Service-Disabled Veteran Opportunities in Small Business Act
Summary
The Service-Disabled Veteran Opportunities in Small Business Act would amend the Small Business Act to require the Small Business Administration, in consultation with the Office of Veterans Business Development, to provide training to federal agency employees at agencies that have not met the government-wide goal for awarding contracts to service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. The training would focus on how to increase the number of contract awards to these businesses.
The bill also directs the SBA to issue guidance and best practices within 180 days for federal agencies covered by the service-disabled veteran contracting goal. In addition, the SBA would have to report to Congress one year after enactment, and annually thereafter, identifying agencies that missed the goal, the number of trainings provided, and a summary of the training content.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would add a new subsection to section 36 of the Small Business Act, creating a federal training-and-reporting requirement tied to the service-disabled veteran-owned small business contracting goal in section 15(g)(1)(A)(ii). It would not change the underlying procurement goal itself, but would impose new administrative duties on the SBA and affected federal agencies, with the aim of increasing contract awards to service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears broadly supportive of veteran entrepreneurship and small business contracting opportunities. There is no recorded committee debate or vote history in the provided materials, so no formal opposition or amendment activity is evident. The bill was introduced by Senators Kennedy and Ossoff and referred to the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
Contention
The main policy issue is not whether service-disabled veteran-owned businesses should receive support, but how federal agencies should be pushed to meet existing contracting goals. Any contention would likely center on the added compliance burden for agencies that miss the goal, the effectiveness of training as a remedy, and how the SBA should measure whether the training actually increases awards. No specific objections or supporters are documented in the provided record.
To amend the Small Business Act to include surviving children in the definition of small business concern owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans, and for other purposes.
Successful Entrepreneurship for Reservists and Veterans Act or the SERV Act This bill requires (1) the Small Business Administration to report on the veterans interagency task force; and (2) the Government Accountability Office to report on access to credit for small businesses owned and controlled by veterans, Reservists, or their spouses.