[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 181 (Wednesday, November 13, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H8803-H8805]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEURSHIP FOR RESERVISTS AND VETERANS ACT

  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3734) to require the Comptroller General of the United 
States to report on access to credit for small business concerns owned 
and controlled by covered individuals, to require the Administrator of 
the Small Business Administration to report on the veterans interagency 
task force, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3734

       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 ``Successful Entrepreneurship 
     for Reservists and Veterans Act'' or the ``SERV Act''.

     SEC. 2. REPORTING REQUIREMENT FOR VETERANS 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.--Along with the budget justification 
     documents for the Small Business Administration submitted to 
     Congress in connection with the budget for a fiscal year 
     submitted under 1105 of title 31, United States Code, the 
     Administrator shall submit a report--
       ``(A) discussing the appointments made to and activities of 
     the task force; and
       ``(B) identifying and outlining a plan for outreach and 
     promotion of the programs and services for veterans, 
     including Veteran Business Outreach Centers, Boots to 
     Business, Boots to Business Reboot, Service-Disabled 
     Entrepreneurship Development Training Program, Veteran 
     Institute for Procurement, Women Veteran Entrepreneurship 
     Training Program, and Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of 
     Entrepreneurship.''.

     SEC. 3. GAO REPORT ON ACCESS TO CREDIT.

       (a) Report on Access to Credit.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 
     United States shall submit a report on the ability of small 
     business concerns owned and controlled by covered individuals 
     to access credit to--
       (A) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on 
     Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate; and
       (B) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on 
     Small Business of the House of Representatives.
       (2) Contents.--The report submitted under paragraph (1) 
     shall include, to the extent practicable, an analysis of--
       (A) the sources of credit used by small business concerns 
     owned and controlled by covered individuals and the average 
     percentage of the credit obtained from each source by such 
     concerns;
       (B) the default rate for small business concerns owned and 
     controlled by covered individuals, disaggregated by each 
     source of credit described in subparagraph (A), as compared 
     to the default rate for the source of credit for small 
     business concerns generally;
       (C) the Federal lending programs available to provide 
     credit to small business concerns owned and controlled by 
     covered individuals;
       (D) gaps, if any, in the availability of credit for small 
     business concerns owned and controlled by covered individuals 
     that are not being filled by the Federal Government or 
     private sources;
       (E) obstacles faced by covered individuals in trying to 
     access credit;
       (F) the extent to which deployment and other military 
     responsibilities affect the credit history of veterans and 
     Reservists; and
       (G) the extent to which covered individuals are aware of 
     Federal programs targeted towards helping covered individuals 
     access credit.
       (b) Definitions.--In this Act:
       (1) Covered individual.--The term ``covered individual'' 
     means--
       (A) a veteran;
       (B) a service-disabled veteran;
       (C) a Reservist;
       (D) the spouse of an individual described in subparagraph 
     (A), (B), or (C); or
       (E) the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces.
       (2) Reservist.--The term ``Reservist'' means a member of a 
     reserve component of the Armed Forces, as described in 
     section 10101 of title 10, United States Code.
       (3) Small business act definitions.--The terms ``service-
     disabled veteran'', ``small business concern'', and 
     ``veteran'' have the meanings given those terms, 
     respectively, under section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 
     U.S.C. 632).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Schneider) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.


                             General Leave

  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3734, the Successful 
Entrepreneurship for Reservists, or SERV Act.
  The SBA offers several programs to help aspiring and existing veteran 
entrepreneurs launch and grow their small businesses. But as valuable 
as they are, more must be done to promote these programs to guarantee 
that our veterans are aware of them and utilizing them.

[[Page H8804]]

  The Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development was 
established to do just that. The task force is chaired by the SBA and 
is comprised of representatives appointed by the SBA's administrator 
from a variety of agencies, including: the SBA's Office of Veterans 
Business Development, Department of Defense, Department of Labor, 
Department of the Treasury, Veterans' Affairs, General Services 
Administration, Office of Management and Budget, and four 
representatives from veterans service and military organizations.
  The task force is charged with coordinating efforts to improve 
capital access, business development, and contracting goals for 
veterans. Unfortunately, it hasn't filed an annual report since fiscal 
year 2015. This delay is wholly unacceptable on its face. Considering 
we heard from veterans about the needs for more outreach and 
coordination of business services, it only makes the delay more 
painful.
  Today's legislation requires the SBA administrator to report annually 
on the appointments made, highlighting the activities of and plan for 
outreach and engagement by the Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small 
Business Development.
  Annual reporting will give Congress the visibility over the task 
force responsible for serving our veterans at SBA and the ability to 
provide proper oversight. Gathering a regular snapshot of the program 
will enable Congress to make modifications where they are needed in a 
timely fashion.
  I want to thank Ms. Davids and Ranking Member Chabot for their 
collaboration on this bill. I urge Members to support this bipartisan 
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3734, the Successful 
Entrepreneurship for Reservists and Veterans Act or the SERV Act.
  Veteran-owned small businesses are some of the Nation's most 
innovative companies. They are nimble and move quickly as markets 
change directions. The resources that are available to our veteran-
owned small businesses should be as effective and as efficient as the 
owners themselves.
  The SERV Act requires the SBA to outline the agency's veteran 
outreach plans and veteran promotion plans to Congress. Additionally, 
H.R. 3734, requires the Government Accountability Office to evaluate 
credit availability of veteran, service-disabled veteran, and 
reservist-owned small businesses.
  I want to thank the gentlewoman from Kansas (Ms. Davids) for working 
with me in a bipartisan manner on this legislation. I also want to 
thank Chairwoman Velazquez for advancing this commonsense legislation 
that will assist veterans as they work to launch and build strong small 
businesses.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the SERV Act which was 
favorably reported out of committee by voice vote, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from Kansas (Ms. Davids), my good friend and cosponsor 
of this bill.
  Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and 
colleague from Illinois for yielding.
  The first thing I would like to do is thank Chairwoman Velazquez and 
Ranking Member Chabot for continuing the Small Business Committee's 
bipartisan efforts.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on 
H.R. 3734, the Successful Entrepreneurship for Reservists and Veterans 
Act, or the SERV Act, which I introduced with Ranking Member Chabot.
  This bipartisan piece of legislation helps veteran business owners 
succeed by studying the barriers they face, including lack of access to 
capital and credit. It also helps ensure that veterans are aware of all 
of the resources available to them through the Small Business 
Administration.
  I was fortunate enough to spend this past weekend on Veterans Day at 
home in the district I represent in Kansas. I was meeting the brave men 
and women who have served our country and was hearing about the issues 
and opportunities that they have.
  After everything our veterans have done for us, we must have their 
backs. They deserve nothing less than access to jobs, healthcare, and 
the services that they deserve.
  That includes the ability to start and grow a small business. 
Veterans possess many of the leadership and entrepreneurial skills to 
start and grow small businesses, but they face unique challenges, 
including difficulty accessing capital and credit.
  Since it is tough to accumulate the type of credit needed to start a 
business during your time in service, those issues are exactly what the 
SERV Act is intending to address. The SERV Act requires a report from 
the Comptroller General of the United States on the ability of veteran 
and reservist small business owners to access credit.

  The report will include new information and analysis on the sources 
of credit that veterans and other reservists use to start and maintain 
their businesses, as well as how deployment and other military 
responsibilities affect a veteran's and reservist's credit.
  Studying the problem of access to credit for veterans and reservists 
is a crucial first step in finding the right solutions. This 
legislation also helps connect veterans to existing programs in the 
Small Business Administration that are aimed at helping veterans 
transition their military skills from service to business, like Veteran 
Business Outreach Centers, Boots to Business, or the Service-Disabled 
Entrepreneurship Development Training.
  These programs provide vital resources for veterans, but they are 
only useful if veterans know about them. Without understanding the 
programs, veterans are not going to be able to access them.
  That is why the SERV Act requires the Interagency Task Force on 
Veterans Small Business Development to develop a plan for outreach and 
promotion of these incredible programs.
  The task force is responsible for coordinating Federal efforts to 
improve capital access, business development, and contracting 
opportunities for veteran and service-disabled small businesses. But 
the task force has not submitted a report to Congress since 2015. That 
is why the SERV Act would require an annual report to Congress on its 
appointments and to outline its plan for outreach on the many programs 
available to veterans, service-disabled veterans, reservists, and their 
spouses.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support the SERV Act and help set our 
veteran entrepreneurs up for success.

                              {time}  1330

  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, veteran-owned small businesses deserve the 
resources that will prepare them for future growth.
  In order to improve our capital access programs for our Nation's 
veteran-owned businesses, we must fully understand what they are facing 
when seeking access to affordable and reliable capital. This bipartisan 
bill will provide future Congresses with a better picture of what is 
available to them and what is not and where we can plug the gaps for 
them.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Assisting entrepreneurs requires integrated, comprehensive solutions 
that leverage a combination of government and private efforts. Despite 
progress we have made, hundreds of thousands of veterans and their 
families continue to struggle, demonstrating how much more must be 
done.
  The interagency veterans task force is a critical part of this 
effort, and we must hold agencies accountable for ensuring they are 
meeting the duties placed upon them to maximize outreach to our 
servicemembers. H.R. 3734 does just this by requiring regular reporting 
by the task force to gather snapshots of programmatic outreach and 
education to veterans.
  It also asks the Government Accountability Office to study the many 
issues raised by veteran entrepreneurs facing difficulty accessing 
credit so that this body can better understand the financing needs of 
veterans. Doing so enables us to take additional steps to ease the 
burdens of not just transitioning back to civilian life, but also 
risking more to start a business.
  It is incumbent upon all of us to ensure that resources reach the 
veterans

[[Page H8805]]

and servicemembers held in such high regard.
  I sincerely thank Ms. Davids for spearheading this bill and working 
with Ranking Member Chabot to make certain we hold agencies, through 
the task force, accountable.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schneider) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3734, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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