House Passes Glenn Nye's Bill to Help Veterans Start Businesses

Press Release

Congressman Glenn Nye scored a major legislative victory today with the passage of a bill that will help veterans start and run their own businesses. On Wednesday afternoon, the House of Representatives passed Congressman Nye's Veterans Business Center Act as part of a larger package of entrepreneurship legislation.

"Our veterans leave the military with valuable skills and experience, but they often don't have the resources to apply those skills to the challenge of starting and running a business. This bill will make sure our veterans have the support they need to launch successful small businesses," said Congressman Nye in a speech to the House on Wednesday. "By supporting our veterans and our small businesses, we will help create jobs and get our economy moving again."

Nye's bill will establish a national network of Veterans Business Centers, administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA), which will provide business training, counseling, access to capital, and information about government contracting opportunities in order to help veterans apply their skills and training to the challenge of running a small business.

Unlike previous efforts to support veteran business owners, Nye's program will ensure that the outreach centers are located in areas with high concentrations of veterans - such as Hampton Roads.

Full details of the legislation (H.R. 2352) are attached below. The bill passed the House today by a vote of 406 to 15.

House Adopts Nye's Amendment
During debate on the bill, Congressman Nye also introduced a separate amendment to create a Military Entrepreneurship Program. This program will proactively reach out to new veterans as they transition to civilian life to make sure they know what resources are available to them. Nye's amendment directs the SBA to provide separating servicemembers with access to entrepreneurial information, training, financial support and the other resources needed to start a business.

The House adopted Nye's amendment by a unanimous voice vote, and it was included in the final version of the bill.

The legislation will now go the Senate for consideration.

Background: Nye's Veterans Business Center Program
Nye first introduced his program as a separate bill (HR 1803). As the Chairman of the Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting & Technology, Nye worked with the Small Business Committee to include his bill as part of a larger package of legislation aimed at improving a wide range of small business programs.

Specifically, Nye's program authorizes $10 million in FY 2010 and $12 million in FY 2011 for the SBA to expand entrepreneurial development assistance to veterans by increasing outreach facilities across the country, establishing specialized assistance programs, and updating the institutional structure designed to customize policies and programs targeted to veterans.

The centers will be operated as public-private partnerships between the SBA and local, independent sponsors.
Existing Veterans Business Outreach Centers will be grandfathered into the new program and converted to Veterans Business Centers.

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