HR 2366
6-18-07, House Agreed to Bill by Voice Vote
Placed on Senate Calendar
Calendar No. 217
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2366
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 21, 2007
AN ACT
To reauthorize the veterans entrepreneurial development programs
of the Small Business Administration, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title- This Act may be cited as the `SBA Veterans' Programs Act
of 2007'.
(b) Table of Contents- The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
TITLE I--OFFICE OF VETERANS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Sec. 101. Office of Veterans Business Development.
TITLE II--VETERANS ASSISTANCE AND SERVICES
Sec. 201. Veterans Assistance and Services program.
TITLE III--EXPANDING VETERANS BUSINESS OUTREACH CENTERS
Sec. 301. Increasing the number of outreach centers.
Sec. 302. Independent study on gaps in availability of outreach centers.
TITLE I--OFFICE OF VETERANS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
SEC. 101. OFFICE OF VETERANS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT.
Section 32 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657b) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (e); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
`(c) Participation in TAP Workshops-
`(1) IN GENERAL- The Associate Administrator 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 Department of Labor.
`(2) PRESENTATIONS- In carrying out paragraph (1), a Center may provide
grants to eligible entities located in Transition Assistance Program locations
to make presentations on the opportunities available from the Administration
for recently separating veterans. Each such presentation must include,
at a minimum, the entrepreneurial and business training resources available
from the Administration.
`(3) REPORTS- The Associate Administrator shall submit to Congress progress
reports on the implementation of this subsection.
`(d) Women Veterans Business Training Resource 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--
`(A) vocational and technical education;
`(B) general business skills, such as marketing and accounting; and
`(C) business assistance programs targeted to women veterans; and
`(2) disseminate the information through Veteran Business Outreach Centers
and women's business centers.'.
TITLE II--VETERANS ASSISTANCE AND SERVICES
SEC. 201. VETERANS ASSISTANCE AND SERVICES PROGRAM.
Section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648) is amended by adding
at the end the following:
`(n) Veterans Assistance and Services Program-
`(1) IN GENERAL- A Small Business Development Center may apply for an
additional grant to carry out a veterans assistance and services program.
`(2) ELEMENTS OF PROGRAM- Under a program under paragraph (1), the Center
shall--
`(A) create a marketing campaign to promote awareness and education
of the services of the Center that are available to veterans, and to
target the campaign toward veterans, disabled veterans, military units,
Federal agencies, and veterans organizations;
`(B) use technology-assisted online counseling and distance learning
technology to overcome the impediments to entrepreneurship faced by
veterans and members of the Armed Forces; and
`(C) increase coordination among organizations that assist veterans,
including by establishing virtual integration of service providers and
offerings for a one-stop point of contact for veterans who are entrepreneurs
or small business owners.
`(3) MINIMUM AMOUNT- Each grant under this subsection shall be for at
least $75,000.
`(4) MAXIMUM AMOUNT- A grant under this subsection may not exceed $250,000.
`(5) FUNDING- Subject to amounts approved in advance in appropriations
Acts, the Administration may make grants or enter into cooperative agreements
to carry out the provisions of this subsection.'.
TITLE III--EXPANDING VETERANS BUSINESS OUTREACH CENTERS
SEC. 301. INCREASING THE NUMBER OF OUTREACH CENTERS.
The Administrator of the Small Business Administration shall use the authority
in section 8(b)(17) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 647(b)) 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; and
(2) by the number that the Administrator considers appropriate, based
on existing need, for each fiscal year thereafter.
SEC. 302. INDEPENDENT STUDY ON GAPS IN AVAILABILITY OF OUTREACH CENTERS.
The Administrator of the Small Business Administration shall sponsor an
independent study on gaps in the 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 resources. 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.
Passed the House of Representatives June 18, 2007.
Attest:
LORRAINE C. MILLER,
Clerk.
Calendar No. 217
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2366
AN ACT
To reauthorize the veterans entrepreneurial development programs of the
Small Business Administration, and for other purposes.
June 21, 2007
Read the second time and placed on the calendar
END
