Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act of 2023

II Calendar No. 162 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 38 To amend the Small Business Act to codify the Boots to Business Program, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JANUARY 24 (legislative day, JANUARY 3), 2023 Ms. DUCKWORTH (for herself and Ms. ERNST) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship JULY 25, 2023 Reported by Mr. CARDIN, with an amendment [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] A BILL To amend the Small Business Act to codify the Boots to Business Program, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veteran Entrepreneur- 4 ship Training Act of 2023’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S38.RS S38 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •S 38 RS SEC. 2. BOOTS TO BUSINESS PROGRAM. 1 Section 32 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 2 657b) is amended by adding at the end the following: 3 ‘‘(h) BOOTS TO BUSINESS PROGRAM.— 4 ‘‘(1) COVERED INDIVIDUAL DEFINED.—In this 5 subsection, the term ‘covered individual’ means— 6 ‘‘(A) a member of the Armed Forces, in- 7 cluding the National Guard or Reserves; 8 ‘‘(B) an individual who is participating in 9 the Transition Assistance Program established 10 under section 1144 of title 10, United States 11 Code; 12 ‘‘(C) an individual who— 13 ‘‘(i) served on active duty in any 14 branch of the Armed Forces, including the 15 National Guard or Reserves; and 16 ‘‘(ii) was discharged or released from 17 such service under conditions other than 18 dishonorable; and 19 ‘‘(D) a spouse or dependent of an indi- 20 vidual described in subparagraph (A), (B), or 21 (C). 22 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—During the period be- 23 ginning on the date of enactment of this subsection 24 and ending on September 30, 2028, the Adminis- 25 trator shall carry out a program to be known as the 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S38.RS S38 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •S 38 RS ‘Boots to Business Program’ to provide entrepre- 1 neurship training to covered individuals. 2 ‘‘(3) GOALS.—The goals of the Boots to Busi- 3 ness Program are to— 4 ‘‘(A) provide assistance and in-depth train- 5 ing to covered individuals interested in business 6 ownership; and 7 ‘‘(B) provide covered individuals with the 8 tools, skills, and knowledge necessary to identify 9 a business opportunity, draft a business plan, 10 identify sources of capital, connect with local 11 resources for small business concerns, and start 12 up a small business concern. 13 ‘‘(4) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.— 14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Boots to Busi- 15 ness Program may include— 16 ‘‘(i) a presentation providing exposure 17 to the considerations involved in self-em- 18 ployment and ownership of a small busi- 19 ness concern; 20 ‘‘(ii) an online, self-study course fo- 21 cused on the basic skills of entrepreneur- 22 ship, the language of business, and the 23 considerations involved in self-employment 24 and ownership of a small business concern; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S38.RS S38 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •S 38 RS ‘‘(iii) an in-person classroom instruc- 1 tion component providing an introduction 2 to the foundations of self employment and 3 ownership of a small business concern; and 4 ‘‘(iv) in-depth training delivered 5 through online instruction, including an 6 online course that leads to the creation of 7 a business plan. 8 ‘‘(B) COLLABORATION.—The Adminis- 9 trator may— 10 ‘‘(i) collaborate with public and pri- 11 vate entities to develop course curricula for 12 the Boots to Business Program; and 13 ‘‘(ii) modify program components in 14 coordination with entities participating in a 15 Warriors in Transition program, as defined 16 in section 738(e) of the National Defense 17 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 18 (10 U.S.C. 1071 note). 19 ‘‘(C) USE OF RESOURCE PARTNERS AND 20 DISTRICT OFFICES.— 21 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 22 shall— 23 ‘‘(I) ensure that Veteran Busi- 24 ness Outreach Centers regularly par- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S38.RS S38 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 5 •S 38 RS ticipate, on a nationwide basis, in the 1 Boots to Business Program; and 2 ‘‘(II) to the maximum extent 3 practicable, use district offices of the 4 Administration and a variety of other 5 resource partners and entities in ad- 6 ministering the Boots to Business 7 Program. 8 ‘‘(ii) GRANT AUTHORITY.—In carrying 9 out clause (i), the Administrator may make 10 grants to Veteran Business Outreach Cen- 11 ters, other resource partners, or other enti- 12 ties to carry out components of the Boots 13 to Business Program. 14 ‘‘(D) AVAILABILITY TO DEPARTMENT OF 15 DEFENSE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR.— 16 The Administrator shall make available to the 17 Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of 18 Labor information regarding the Boots to Busi- 19 ness Program, including all course materials 20 and outreach materials related to the Boots to 21 Business Program, for inclusion on the websites 22 of the Department of Defense and the Depart- 23 ment of Labor relating to the Transition Assist- 24 ance Program, in the Transition Assistance 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S38.RS S38 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 6 •S 38 RS Program manual, and in other relevant mate- 1 rials available for distribution from the Sec- 2 retary of Defense and the Secretary of Labor. 3 ‘‘(E) AVAILABILITY TO DEPARTMENT OF 4 VETERANS AFFAIRS.—In consultation with the 5 Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Adminis- 6 trator shall make available for distribution and 7 display on the website of the Department of 8 Veterans Affairs and at local facilities of the 9 Department of Veterans Affairs outreach mate- 10 rials regarding the Boots to Business Program, 11 which shall, at a minimum— 12 ‘‘(i) describe the Boots to Business 13 Program and the services provided; and 14 ‘‘(ii) include eligibility requirements 15 for participating in the Boots to Business 16 Program. 17 ‘‘(F) AVAILABILITY TO OTHER PARTICI- 18 PATING AGENCIES.—The Administrator shall 19 ensure information regarding the Boots to 20 Business program, including all course mate- 21 rials and outreach materials related to the 22 Boots to Business Program, is made available 23 to other participating agencies in the Transition 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S38.RS S38 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 7 •S 38 RS Assistance Program and upon request of other 1 agencies. 2 ‘‘(5) COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROCEDURES.— 3 The Administration shall use relevant competitive 4 bidding procedures with respect to any contract or 5 cooperative agreement executed by the Administra- 6 tion under the Boots to Business Program. 7 ‘‘(6) PUBLICATION OF NOTICE OF FUNDING OP- 8 PORTUNITY.—Not later than 30 days before the 9 deadline for submitting applications for any funding 10 opportunity under the Boots to Business Program, 11 the Administration shall publish a notice of the 12 funding opportunity. 13 ‘‘(7) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 14 the date of enactment of this subsection, and not 15 less frequently than annually thereafter, the Admin- 16 istrator shall submit to the Committee on Small 17 Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate and 18 the Committee on Small Business of the House of 19 Representatives a report on the performance and ef- 20 fectiveness of the Boots to Business Program, 21 which— 22 ‘‘(A) may be included as part of another 23 report submitted to such committees by the Ad- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S38.RS S38 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 8 •S 38 RS ministrator related to the Office of Veterans 1 Business Development; and 2 ‘‘(B) shall summarize available information 3 relating to— 4 ‘‘(i) grants awarded under paragraph 5 (4)(C); 6 ‘‘(ii) the total cost of the Boots to 7 Business Program; 8 ‘‘(iii) the amount of program funds 9 used for domestic and international travel 10 expenses; 11 ‘‘(iv) the number of program partici- 12 pants using each component of the Boots 13 to Business Program; 14 ‘‘(v) the completion rates for each 15 component of the Boots to Business Pro- 16 gram; 17 ‘‘(vi) to the extent possible— 18 ‘‘(I) the demographics of pro- 19 gram participants, to include gender, 20 age, race, ethnicity, and relationship 21 to military; 22 ‘‘(II) the number of program 23 participants that connect with a dis- 24 trict office of the Administration, a 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S38.RS S38 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 9 •S 38 RS Veteran Business Outreach Center, or 1 another resource partner of the Ad- 2 ministration; 3 ‘‘(III) the number of program 4 participants that start a small busi- 5 ness concern; 6 ‘‘(IV) the results of the Boots to 7 Business and Boots to Business 8 Reboot course quality surveys con- 9 ducted by the Office of Veterans Busi- 10 ness Development before and after at- 11 tending each of those courses, includ- 12 ing a summary of any comments re- 13 ceived from program participants; 14 ‘‘(V) the results of the Boots to 15 Business Program outcome surveys 16 conducted by the Office of Veterans 17 Business Development, including a 18 summary of any comments received 19 from program participants; and 20 ‘‘(VI) the results of other ger- 21 mane participant satisfaction surveys; 22 ‘‘(C) an evaluation of the overall effective- 23 ness of the Boots to Business Program based 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S38.RS S38 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 10 •S 38 RS on each geographic region covered by the Ad- 1 ministration during the most recent fiscal year; 2 ‘‘(D) an assessment of additional perform- 3 ance outcome measures for the Boots to Busi- 4 ness Program, as identified by the Adminis- 5 trator; 6 ‘‘(E) any recommendations of the Adminis- 7 trator for improvement of the Boots to Busi- 8 ness Program, which may include expansion of 9 the types of individuals who are covered individ- 10 uals; 11 ‘‘(F) an explanation of how the Boots to 12 Business Program has been integrated with 13 other transition programs and related resources 14 of the Administration and other Federal agen- 15 cies; and 16 ‘‘(G) any additional information the Ad- 17 ministrator determines necessary.’’. 18 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 19 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veteran Entrepreneur- 20 ship Training Act of 2023’’. 21 SEC. 2. BOOTS TO BUSINESS PROGRAM. 22 Section 32 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657b) 23 is amended by adding at the end the following: 24 ‘‘(h) BOOTS TO BUSINESS PROGRAM.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S38.RS S38 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 11 •S 38 RS ‘‘(1) COVERED INDIVIDUAL DEFINED.—In this 1 subsection, the term ‘covered individual’ means— 2 ‘‘(A) a member of the Armed Forces, includ- 3 ing the National Guard or Reserves; 4 ‘‘(B) an individual who is participating in 5 the Transition Assistance Program established 6 under section 1144 of title 10, United States 7 Code; 8 ‘‘(C) an individual who— 9 ‘‘(i) served on active duty in any 10 branch of the Armed Forces, including the 11 National Guard or Reserves; and 12 ‘‘(ii) was discharged or released from 13 such service under conditions other than 14 dishonorable; and 15 ‘‘(D) a spouse or dependent of an indi- 16 vidual described in subparagraph (A), (B), or 17 (C). 18 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—During the period be- 19 ginning on the date of enactment of this subsection 20 and ending on September 30, 2028, the Administrator 21 shall carry out a program to be known as the ‘Boots 22 to Business Program’ to provide entrepreneurship 23 training to covered individuals. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S38.RS S38 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 12 •S 38 RS ‘‘(3) GOALS.—The goals of the Boots to Business 1 Program are to— 2 ‘‘(A) provide assistance and in-depth train- 3 ing to covered individuals interested in business 4 ownership; and 5 ‘‘(B) provide covered individuals with the 6 tools, skills, and knowledge necessary to identify 7 a business opportunity, draft a business plan, 8 identify sources of capital, connect with local re- 9 sources for small business concerns, and start up 10 a small business concern. 11 ‘‘(4) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.— 12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Boots to Business 13 Program may include— 14 ‘‘(i) an in-person and virtual, as ap- 15 plicable, presentation providing exposure to 16 the considerations involved in self-employ- 17 ment and ownership of a small business 18 concern; 19 ‘‘(ii) an online, self-study course fo- 20 cused on the basic skills of entrepreneurship, 21 the language of business, and the consider- 22 ations involved in self-employment and 23 ownership of a small business concern; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S38.RS S38 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 13 •S 38 RS ‘‘(iii) an in-person and virtual, as ap- 1 plicable, classroom instruction component 2 providing an introduction to the founda- 3 tions of self employment and ownership of 4 a small business concern; and 5 ‘‘(iv) in-depth training delivered 6 through online instruction, including an on- 7 line course that leads to the creation of a 8 business plan. 9 ‘‘(B) TRAVEL COSTS.— 10 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the other 11 provisions of this subparagraph, of the total 12 amount of grant funding that a Veteran 13 Business Outreach Center participating in 14 the Boots to Business Program receives from 15 the Administration, the center may not ex- 16 pend more than 35 percent of that funding 17 on costs relating to international travel 18 with respect to the Boots to Business Pro- 19 gram. 20 ‘‘(ii) COSTS NOT INCLUDED IN CAP.— 21 Costs relating to the salaries of, or stipends 22 for, instructors under the Boots to Business 23 Program shall not be included for the pur- 24 poses of the limitation under clause (i). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 [Text truncated for display. 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