News From the
Committee on Small Business
Nydia M. Velázquez, Chairwoman


For Immediate Release                                          CONTACT: Alex Haurek; Duncan Neasham
                                                                                                                        (202) 226-3636
March 19, 2009                                                               Angela Landers (Nye) 202-225-5821

Small Business Committee Leaders Call for
More Help for Veteran Entrepreneurs

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Bipartisan leaders of the House Small Business Committee wrote the Small Business Administration (SBA) this week, asking that the agency bolster support for programs that help veterans succeed as entrepreneurs.  In a letter to the Acting Administrator of the SBA, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), the Chairwoman of the House Committee on Small Business, and Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO), the Ranking Member of the Committee, called on the agency to use funding from the recently passed spending bill to help former service members parlay skills acquired in the military into a successful private venture.

“As they reenter civilian life, many servicemen and women decide to go into business for themselves,” said Velázquez.  “With a new generation of heroes returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, it will be all the more important that we have in place support to help those veterans who want to launch their own enterprises.”

“Funding for veteran entrepreneurship training centers is crucial to give our veterans the resources needed to compete in the marketplace,” said Graves.  “Our men and women in service have dedicated their lives to the future of our country.  We must keep the doors of these training centers open so they can assist our veterans in their goals as future businessmen and women.”

The SBA currently maintains a national network of five Veteran Business Outreach Centers (VBOCs) that provide entrepreneurial development services such as business training, counseling and mentoring, and referrals for eligible veterans owning or considering starting a small business.   In their letter, the lawmakers asked that the SBA designate three “Regional Hub Community Based Centers” as VBOCs, so that those centers can receive funding from the recently enacted government spending bill.  The three Regional Hub Centers currently offer entrepreneurial development services to veterans.  However, the three Centers do not receive funding from the SBA and, if not folded into the SBA’s existing network of VBOCs, they could potentially have to shut their doors.  Velázquez and Graves said providing direct funding to the Centers would allow them to maintain and broaden their services, while also filling in regional gaps in the SBA’s existing network of veterans service centers.  

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A copy of the letter is available online here.