching 
such small business concerns with contracting 
opportunities; 
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‘‘(C) increasing the integrity of certifi-
cations of status as a small business concern 
owned and controlled by service-disabled vet-
erans or a small business concern owned and 
controlled by veterans; 
‘‘(D) reducing paperwork and administra-
tive burdens on veterans in accessing business 
development and entrepreneurship opportuni-
ties; 
‘‘(E) increasing and improving training 
and counseling services provided to small busi-
ness concerns owned and controlled by veterans; 
and 
‘‘(F) making other improvements relating 
to the support for veterans business develop-
ment by the Federal Government. 
‘‘(4) REPORTING.—The task force shall submit 
an annual report regarding its activities and pro-
posals to— 
‘‘(A) the Committee on Small Business 
and Entrepreneurship and the Committee on 
Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate; and 
‘‘(B) the Committee on Small Business 
and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 
House of Representatives.’’. 
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SEC. 103. PERMANENT EXTENSION OF SBA ADVISORY COM-
MITTEE ON VETERANS BUSINESS AFFAIRS. 
(a) ASSUMPTION
OF DUTIES.—Section 33 of the 
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657c) is amended— 
(1) by striking subsection (h); and 
(2) by redesignating subsections (i) through (k) 
as subsections (h) through (j), respectively. 
(b) PERMANENT EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY.—Sec-
tion 203 of the Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small 
Business Development Act of 1999 (15 U.S.C. 657b note) 
is amended by striking subsection (h). 
SEC. 104. OFFICE OF VETERANS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. 
Section 32 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
657b), as amended by section 102, is further amended by 
inserting after subsection (c) (as added by section 102) 
the following: 
‘‘(d) PARTICIPATION IN TAP WORKSHOPS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Associate Adminis-
trator shall increase veteran outreach by ensuring 
that Veteran Business Outreach Centers regularly 
participate, on a nationwide basis, in the workshops 
of the Transition Assistance Program of the Depart-
ment of Labor. 
‘‘(2) PRESENTATIONS.—In carrying out para-
graph (1), a Center may provide grants to eligible 
entities located in Transition Assistance Program lo-
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cations to make presentations on the opportunities 
available from the Administration for recently sepa-
rating veterans. Each such presentation must in-
clude, at a minimum, the entrepreneurial and busi-
ness training resources available from the Adminis-
tration. 
‘‘(3) WRITTEN MATERIALS.—The Associate Ad-
ministrator of Veterans Business Development shall 
create written materials that provide comprehensive 
information on self-employment and veterans entre-
preneurship, including information on Small Busi-
ness Administration resources available for such top-
ics, and shall make these materials available for in-
clusion in the Transition Assistance Program man-
ual. 
‘‘(4) REPORTS.—The Associate Administrator 
shall submit to Congress progress reports on the im-
plementation of this subsection. 
‘‘(e) WOMEN VETERANS BUSINESS TRAINING RE-
SOURCE PROGRAM.—The Associate Administrator shall 
establish a Women Veterans Business Training Resource 
Program. The program shall— 
‘‘(1) compile information on resources available 
to women veterans for business training, including 
resources for— 
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‘‘(A) vocational and technical education; 
‘‘(B) general business skills, such as mar-
keting and accounting; and 
‘‘(C) business assistance programs targeted 
to women veterans; and 
‘‘(2) disseminate the information through Vet-
eran Business Outreach Centers and women’s busi-
ness centers.’’. 
SEC. 105. INCREASING THE NUMBER OF OUTREACH CEN-
TERS. 
The Administrator of the Small Business Administra-
tion shall use the authority in section 8(b)(17) of the 
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(b)(17)) to ensure that 
the number of Veterans Business Outreach Centers 
throughout the United States increases— 
(1) by at least 2, for each of fiscal years 2008 
and 2009, in accordance with funding provided in 
sections 101(a)(1) and (a)(2) of this Act; and 
(2) by the number that the Administrator con-
siders appropriate, based on existing need, for each 
fiscal year thereafter. 
SEC. 106. INDEPENDENT STUDY ON GAPS IN AVAILABILITY 
OF OUTREACH CENTERS. 
The Administrator of the Small Business Administra-
tion shall sponsor an independent study on gaps in the 
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availability of Veterans Business Outreach Centers across 
the United States. The purpose of the study shall be to 
identify the gaps that do exist so as to inform decisions 
on funding and on the allocation and coordination of re-
sources. Not later than 6 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to 
Congress a report on the results of the study. 
TITLE II—NATIONAL RESERVIST 
ENTERPRISE 
TRANSITION 
AND SUSTAINABILITY 
SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE. 
This title may be cited as the ‘‘National Reservist 
Enterprise Transition and Sustainability Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 202. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this title is to establish a program 
to— 
(1) provide managerial, financial, planning, de-
velopment, technical, and regulatory assistance to 
small business concerns owned and operated by Re-
servists; 
(2) provide managerial, financial, planning, de-
velopment, technical, and regulatory assistance to 
the temporary heads of small business concerns 
owned and operated by Reservists; 
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(3) create a partnership between the Small 
Business Administration, the Department of De-
fense, and the Department of Veterans Affairs to as-
sist small business concerns owned and operated by 
Reservists; 
(4) utilize the service delivery network of small 
business development centers, women’s business cen-
ters, Veterans Business Outreach Centers, and cen-
ters receiving funding from the National Veterans 
Business Development Corporation, and any other 
Veterans Business Assistance program which re-
ceives federal funding, to expand the access of small 
business concerns owned and operated by Reservists 
to programs providing business management, devel-
opment, financial, procurement, technical, regu-
latory, and marketing assistance; 
(5) utilize the service delivery network of small 
business development centers, women’s business cen-
ters, Veterans Business Outreach Centers, and cen-
ters receiving funding from the National Veterans 
Business Development Corporation, and any other 
Veterans Business Assistance program which re-
ceives federal funding, to quickly respond to an acti-
vation of Reservists that own and operate small 
business concerns; and 
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(6) utilize the service delivery network of small 
business development centers, women’s business cen-
ters, Veterans Business Outreach Centers, and cen-
ters receiving funding from the National Veterans 
Business Development Corporation, and any other 
Veterans Business Assistance program which re-
ceives federal funding, to assist Reservists that own 
and operate small business concerns in preparing for 
future military activations. 
SEC. 203. NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE BUSINESS AS-
SISTANCE. 
The Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.) is 
amended— 
(1) by redesignating section 37 (15 U.S.C. 631 
note) as section 38; and 
(2) by inserting after section 36 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 37. RESERVIST ENTERPRISE TRANSITION AND SUS-
TAINABILITY. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall estab-
lish a program to provide business planning assistance to 
small business concerns owned and operated by Reservists. 
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
‘‘(1) the terms ‘activated’ and ‘activation’ mean 
having received an order placing a Reservists on ac-
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tive duty, as defined by section 101(1) of title 10, 
United States Code; 
‘‘(2) the term ‘Administrator’ means the Ad-
ministrator of the Small Business Administration, 
acting through the Associate Administrator for 
Small Business Development Centers; 
‘‘(3) the term ‘Association’ means the associa-
tion established under section 21(a)(3)(A); 
‘‘(4) the term ‘eligible applicant’ means— 
‘‘(A) a small business development center 
that is accredited under section 21(k); 
‘‘(B) a women’s business center; 
‘‘(C) a Veterans Business Outreach Center 
that receives funds from the Office of Veterans 
Business Development; 
‘‘(D) an information and assistance center 
receiving funding from the National Veterans 
Business Development Corporation under sec-
tion 33; or 
‘‘(E) any other Veterans Business Assist-
ance program which receives federal funding; 
‘‘(5) the term ‘enterprise transition and sus-
tainability assistance’ means assistance provided by 
an eligible applicant to a small business concern 
owned and operated by a Reservist, who has been 
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activated or is likely to be activated in the next 12 
months, to develop and implement a business strat-
egy for the period while the owner is on active duty 
and 6 months after the date of the return of the 
owner; 
‘‘(6) the term ‘Reservist’ means any person who 
is— 
‘‘(A) a member of a reserve component of 
the Armed Forces, as defined by section 10101 
of title 10, United States Code; and 
‘‘(B) on active status, as defined by section 
101(d)(4) of title 10, United States Code; 
‘‘(7) the term ‘small business development cen-
ter’ means a small business development center as 
described in section 21 of the Small Business Act 
(15 U.S.C. 648); 
‘‘(8) the term ‘State’ means each of the several 
States of the United States, the District of Colum-
bia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin 
Islands, American Samoa, and Guam; and 
‘‘(9) the term ‘women’s business center’ means 
a women’s business center described in section 29 of 
the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656). 
‘‘(c) AUTHORITY.—The Administrator may award 
grants, in accordance with the regulations developed under 
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subsection (d), to eligible applicants to assist small busi-
ness concerns owned and operated by Reservists by— 
‘‘(1) providing management, development, fi-
nancing, procurement, technical, regulatory, and 
marketing assistance; 
‘‘(2) providing access to information and re-
sources, including Federal and State business assist-
ance programs; 
‘‘(3) distributing contact information provided 
by the Department of Defense regarding activated 
Reservists to corresponding State directors; 
‘‘(4) offering free, one-on-one, in-depth coun-
seling regarding management, development, financ-
ing, procurement, regulations, and marketing; 
‘‘(5) assisting in developing a long-term plan 
for possible future activation; and 
‘‘(6) providing enterprise transition and sus-
tainability assistance. 
‘‘(d) OTHER FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS AND AGEN-
CIES.—The Administrator shall make available informa-
tional materials established by this section to other Fed-
eral departments and agencies for their own internal pro-
grams. 
‘‘(e) RULEMAKING.— 
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