Letter to The Honorable Isabella Casillas Guzman, Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration (May 25, 2023)

Summary

The Committee on Small Business writes to Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) that it is reviewing SBA's efforts to aid, counsel and assist veteran entrepreneurs. The letter discusses the Boots to Business program and the Resource Partner Network, which includes Veterans Business Outreach Centers, Small Business Development Centers, SCORE Chapters and Women's Business Centers, and notes challenges for rural veterans. The Committee requests answers to questions, including how SBA plans to coordinate the Resource Partner Network to better assist veterans, as soon as possible but no later than June 8, 2023. The letter is signed Roger Williams, Chairman, Committee on Small Business.

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Full text

                                              May 25, 2023

The Honorable Isabella Casillas Guzman
Administrator
U.S. Small Business Administration
409 3rd Street S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20416

Dear Administrator Guzman:

         The Committee on Small Business is reviewing the U.S. Small Business Administration’s
(SBA) efforts to aid, counsel, and assist veteran entrepreneurs to start and grow their own
businesses. These brave men and women put their lives on the line to protect this nation. The
skills they gained in the military- such as leadership, teambuilding, and persistence- make them
successful small business owners. We must ensure that the programs and resources available to
them are being utilized effectively and efficiently.

        Veterans face unique challenges, especially when transitioning out of the military and
returning to civilian life. Studies show the riskiest time in a recently transitioned veteran’s
journey is within the first year after returning to civilian life.1 Military service offers a built-in
community with a clear mission and purpose that is lost upon leaving the military.2
Entrepreneurship can return a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose, and a goal toward which to
strive. One of my highest priorities as Chairman is to authorize the SBA’s Boots to Business
program, which educates transitioning service members about entrepreneurship.3

        Veterans can take advantage of a variety of other resources offered by the SBA, such as
the Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOCs), Small Business Development Centers
(SBDCs), SCORE Chapters, and Women’s Business Centers (WBCs). Collectively, these
programs are referred to as the SBA’s Resource Partner Network. VBOCs are dedicated
specifically to the promotion and support of veteran small business owners. This Committee
aims to ensure that the SBA effectively utilizes the Resource Partner Network to reach our
nations veterans where they are.




1
  From Science to Practice: A Risk Factor for Suicide, U.S. VETERANS HEALTH ADMIN. (May 24, 2019).
2
  C. Kidd and M. Romaniuk, The Psychological Adjustment Experience of Reintegration Following Discharge from
Military Service: A Systematic Review, J. OF MILITARY & VETERANS’ HEALTH (last visited May 15, 2023).
3
  U.S. SMALL BUS. ADMIN, FISCAL YEAR 2024 CONG. BUDGET JUSTIFICATION, 99 (2023).
The Honorable Isabella Casillas Guzman
May 24, 2023
Page 2 of 2


        Rural veterans face additional difficulties when starting businesses, such as inadequate
internet and workforce availability.4 The SBA’s Office of Rural Affairs is supposed to help
connect these entrepreneurs with the resources they need to succeed.5 With nearly 5 million
veterans living in rural areas, it is imperative that these veterans have ample access to the
resources their tax dollars fund. 6

        Our nation’s veterans deserve the best possible assistance as they transition to post-
military life. The Committee therefore requests answers to the following questions as soon as
possible, but no later than June 8, 2023:

    1. How does the SBA plan to coordinate the Resource Partner Network to better assist
       veterans, including those located in rural areas?

    2. What needs do veteran entrepreneurs have that are not being adequately addressed by the
       SBA’s current resources?

    3. What is the SBA doing to meet the needs of veteran entrepreneurs through partnerships
       with the private sector?

    4. How will the SBA improve outreach and education to veterans about the resources
       available to them?

    5. How do our nations veterans that are not located near a currently funded VBOC access
       the resources they need to succeed?

       To schedule the delivery of responsive documents or ask any follow-up questions, please
contact Committee on Small Business Majority Staff at (202) 225-5821. The Committee on
Small Business has broad authority to investigate “problems of all types of small business” under
House Rule X. Thank you in advance for your cooperation with this inquiry.

                                                  Sincerely,




                                          Roger Williams
                                              Chairman
                                      Committee on Small Business


4
  Infographic: Rural Entrepreneurship, SCORE (last visited May 22, 2023)
https://www.score.org/resource/infographic/infographic-rural-entrepreneurship
5
  15 U.S.C. § 653.
6
  News Release, U.S. Census Bureau, Nearly One-Quarter of Veterans Live in Rural Areas (Jan 25, 2017).


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