H.R. 3734House116th Congress (2019-2021)Passed House

Successful Entrepreneurship for Reservists and Veterans Act

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 14, 2026 at 7:18 AM UTC

The SERV Act directs the Government Accountability Office to study how well small businesses owned by veterans, service‑disabled veterans, reservists, and their spouses can obtain credit, and it requires the Small Business Administration to report on the work of the veterans interagency task force and its outreach programs. The goal is to identify gaps and obstacles in financing for these entrepreneurs and to improve SBA outreach to the veteran community.

Key Provisions

The SBA must add a new reporting requirement to its annual budget submission, detailing the task force’s appointments, activities, and a plan to promote veteran‑focused programs such as Veteran Business Outreach Centers, Boots to Business, and women‑veteran entrepreneurship training.
Within one year, the Comptroller General must deliver a GAO report to the Senate and House committees on Veterans' Affairs and Small Business, analyzing credit sources, default rates, federal lending options, gaps, obstacles, and the impact of military service on credit histories for covered individuals.
The report must also assess how aware covered individuals are of federal credit assistance programs.

Legislative Activity

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14 earlier actions

SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee

November 14, 2019

View full timeline

HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

July 12, 2019

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Small Business.

Small Business Committee

July 12, 2019

HouseCommittee

Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.

Small Business Committee

July 17, 2019

HouseCommittee

Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.

Small Business Committee

July 17, 2019

HouseCommittee

Reported by the Committee on Small Business. H. Rept. 116-233.

Small Business Committee

October 15, 2019

HouseCalendars

Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 185.

October 15, 2019

HouseFloor

Mr. Schneider moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.

November 13, 2019 • 1:21 PM

HouseFloor

Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H8803-8805)

November 13, 2019 • 1:22 PM

HouseFloor

DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3734.

November 13, 2019 • 1:22 PM

HouseFloor

At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.

November 13, 2019 • 1:31 PM

HouseFloor

Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H8813-8814)

November 13, 2019 • 5:11 PM

HouseFloor

Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 421 - 3 (Roll no. 614).(text: CR H8803)

View vote Passed

November 13, 2019 • 5:19 PM

HouseFloor

On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 421 - 3 (Roll no. 614). (text: CR H8803)

View vote Passed

November 13, 2019 • 5:19 PM

HouseFloor

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

November 13, 2019 • 5:19 PM

SenateIntro Referral

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee

November 14, 2019

Voting History

1 vote recorded • Roll call available

HOUSE

Roll Call Available

November 13, 2019 at 5:17 PM

On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended

Majority required: 2/3 (66.7%)

Passed

421 - 3

Bill Text

4 versions available

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Referred in SenateIssued November 14, 2019

IIB

116th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 3734

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

November 14, 2019

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

AN ACT

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.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Successful Entrepreneurship for Reservists and Veterans Act or the SERV Act.

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.

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).

Passed the House of Representatives November 13, 2019.

Cheryl L. Johnson,

Clerk.