Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act of 2023

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act of 2023, legislation I was proud to introduce with my colleagues, Chair Roger Williams of Texas; Morgan McGarvey of Kentucky; and Jake Ellzey, also from Texas.

This bipartisan bill codifies the existing Boots to Business Program at the Small Business Administration, which provides business training programs for veterans and their families. Innovation and entrepreneurship are critical to a healthy, growing economy.

Today, the United States is enjoying a renaissance in entrepreneurial activity. Entrepreneurs not only start new businesses, they bring new ideas and new inventions to life. They create new industries and disrupt existing ones. The companies they build not only create new jobs, but are pillars in our local communities.

A recent Forbes article noted that 16 percent of the U.S. workforce are engaged in entrepreneurial pursuits, up almost 30 percent since the start of the pandemic, and 40 percent of those are women.

Furthermore, our Nation's economy relies on small business and entrepreneurship. U.S. small businesses generate approximately 44 percent of our total economic activity each year; they employ almost half of all working Americans and produce almost two-thirds of new jobs.

So who are these people fueling our economic vitality? A broad review of the business literature describing the traits of successful entrepreneurs show some common themes. These include: creativity and desire to innovate; the ability to collaborate and build strong teams; a willingness to take measured risks; decisiveness; versatility; adaptability; persistence; resilience; and grit.

This list also fairly describes the men and women who serve our Nation in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Space Force. Success in our military requires the very same traits that are considered key success factors in business.

Our military is made up of the best and the brightest our country has to offer. They reflect who we are as a Nation and encompass the full diversity of our people. Their success in their service depends on the same types of leadership talent that will make them capable business leaders in the future. They quickly solve problems, they innovate, and they take uncertain situations and find ways to get things done.

What the Boots to Business Program does so well is help translate the lessons and skills cultivated during military service into the skills necessary for success in civilian life.

Since 2013, the Boots to Business Program has elevated the potential of our Nation's veterans by offering free, multiweek, in-depth courses to over 150,000 existing servicemembers and their spouses. The Boots to Business curriculum covers the fundamentals of starting a business, teaching participants such important skills as market research, organizational design, and financial management.

Our bill, the Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act of 2023, will formally codify the Boots to Business Program into law, ensuring existing and future servicemembers can reliably take advantage of this valuable opportunity for years to come.

This bill will fuel small-business-driven growth well into the future by creating a pipeline of skilled and hardworking entrepreneurs. It means we can continue to give back to the men and women who selflessly risked their lives in our service while also investing in our economic future by building a driven and skilled entrepreneur force from our Nation's most ambitious and achieving leaders.

I am pleased and grateful for the strong bipartisan support this bill has received in committee. I once again thank Chair Williams and Ranking Member Velazquez for helping to bring this bill forward, and I thank the Speaker for bringing this important legislation to the House floor today.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support the Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act of 2023.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1606) to amend the Small Business Act to codify the Boots to Business Program, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, thank you for allowing me to address the American people. I rise in support of H.R. 1606, the Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act of 2023.

As a veteran, I know that going from military life to civilian life can be

complicated. The military is great at training our servicemembers to do their jobs, Mr. Speaker. You and I both know that.

They train them to be the most lethal force on the planet--of which you were one--to defend and protect the people of the United States. What they do not do is effectively help servicemembers or train them to become civilians.

The Boots to Business Program will help fill that gap. This program will help our veterans translate the skills that they acquired during their years of military service to the tools that would be needed to be successful in civilian life. Administered through the Office of Veterans Business Development in the Small Business Administration, the Boots to Business Program offers servicemembers and military spouses moving from military to civilian life a foundational two-day, in-person course for an introduction to business ownership.

The foundational course can be followed by optional online courses on topics including market research, business fundamentals, and revenue readiness. The Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act of 2023 authorizes this program for 5 years. We must help the men and women who so bravely served our country. Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act of 2023 is one way to help.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I once again thank Chair Williams, Ranking Member Velazquez, and Mr. Schneider for this very important bill that starts us down the right path, but it is only a beginning.

After our Nation's veterans have given so much for their country, we have an obligation to give them the tools and resources to help them transition back to civilian life. The Boots to Business Program, incorporated in this bill, is an example of a program offered by the Federal Government that actually accomplishes a mission. It helps veterans transfer the skills they already have gained from their military service to the private sector with the goal of starting their own small business.

Oftentimes, some of the biggest obstacles facing veteran entrepreneurship is not knowing where to obtain a loan. Through H.R. 1606 and the Boots to Business Program, our veterans can be taught how to navigate that difficult process.

Veterans already have the intangible leadership skills to succeed in any arena; and, above all else, this program

teaches them how to best transfer these skills into the private sector.

I again urge my colleagues to support this legislation, which provides counseling and resources our veterans need to begin their journey in starting their own small business.

Mr. Speaker, you and I both know that we have lost friends in combat. We lost them 16, 20 years ago. We are losing them today, too. We are losing them at a rate that is unsustainable, 22 a day.

Until the DOD and the VA transition to where they hand off one well- trained soldier, sailor, airman, or marine into a well-trained civilian, we must always do more. This is a good start.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1606, the Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act.

This bipartisan legislation provides statutory authority for the Boots to Business Program, which provides entrepreneurship training to individuals including veterans and active members of the Armed Forces, to be administered by the Small Business Administration.

The Boots to Business program provides entrepreneurship education and training, offering a general understanding of entrepreneurship and relevant business ownership principles.

Through this program, veterans learn about the abilities, information, and tools required to start a business, such as how to create a business plan and the resources offered by the Small Business Administration.

Active-Duty Service members, including National Guard and Reserves, Veterans, and their spouses are eligible to participate in the program.

Our veterans dedicated their lives to protecting the freedom of all Americans and it is critical that they are armed with the tools, resources, and training to be successful as they return to civilian life.

This bill plays an important role in smoothing that transition and constitutes an important step in preparing veterans to thrive in the private sector.

Notably, many of the same skills that are fundamental in entrepreneurship and business ownership have already been developed in veterans through their time in the military, including leadership, problem solving, and discipline.

This program will help veterans leverage those skill sets towards career success in civilian life.

I am proud to say that Houston is home to over 280,000 veterans and is ranked 10th nationally for the newest businesses per capita.

This bill will help connect Houston's veterans with the wealth of opportunities for small business entrepreneurship across the city.

Further, this bill will help address the ongoing crisis of homelessness among America's veterans on a national scale.

Today, more than 1 in 10 people experiencing homelessness are veterans who fearlessly and selflessly served our Nation.

They have kept their promise to serve our Nation; they have willingly risked their lives to protect the country we all love.

We must now ensure that we keep our promises to our veterans and provide them with the support they deserve as they pursue success in civilian life.

This bill is an important part of that effort.

By providing entrepreneurship training and support, we can help give veterans the tools they need to get back on their feet and achieve greater financial security.

Our Nation has a proud legacy of appreciation and commitment to the men and women who have worn the uniform in defense of this country.

We must be united in seeing that every soldier, sailor, airman, and marine is welcomed back with all the care and compassion this grateful Nation can bestow.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1606 and in equipping our veterans with the tools, resources, and training for their long-term success.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud Representative Schneider, Chairman Williams, Representative McGarvey, and Representative Ellzey for their dedication and commitment to our Nation's veterans.

Mr. Schneider has been a long-time champion of this legislation to codify the Boots to Business Program. Over the years, the committee has held a number of hearings examining SBA's programs that benefit veteran entrepreneurship, and we have heard from scores of veterans that the program has been a resounding success.

In fiscal year 2022, nearly 24,000 veterans, transitioning servicemembers, and military spouses received Boots to Business entrepreneurship training. Starting a business is not for the faint of heart. It takes courage, perseverance, resourcefulness, and leadership to launch a successful enterprise. Many of these qualities are inherent in those that serve our country.

Despite the skills and expertise, many servicemembers have difficulty transitioning to civilian life. A recent survey conducted by the Syracuse University Institute for Veterans and Military Families found 44 percent expressed difficulty with transitioning from military life, and 53 percent say they did not know what they wanted to do as civilians.

It is imperative that we enact this legislation and provide the certainty to veterans that this training will continue to be available to them as they leave the service.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1606, the Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schneider), the sponsor of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, let me first thank all of our veterans who have dedicated their lives to service. Their dedication to our country and commitment to preserving our freedoms is greatly appreciated.

As our Nation's servicemembers complete their final tour and begin their transition back to civilian life, it is important that we provide opportunities for them to pursue the American Dream. Owning and running a successful small business is the epitome of that dream.

Codifying the Boots to Business Program would allow thousands of servicemembers, their spouses, and veterans to receive vital training on how to build a successful small business.

I thank Mr. Schneider, Chairman Williams, Mr. McGarvey, and Mr. Ellzey for their bipartisan work on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the Veterans Entrepreneurship Training Act, as amended, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record at the appropriate time that I was unavoidably detained with an event with my local police officers and was not able to vote on the floor for H.R. 1606, Veterans Entrepreneurship Training Act of 2023, roll call vote Number 272. If I had been present, I would have voted ``aye.''