[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 197 (Tuesday, December 20, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2321]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HELP DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES

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                            HON. BOB FILNER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 20, 2011

  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I recently introduced legislation intended 
to ensure that the Department of Defense meets its obligation to 
contract with small businesses owned and controlled by service-
connected disabled veterans. (H.R. 3438).
   As a nation, we owe an immense debt of gratitude to the men and 
women who serve in our armed forces. In that spirit, we must do all we 
can to ensure that disabled veterans' businesses have every opportunity 
to succeed.
   Federal agencies have a government-wide goal that three percent of 
all federal contracts should be filled by service-disabled veteran-
owned small businesses (SDVOSBs). Unfortunately this contracting goal 
often goes unmet at many agencies.
   The current state of affairs is unacceptable! It is unthinkable that 
an agency like the Department of Defense would not always fill its 
quota of hiring businesses owned and controlled by disabled veterans.
   The solution to this problem is simple: H.R. 3438, will ensure that 
the Department of Defense meets its obligation to America's veterans by 
requiring the agency to award three percent of its contracts to 
SDVOSBs.
   I invite my colleagues to join with me and help ensure that disabled 
veterans' businesses are not an afterthought in the government 
contracting process.

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