Improving Opportunities for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses Act of 2013

Bill: 113-hr-2882
Sponsor: Rep. Coffman, Mike [R-CO-6]
Introduced: 2013-07-31 in the House
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Disability and paralysis
Government information and archives
Public contracts and procurement
Small business
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation

Summary:
action_date: 2013-07-31
text: 
Improving Opportunities for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses Act of 2013 - Amends the Small Business Act to expand the definition of &quot;small business concern owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans&quot; for purposes of federal agencies awarding small business contracts pursuant to Small Business Administration (SBA) programs to include: (1) a small business concern not less than 51% of which is owned by one or more veterans with service-connected disabilities that are permanent and total who are unable to manage the daily business operations of such concern; or (2) in the case of a publicly owned business, a small business concern not less than 51% of the stock of which is owned by one or more such veterans. (Currently, such veterans with permanent and total disabilities are provided for in a separate small business program under veterans' benefits laws carried out by the Department of Veterans Affairs [VA].)
 
Revises the VA definition of &quot;small business concern owned and controlled by veterans&quot; to be the same as the SBA definition of such term, thereby making the eligibility requirements for participation in veteran-owned small business contracting programs consistent for both SBA programs and VA programs.
 
Provides that if the death of a service-disabled veteran causes a small business concern to be less than 51% owned by one or more such veterans, the surviving spouse who acquires ownership rights shall be treated as if the surviving spouse were the veteran for the purpose of maintaining the business's status as a small business concern owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans until the earlier of the date on which the surviving spouse either remarries or relinquishes the ownership interest or 10 years after the veteran's death.
 
Directs the SBA Administrator to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the VA Secretary that transfers from the Secretary to the Administrator control and administration of a required database of veteran-owned businesses.

action_date: 2014-12-11
text: 
Improving Opportunities for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses Act of 2014 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Small Business Act to require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) that transfers from the Secretary to the Administrator control and administration of a database of veteran-owned businesses. (Small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans and small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans with service-connected disabilities must be in that database to participate in the Veterans First program that gives VA contracting preferences to those businesses.)
 
Requires the Administrator to employ database fraud prevention measures that include: (1) the investigation of allegations of potential fraud, (2) the removal of unqualified businesses from the database, and (3) the referral of cases for prosecution when appropriate. 
 
Requires any appeal by a small business of any determination of its status as a veteran-owned business to be heard by the SBA's Office of Hearings and Appeals.
 
Directs the Secretary, for the six years beginning on a date agreed to in the memorandum, to use fees the Secretary collects under multiple-award schedule contracts to reimburse the Administrator for the costs the Administrator incurs in implementing the memorandum.
 
Requires the Secretary and the Administrator, every 180 days, to: (1) meet to discuss ways to improve collaboration under the memorandum to increase opportunities for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses and veteran-owned small businesses, (2) consult with congressionally-chartered Veterans Service Organizations to discuss ways to increase opportunities for those businesses, and (3) report to Congress on their progress in implementing the memorandum.
 
(Sec. 3) Requires the Secretary to enter into a memorandum of agreement with the SBA specifying the manner in which the Secretary shall notify the Administrator as to whether an individual is a veteran and if that veteran has a service-connected disability.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-12-11
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Small Business. H. Rept. 113-662, Part I.
action_date: 2014-12-11
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Small Business. H. Rept. 113-662, Part I.
action_date: 2014-03-05
text: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
action_date: 2014-03-05
text: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2013-08-13
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
action_date: 2013-07-31
text: 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.
action_date: 2013-07-31
text: 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.
action_date: 2013-07-31
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2013-07-31
text: Introduced in House