[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 183 (Friday, November 15, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1450]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       SERVICE-DISABLED VETERANS SMALL BUSINESS CONTINUATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 13, 2019

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 499, 
the ``Service-Disabled Veterans Small Business Continuation Act.''
  H.R. 499 amends the Small Business Act to clarify the treatment of 
surviving spouses for purposes of the service-disabled veteran-owned 
small business definition.
  This act will provide the surviving spouse of a service-disabled 
veteran with federal contracting preference as a Service-Disabled 
Veteran Owned Small Business with the Department of Veterans Affairs 
(VA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA).
  On Monday we celebrated Veterans Day to show our veterans and 
military families how important they are to us and how grateful we are 
for them each and every day.
  I offer my deepest gratitude to our nation's troops and reservists, 
their families, and the 21.6 million veterans, including 29,126 here in 
the 18th Congressional District. 21.6 million brave men and women are 
veterans of our nation's military service.
  This includes more than 2 million women, 2.7 million African American 
men and women, 1.5 million Hispanic men and women, 342,000 Asian 
American Pacific Islanders, and 178,000 American Indians.
  The memory of the fallen are never forgotten.
  Each Veterans Day, Americans come together to remember those who have 
served our country around the world in the name of freedom and 
democracy.
  The debt that we owe to them is immeasurable.
  Their sacrifices, and those of their families, are freedom's 
foundation.
  This bill will help veteran families by extending additional benefits 
to the surviving spouses of deceased veterans across the country, 
including at home in Harris County.
  By allowing the spouses of deceased service-disabled veterans to 
retain their status as a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, 
they will remain competitive in the federal contracting market.
  After the years of service their family members provide to our 
country in support of their loved ones who severve the military, 
veterans' spouses have earned the reliability this bill provides to 
them and their businesses.
  Current law allows surviving spouses of 100 percent service-disabled 
veteran business owners to continue receiving preferences for contracts 
with the VA, but the benefit does not extend to the spouses of veterans 
with a disability less than 100 percent.
  The bipartisan bill introduced today will extend the benefit to these 
spouses for three years, helping ensure their businesses are not 
upended after the death of their veteran spouse.
  I thank my colleague, Congressmen Chabot for sponsoring this 
legislation to support families of Veterans who so bravely supported 
the freedoms of the United States.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 499 
to amend the Small Business Act to clarify the treatment of surviving 
spouses for purposes of the service-disabled veteran-owned small 
business definition.

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