Title: National Guard and Reserve Entrepreneurship Support Act
Policy area: Commerce

Summary:
National Guard and Reserve Entrepreneurship Support Act
This bill makes various Small Business Administration (SBA) programs currently available to active duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces also available to those on full-time National Guard duty. The bill also (1) makes SBA outreach programs available to the spouses of Armed Forces reserve component members and veterans, and (2) establishes the National Guard and Reserve Deployment Support and Business Training Program to provide business-related assistance to Armed Forces reserve component members and veterans and their spouses.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3561 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3561

To support entrepreneurs serving in the National Guard and Reserve, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 9, 2018

Mrs. Shaheen (for herself and Mr. Leahy) introduced the following bill; 
 which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business 
                          and Entrepreneurship

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To support entrepreneurs serving in the National Guard and Reserve, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Guard and Reserve 
Entrepreneurship Support Act''.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF LOAN ASSISTANCE AND DEFERRAL ELIGIBILITY TO 
              RESERVISTS BEYOND PERIODS OF MILITARY CONFLICT.

    (a) Small Business Act Amendments.--Section 7 of the Small Business 
Act (15 U.S.C. 636) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(3)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A)--
                            (i) by striking clause (ii);
                            (ii) by redesignating clause (i) as clause 
                        (ii);
                            (iii) by inserting before clause (ii), as 
                        so redesignated, the following:
                    ``(i) the term `active service' has the meaning 
                given that term in section 101(d)(3) of title 10, 
                United States Code;''; and
                            (iv) in clause (ii), as so redesignated, by 
                        adding ``and'' at the end;
                    (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``being 
                ordered to active military duty during a period of 
                military conflict'' and inserting ``being ordered to 
                perform active service for a period of more than 30 
                consecutive days'';
                    (C) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``active 
                duty'' each place it appears and inserting ``active 
                service''; and
                    (D) in subparagraph (G)(ii)(II), by striking 
                ``active duty'' and inserting ``active service''; and
            (2) in subsection (n)--
                    (A) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Active 
                Duty'' and inserting ``Active Service'';
                    (B) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by striking subparagraph (C);
                            (ii) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and 
                        (B) as subparagraphs (B) and (C), respectively;
                            (iii) by inserting before subparagraph (B), 
                        as so redesignated, the following:
                    ``(A) Active service.--The term `active service' 
                has the meaning given that term in section 101(d)(3) of 
                title 10, United States Code.'';
                            (iv) in subparagraph (B), as so 
                        redesignated, by striking ``ordered to active 
                        duty during a period of military conflict'' and 
                        inserting ``ordered to perform active service 
                        for a period of more than 30 consecutive 
                        days''; and
                            (v) in subparagraph (D), by striking 
                        ``active duty'' each place it appears and 
                        inserting ``active service''; and
                    (C) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ``active 
                duty'' each place it appears and inserting ``active 
                service''.
    (b) Applicability.--The amendments made by subsection (a)(1) shall 
apply to an economic injury suffered or likely to be suffered as the 
result of an essential employee being ordered to perform active service 
(as defined in section 101(d)(3) of title 10, United States Code) for a 
period of more than 30 consecutive days who is discharged or released 
from such active service on or after the date of enactment of this Act.
    (c) Semiannual Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, and semiannually thereafter, the President shall 
submit to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and the 
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Small 
Business and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
Representatives a report on the number of loans made under the Military 
Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan program and the dollar volume 
of those loans. The report shall contain the subsidy rate of the 
disaster loan program as authorized under section 7(b) of the Small 
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(b)) with the loans made under the Military 
Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan program and without those loans 
included.
    (d) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--Section 8(l) of the Small 
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(l)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``The Administration'' and inserting the 
        following:
            ``(1) In general.--The Administration'';
            (2) by striking ``(as defined in section 7(n)(1))''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Definition of period of military conflict.--In this 
        subsection, the term `period of military conflict' means--
                    ``(A) a period of war declared by the Congress;
                    ``(B) a period of national emergency declared by 
                the Congress or by the President; or
                    ``(C) a period of a contingency operation, as 
                defined in section 101(a) of title 10, United States 
                Code.''.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE DEPLOYMENT SUPPORT AND BUSINESS 
              TRAINING PROGRAM.

    (a) Expansion of Small Business Administration Outreach Programs.--
Section 8(b)(17) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(b)(17)) is 
amended by striking ``and members of a reserve component of the Armed 
Forces'' and inserting ``members of a reserve component of the Armed 
Forces, and the spouses of veterans and members of a reserve component 
of the Armed Forces''.
    (b) Establishment of Program.--Section 32 of the Small Business Act 
(15 U.S.C. 657) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(g) National Guard and Reserve Deployment Support and Business 
Training.--
            ``(1) In general.--In making grants carried out under 
        section 8(b)(17), the Associate Administrator shall establish a 
        program, to be known as the `National Guard and Reserve 
        Deployment Support and Business Training Program', to provide 
        training, counseling and other assistance to support members of 
        a reserve component of the Armed Forces and their spouses.
            ``(2) Authorities.--In carrying out this subsection, the 
        Associate Administrator may--
                    ``(A) modify programs and resources made available 
                through section 8(b)(17) to provide pre-deployment and 
                other information specific to members of a reserve 
                component of the Armed Forces and their spouses;
                    ``(B) collaborate with the Chief of the National 
                Guard Bureau or the Chief's designee, State Adjutant 
                Generals or their designees, and other public and 
                private partners; and
                    ``(C) provide training, information and other 
                resources to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau or 
                the Chief's designee and State Adjutant Generals or 
                their designees for the purpose of supporting members 
                of a reserve component of the Armed Forces and the 
                spouses of veterans and members of a reserve component 
                of the Armed Forces.''.
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