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 and regional coordinators

(A)

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. (B)

Regional coordinators

The Director may appoint regional veterans business center coordinators to oversee and coordinate the efforts of veterans business centers. (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 of 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 that is less than 75 percent of the national per capita income and an unemployment rate that is 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 Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or Operation New Dawn 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 one-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 2012 and $14,000,000 for fiscal year 2013. (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 to any one 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 2012 and 2013. (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 to any one 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 2012 and 2013. (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 to any one 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 2012 and 2013. (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 2 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 2012 and 2013. (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.