Topic: Domestic Commerce — Small Businesses
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2009-03-31 00:00:00

Veterans Business Center Act of 2009 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish within the SBA a Veterans Business Center program (program), headed by a Director, to provide entrepreneurial training and counseling to veterans. Authorizes the Director to make grants to each entity designated by the Director as a veterans business center (center). Authorizes the Director to make both initial and growth funding grants under the program. Requires each center to use such funds on veteran entrepreneurial development, counseling of veteran-owned small businesses through one-on-one instruction and classes, and providing government procurement assistance to veterans. Requires a 50% non-federal funding match for participating centers, but authorizes the Director to waive such requirement with respect to centers located in certain low-income or high unemployment areas. Requires the Director to give priority to applications that will establish a center in an area in which the population of veterans, or veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom, exceeds the national median. Requires the Director to: (1) develop and implement an annual training program for staff and personnel of such centers; and (2) report annually to the Administrator on whether a sufficient percentage of veterans in rural areas have adequate access to a center. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Director to establish a grant program under which the Director is authorized to make grants to centers that will develop specialized programs to assist veteran-owned small businesses in securing capital and repairing damaged credit, counsel on how to improve financial presentations, facilitate access to financing, and assist unemployed veterans become entrepreneurs. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Director to establish a grant program under which the Director is authorized to make grants to centers to: (1) assist veteran-owned small businesses to identify contracts that are suitable to such businesses; (2) prepare veteran-owned small businesses to be ready as subcontractors and prime contractors for contracts made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, particularly with respect to the construction trades; and (3) provide veteran-owned small businesses technical assistance with respect to the federal procurement process. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Director to establish a grant program which the Director is authorized to make grants to centers to develop outreach programs for service-disabled veterans to promote self-employment opportunities and to train and assist such veterans with respect to developing business plans and securing business opportunities. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Director to carry out, every two years, a veterans entrepreneurial development summit, which shall include education and training on improving outreach to veterans in areas of high unemployment. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 3) Requires an annual report from the Administrator to Congress on appointments made to, and activities of, the interagency task force on veteran-owned small businesses. (Sec. 4) Directs the Comptroller General to carry out, and report to Congress on, a study of the effects of this Act on small businesses owned and controlled by veterans.