[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2770 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2770

To amend the Small Business Act to establish a Veterans Business Center 
                    program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 10, 2009

Mrs. Gillibrand introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
    referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Small Business Act to establish a Veterans Business Center 
                    program, 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 ``Veterans Business Center Act of 
2009''.

SEC. 2. VETERANS BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM.

    Section 32 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657b) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (f), by inserting ``(other than 
        subsections (g), (h), and (i))'' after ``this section''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(g) Veterans Business Center Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Administrator shall establish a 
        Veterans Business Center program within the Administration to 
        provide entrepreneurial training and counseling to veterans in 
        accordance with this subsection.
            ``(2) Director.--The Administrator shall appoint a Director 
        of the Veterans Business Center program, who shall implement 
        and oversee such program and who shall report directly to the 
        Associate Administrator for Veterans Business Development.
            ``(3) Designation of veterans business centers.--The 
        Director shall establish by regulation an application, review, 
        and notification process to designate entities as veterans 
        business centers for purposes of this section. The Director 
        shall make publicly known the designation of an entity as a 
        veterans business center and the award of a grant to such 
        center under this subsection.
            ``(4) Funding for veterans business centers.--
                    ``(A) Initial grants.--The Director is authorized 
                to make a grant (hereinafter in this subsection 
                referred to as an `initial grant') to each veterans 
                business center each year for not more than 5 years in 
                the amount of $200,000.
                    ``(B) Growth funding grants.--After a veterans 
                business center has received 5 years of initial grants 
                under subparagraph (A), the Director is authorized to 
                make a grant (hereinafter in this subsection referred 
                to as a `growth funding grant') to such center each 
                year for not more than 3 years in the amount of 
                $150,000. After such center has received 3 years of 
                growth funding grants, the Director shall require such 
                center to meet performance benchmarks established by 
                the Director to be eligible for growth funding grants 
                in subsequent years.
            ``(5) Center responsibilities.--Each veterans business 
        center receiving a grant under this subsection shall use the 
        funds primarily on veteran entrepreneurial development, 
        counseling of veteran-owned small businesses through one-on-one 
        instruction and classes, and providing government procurement 
        assistance to veterans.
            ``(6) Matching funds.--Each veterans business center 
        receiving a grant under this subsection shall be required to 
        provide a non-Federal match of 50 percent of the Federal funds 
        such center receives under this subsection. The Director may 
        issue to a veterans business center, upon request, a waiver 
        from all or a portion of such matching requirement upon a 
        determination of hardship. The Director may waive the matching 
        funds requirement under this paragraph with respect to veterans 
        business centers that serve communities with a per capita 
        income less than 75 percent of the national per capita income 
        and an unemployment rate at least 150 percent higher than the 
        national average.
            ``(7) Targeted areas.--The Director shall give priority to 
        applications for designations and grants under this subsection 
        that will establish a veterans business center in a geographic 
        area, as determined by the Director, that is not currently 
        served by a veterans business center and in which--
                    ``(A) the population of veterans exceeds the 
                national median of such measure; or
                    ``(B) the population of veterans of Operation Iraqi 
                Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom exceeds the 
                national median of such measure.
            ``(8) Training program.--The Director shall develop and 
        implement, directly or by contract, an annual training program 
        for the staff and personnel of designated veterans business 
        centers to provide education, support, and information on best 
        practices with respect to the establishment and operation of 
        such centers. The Director shall develop such training program 
        in consultation with veterans business centers, the interagency 
        task force established under subsection (c), and veterans 
        service organizations.
            ``(9) Inclusion of other organizations in program.--Upon 
        the date of the enactment of this subsection, each Veterans 
        Business Outreach Center established by the Administrator under 
        the authority of section 8(b)(17) and each center that received 
        funds during fiscal year 2006 from the National Veterans 
        Business Development Corporation established under section 33 
        and that remains in operation shall be treated as designated as 
        a veterans business center for purposes of this subsection and 
        shall be eligible for grants under this subsection.
            ``(10) Rural areas.--The Director shall submit annually to 
        the Administrator a report on whether a sufficient percentage, 
        as determined by the Director, of veterans in rural areas have 
        adequate access to a veterans business center. If the Director 
        submits a report under this paragraph that does not demonstrate 
        that a sufficient percentage of veterans in rural areas have 
        adequate access to a veterans business center, the Director 
        shall give priority during the 1-year period following the date 
        of the submission of such report to applications for 
        designations and grants under this subsection that will 
        establish veterans business centers in rural areas.
            ``(11) Authorization of appropriations.--There is 
        authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection 
        $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 and $14,000,000 for fiscal 
        year 2011.
    ``(h) Additional Grants Available to Veterans Business Centers.--
            ``(1) Access to capital grant program.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Director of the Veterans 
                Business Center program shall establish a grant program 
                under which the Director is authorized to make, to 
                veterans business centers designated under subsection 
                (g), grants for the following:
                            ``(i) Developing specialized programs to 
                        assist veteran-owned small businesses to secure 
                        capital and repair damaged credit.
                            ``(ii) Providing informational seminars on 
                        securing loans to veteran-owned small 
                        businesses.
                            ``(iii) Providing one-on-one counseling to 
                        veteran-owned small businesses to improve the 
                        financial presentations of such businesses to 
                        lenders.
                            ``(iv) Facilitating the access of veteran-
                        owned small businesses to both traditional and 
                        non-traditional financing sources.
                            ``(v) Providing one-on-one or group 
                        counseling to owners of small business concerns 
                        who are members of the reserve components of 
                        the armed forces, as specified in section 10101 
                        of title 10, United States Code, to assist such 
                        owners to effectively prepare their small 
                        businesses for periods when such owners are 
                        deployed in support of a contingency operation.
                            ``(vi) Developing specialized programs to 
                        assist unemployed veterans to become 
                        entrepreneurs.
                    ``(B) Award size.--The Director may not award a 
                veterans business center more than $75,000 in grants 
                under this paragraph.
                    ``(C) Authorization of appropriations.--There is 
                authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
                paragraph $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 and 
                2011.
            ``(2) Procurement assistance grant program.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Director shall establish a 
                grant program under which the Director is authorized to 
                make, to veterans business centers designated under 
                subsection (g), grants for the following:
                            ``(i) Assisting veteran-owned small 
                        businesses to identify contracts that are 
                        suitable to such businesses.
                            ``(ii) Preparing 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 (Public Law 111-5) through training 
                        and business advisement, particularly with 
                        respect to the construction trades.
                            ``(iii) Providing veteran-owned small 
                        businesses technical assistance with respect to 
                        the Federal procurement process, including 
                        assisting such businesses to comply with 
                        Federal regulations and bonding requirements.
                    ``(B) Award size.--The Director may not award a 
                veterans business center more than $75,000 in grants 
                under this paragraph.
                    ``(C) Authorization of appropriations.--There is 
                authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
                paragraph $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 and 
                2011.
            ``(3) Service-disabled veteran-owned small business grant 
        program.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Director shall establish a 
                grant program under which the Director is authorized to 
                make, to veterans business centers designated under 
                subsection (g), grants for the following:
                            ``(i) Developing outreach programs for 
                        service-disabled veterans to promote self-
                        employment opportunities.
                            ``(ii) Providing training to service-
                        disabled veterans with respect to business plan 
                        development, marketing, budgeting, accounting, 
                        and merchandising.
                            ``(iii) Assisting service-disabled veteran-
                        owned small businesses to locate and secure 
                        business opportunities.
                    ``(B) Award size.--The Director may not award a 
                veterans business center more than $75,000 in grants 
                under this paragraph.
                    ``(C) Authorization of appropriations.--There is 
                authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
                paragraph $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 and 
                2011.
    ``(i) Veterans Entrepreneurial Development Summit.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Director of the Veterans Business 
        Center program is authorized to carry out an event, once every 
        two years, for the purpose of providing networking 
        opportunities, outreach, education, training, and support to 
        veterans business centers funded under this section, veteran-
        owned small businesses, veterans service organizations, and 
        other entities as determined appropriate for inclusion by the 
        Director. Such event shall include education and training with 
        respect to improving outreach to veterans in areas of high 
        unemployment.
            ``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $450,000 for 
        fiscal years 2010 and 2011.
    ``(j) Inclusion of Surviving Spouses.--For purposes of subsections 
(g), (h), and (i) the following apply:
            ``(1) The term `veteran' includes a surviving spouse of the 
        following:
                    ``(A) A member of the Armed Forces, including a 
                reserve component thereof.
                    ``(B) A veteran.
            ``(2) The term `veteran-owned small business' includes a 
        small business owned by a surviving spouse of the following:
                    ``(A) A member of the Armed Forces, including a 
                reserve component thereof.
                    ``(B) A veteran.
    ``(k) Inclusion of Reserve Components.--For purposes of subsections 
(g), (h), and (i) the following apply:
            ``(1) The term `veteran' includes a member of the reserve 
        components of the Armed Forces as specified in section 10101 of 
        title 10, United States Code.
            ``(2) The term `veteran-owned small business' includes a 
        small business owned by a member of the reserve components of 
        the Armed Forces as specified in section 10101 of title 10, 
        United States Code.''.

SEC. 3. REPORTING REQUIREMENT FOR INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE.

    Section 32(c) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657b(c)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Report.--The Administrator shall submit to Congress 
        biannually a report on the appointments made to and activities 
        of the task force.''.

SEC. 4. COMPTROLLER GENERAL STUDY OF SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS OWNED AND 
              CONTROLLED BY VETERANS.

    The Comptroller General shall carry out a study on the effects of 
this Act and the amendments made by this Act on small business concerns 
owned and controlled by veterans and submit to Congress a report on the 
results of such study. Such report shall include the recommendations of 
the Comptroller General with respect to how this Act and the amendments 
made by this Act may be implemented to more effectively serve small 
business concerns owned and controlled by veterans.
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