I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1460
To amend title 38, United States Code, to permit the use of education 
benefits under such title for certain entrepreneurship courses, to permit 
veterans enrolled in a vocational rehabilitation program under chapter 
31 of such title to have self-employment as a vocational goal, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 27, 2003
Mr. RENZI (for himself, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. EVANS, Mr. BROWN 
of South Carolina, Mr. MANZULLO, Mr. BEAUPREZ, and Mr. MICHAUD) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Small Business, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to permit the use 
of education benefits under such title for certain entre-
preneurship courses, to permit veterans enrolled in a 
vocational rehabilitation program under chapter 31 of 
such title to have self-employment as a vocational goal, 
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 ‘‘Veterans Entrepre-
neurship Act of 2003’’. 
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR STATE APPROVING AGENCIES 
TO APPROVE CERTAIN ENTREPRENEURSHIP 
COURSES. 
(a) APPROVAL OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP COURSES.—
Section 3675 of title 38, United States Code, is amended 
by adding at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(c)(1) A State approving agency may approve the 
entrepreneurship courses offered by a qualified provider 
of entrepreneurship courses. 
‘‘(2) For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘entre-
preneurship course’ means a non-degree, non-credit course 
of business education that enables or assists a person to 
start or enhance a small business enterprise. 
‘‘(3) Subsection (a) and paragraphs (1) and (2) of 
subsection (b) do not apply to— 
‘‘(A) an entrepreneurship course offered by a 
qualified provider of entrepreneurship courses; and 
‘‘(B) a qualified provider of entrepreneurship 
courses by reason of such provider offering one or 
more entrepreneurship courses.’’. 
(b) BUSINESS OWNERS NOT TREATED AS ALREADY 
QUALIFIED.—Section 3471 of such title is amended by in-
serting before the last sentence the following: ‘‘The Sec-
retary shall not treat a person as already qualified for the 
objective of a program of education offered by a qualified 
provider of entrepreneurship courses solely because such 
person is the owner or operator of a business.’’. 
(c) INCLUSION OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP COURSES IN 
DEFINITION OF PROGRAM OF EDUCATION.—Subsection 
(b) of section 3452 of such title is amended by adding 
at the end the following: ‘‘Such term also includes any 
course, or combination of courses, offered by a qualified 
provider of entrepreneurship courses.’’
(d) INCLUSION OF QUALIFIED PROVIDER OF ENTRE-
PRENEURSHIP
COURSES
IN
DEFINITION
OF
EDU-
CATIONAL INSTITUTION.—Subsection (c) of section 3452 
of such title is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: ‘‘Such term also includes any qualified provider 
of entrepreneurship courses.’’. 
(e) DEFINITION OF QUALIFIED PROVIDER OF EN-
TREPRENEURSHIP COURSES.—Section 3452 of such title 
is further amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection: 
‘‘(h) The term ‘qualified provider of entrepreneurship 
courses’ means—
‘‘(1) a small business development center de-
scribed in section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 648), and
‘‘(2) the National Veterans Business Develop-
ment Corporation (established under section 33 of 
such Act (15 U.S.C. 657c)) insofar as the Corpora-
tion offers or sponsors an entrepreneurship course 
(as defined in section 3675(c)(2) of this title).’’. 
(f) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply to courses approved by State ap-
proving agencies after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF SELF-EMPLOYMENT AS A VO-
CATIONAL GOAL FOR VETERANS RECEIVING 
VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION. 
Section 3104 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(c) Any person entitled to a rehabilitation program 
under this chapter may establish self-employment as a vo-
cational goal without regard to any requirement that the 
person be unemployable.’’. 
SEC. 4. PROCUREMENT PROGRAM FOR SMALL BUSINESS 
CONCERNS OWNED AND CONTROLLED BY 
SERVICE-DISABLED VETERANS. 
The Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.) is 
amended by redesignating section 36 as section 37 and 
by inserting after section 35 the following new section:
‘‘SEC. 36. PROCUREMENT PROGRAM FOR SMALL BUSINESS 
CONCERNS OWNED AND CONTROLLED BY 
SERVICE-DISABLED VETERANS. 
‘‘(a) SOLE SOURCE CONTRACTS.—In accordance with 
this section and not withstanding any other provision of 
law, a contracting officer may award a sole source contract 
to any small business concern owned and controlled by 
service-disabled veterans if—
‘‘(1) such concern is determined to be a respon-
sible contractor with respect to performance of such 
contract opportunity and the contracting officer does 
not have a reasonable expectation that 2 or more 
small business concerns owned and controlled by 
service-disabled veterans will submit offers for the 
contracting opportunity; 
‘‘(2) the anticipated award price of the contract 
(including options) will not exceed—
‘‘(A) $5,000,000, in the case of a contract 
opportunity assigned a standard industrial clas-
sification code for manufacturing; or 
‘‘(B) $3,000,000, in the case of any other 
contract opportunity; and 
‘‘(3) in the estimation of the contracting officer, 
the contract award can be made at a fair and rea-
sonable price.
‘‘(b) RESTRICTED
COMPETITION.—In accordance 
with this section and not withstanding any other provision 
of law, a contracting officer may award contracts on the 
basis of competition restricted to small business concerns 
owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans if the 
contracting officer has a reasonable expectation that not 
less than 2 small business concerns owned and controlled 
by service-disabled veterans will submit offers and that the 
award can be made at a fair market price. 
‘‘(c) APPEAL BY ADMINISTRATOR.—Not later than 5 
days after the date on which the Administration is notified 
of a contracting officer’s decision not to award a contract 
opportunity under this section to a small business concern 
owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans, the Ad-
ministrator may notify the contracting officer of the intent 
to appeal the contracting officer’s decision, and within 15 
days of such date the Administrator may file a written 
request for reconsideration of the contracting officer’s de-
cision with the Secretary of the department or agency 
head. 
‘‘(d) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER CONTRACTING PREF-
ERENCES.—A procurement may not be made from a 
source on the basis of a preference provided under sub-
section (a) or (b) if the procurement would otherwise be 
made from a different source under section 4124 or 4125
of title 18, United States Code, or the Javits-Wagner-
O’Day Act (41 U.S.C. 46 et seq.). 
‘‘(e) ENFORCEMENT; PENALTIES.—Rules similar to 
the rules of paragraphs (5) and (6) of section 8(m) shall 
apply for purposes of this section. 
‘‘(f) CONTRACTING OFFICER.—For purposes of this 
section, the term ‘contracting officer’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 27(f)(5) of the Office of Federal 
Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 423(f)(5)).’’.
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