[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 95 (Wednesday, June 30, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1448]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  VETERANS ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                      HON. ENI F. H. FALEOMAVAEGA

                           of american samoa

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 29, 1999

  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1568, 
a bill to establish an office of Veterans Business Development within 
the Small Business Administration.
  Mr. Speaker, our nation again finds itself in a position of being 
unable to meet the recruiting goals of its armed services. To make 
matters worse, the military departments are also finding it difficult 
to retain service members in sufficient numbers to meet authorized 
manpower requirements to preserve our national defense.
  The causes of these personnel shortages are many, but they fall into 
the general category of low pay, long hours, and too much time away 
from home. Many service members who do stay in the service long enough 
to be eligible for veterans benefits find it difficult to obtain 
meaningful employment when they get out of the service.
  This bill will provide some help in this area. The legislation will 
direct the SBA and VA to work together to establish a program to assist 
veterans, including service-disabled veterans, through small business 
development centers. These centers would provide training and 
counseling to veterans concerning the formation, management, financing, 
marketing and operation of small business concerns, provide assistance 
and information regarding procurement opportunities with federal, state 
and local agencies, and compile a list of small businesses owned and 
controlled by service-disabled veterans which provide goods or services 
which could be procured by the federal government.
  Mr. Speaker, this is an excellent bill which addresses an immediate 
need, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

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