Markup of H.R. 1644, H.R. 1651 and Other Bills (House Small Business Committee hearing, May 23, 2023)

Summary

Transcript of the May 23, 2023 House Small Business Committee markup, Small Business Committee Document Number 118-015, of six bills. They include H.R. 1644, the 7(A) Loan Agent Oversight Act, H.R. 1651, the Small Business 7(A) Loan Agent Transparency Act, H.R. 1541 on workforce pipelines, H.R. 1606 on veteran entrepreneurship training and H.R. 3511, the Service-Disabled Veteran Opportunities in Small Business Act. Chairman Roger Williams presided from 9:48 a.m. to 12:17 p.m. On the final roll call shown, H.R. 3511 was adopted 23 ayes to 0 nays and ordered reported favorably to the House.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Cite this document

“Markup of H.R. 1644, H.R. 1651 and Other Bills (House Small Business Committee hearing, May 23, 2023).” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/markup-of-h-r-1644-h-r-1651-and-other-bills-house-small-business-commi-5220701401/, SHA-256 793a3349a09ce0c9b6fb72a9b6a03d6d4dcb0986fa064d2bcd1ec2e56af9c3cc.

Full text

MARKUP OF: H.R. 1644, ‘‘7(A) LOAN AGENT
OVERSIGHT ACT’’, H.R. 1651, ‘‘THE SMALL
BUSINESS 7(A) LOAN AGENT TRANSPARENCY
ACT’’, H.R. 1541, ‘‘SMALL BUSINESS WORK-
FORCE PIPELINE ACT OF 2023’’, H.R. 1730,
‘‘SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES AND CAREER
AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION ACT OF 2023’’,
H.R. 1606, ‘‘VETERAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP
TRAINING ACT OF 2023’’, H.R. 3511, ‘‘SERVICE-
DISABLED VETERAN OPPORTUNITIES IN SMALL
BUSINESS ACT’’

HEARING
BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS
UNITED STATES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
HEARING HELD
MAY 23, 2023

Small Business Committee Document Number 118–015
Available via the GPO Website: www.govinfo.gov

U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
52–326 WASHINGTON : 2024
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS
ROGER WILLIAMS, Texas, Chairman
BLAINE LUETKEMEYER, Missouri
PETE STAUBER, Minnesota
DAN MEUSER, Pennsylvania
BETH VAN DUYNE, Texas
MARIA SALAZAR, Florida
TRACEY MANN, Kansas
JAKE ELLZEY, Texas
MARC MOLINARO, New York
MARK ALFORD, Missouri
ELI CRANE, Arizona
AARON BEAN, Florida
WESLEY HUNT, Texas
NICK LALOTA, New York
NYDIA VELÁZQUEZ, New York, Ranking Member
JARED GOLDEN, Maine
KWEISI MFUME, Maryland
DEAN PHILLIPS, Minnesota
GREG LANDSMAN, Ohio
MORGAN MCGARVEY, Kentucky
MARIE GLUESENKAMP PEREZ, Washington
HILLARY SCHOLTEN, Michigan
SHRI THANEDAR, Michigan
JUDY CHU, California
SHARICE DAVIDS, Kansas
CHRIS PAPPAS, New Hampshire

BEN JOHNSON, Majority Staff Director
MELISSA JUNG, Minority Staff Director

(II)
CONTENTS
OPENING STATEMENTS
Page
Hon. Roger Williams ................................................................................................ 1
Hon. Nydia Velázquez ............................................................................................. 2

APPENDIX
Additional Material for the Record:
H.R. 1644, ‘‘7(A) Loan Agent Oversight Act’’ ................................................. 30
H.R. 1651, ‘‘The Small Business 7(A) Loan Agent Transparency Act’’ ........ 33
H.R. 1541, ‘‘Small Business Workforce Pipeline Act of 2023’’ ...................... 37
H.R. 1730, ‘‘Supporting Small Businesses and Career and Technical Edu-
cation Act of 2023’’ ........................................................................................ 40
H.R. 1606, ‘‘Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act of 2023’’ ..................... 43
H.R. 3511, ‘‘Service-Disabled Veteran Opportunities in Small Business
Act’’ ................................................................................................................. 53

(III)
MARKUP OF: H.R 1644, ‘‘7(A) LOAN AGENT
OVERSIGHT ACT’’, H.R. 1651, ‘‘THE SMALL
BUSINESS 7(A) LOAN AGENT TRANS-
PARENCY ACT’’, H.R 1541, ‘‘SMALL BUSINESS
WORKFORCE PIPELINE ACT OF 2023’’, H.R
1730, ‘‘SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES
AND CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION
ACT OF 2023’’, H.R 1606, ‘‘VETERAN ENTRE-
PRENEURSHIP TRAINING ACT OF 2023’’, H.R
3511, ‘‘SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN OPPOR-
TUNITIES IN SMALL BUSINESS ACT’’

TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2023

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 9:48 a.m., in Room
2360, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Roger Williams [chair-
man of the Committee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Williams, Luetkemeyer, Stauber,
Crane, Bean, LaLota, Velázquez, Golden, Mfume, Davids, and
Pappas.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Good morning, everyone. And before we
get started we are going to say the Pledge of Allegiance and a short
prayer. And we will let Congressman Bean from Florida do that for
us, please.
Mr. BEAN. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. And good
morning to you, and good morning, Small Business.
Let’s go to the Lord in prayer.
Heavenly Father, we are so grateful for so many blessings you
have bestowed on us for faith, for fellowship, for family and free-
dom. We ask a blessing upon this Congress and that may we do
the Lord’s work. And we pray for a debt deal. How about that? We
pray for negotiations to bring us in for a landing. As Memorial Day
approaches, we want to be mindful for everybody that has lost
somebody, family and friends that have lost people that have de-
fended that freedom. Let us always remember their sacrifice so
that we may have this day. Keep Guam safe from this typhoon. We
ask that that storm go somewhere else other than hit Guam. Lord,
we are grateful. Thank you. And all this we ask in your name, and
everybody said together Amen.
(1)
2

Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance to the greatest nation
on the planet.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay. Before we get started I want to let
everybody know we are having some technical issues. I reminded
my staff we put a man on the moon in 1969. We put a man on the
moon and here we are later. So the 5-minute clock that we have
is not working in front of you but we have a temporary clock up
over where the other clock is, so that is what we will follow. So re-
mind everybody to keep your remarks under 5 minutes and we will
be controlling that time from here. Okay?
The Committee will now come to order and a quorum is present.
And without objection, the Chair is authorized to declare a recess
of the Committee at any time. Pursuant to Committee Rule 13 and
House Rule 11, all votes will be rolled to the end of the meeting.
I now recognize myself for opening remarks.
Welcome to today’s markup to discuss six bipartisan bills that
address the various needs of Main Street America. Frankly put,
our nation’s small businesses, entrepreneurs, and innovators have
faced some of the strongest economic headwinds in recent memory
of the past 2 years. Here on this Committee, it is our job to be the
strongest advocate for small businesses as they are the heart of
each of our communities and employers of nearly 62 million Ameri-
cans. That is why our work here is so important and why we must
get our economy back on track and our workforce motivated.
Before us today are bills that support our veterans, entre-
preneurs, make common sense oversight changes to the 7(a) Loan
Program, alleviate the labor shortage crisis, and enhance workforce
development in our company. All four of these topics have been dis-
cussed widely by our Members and I am proud that our hearings
are resulting in legislative action. Five of the six bills we are con-
sidering today passed the House last Congress with resounding
support, and I am proud that we are starting this process today so
we can get them across the finish line and hopefully signed into
law.
I want to thank our Members for bringing these bills forward as
they represent the work and devotion of our Committee as a whole,
as well as the Ranking Member and her staff for helping us to
come together with this bipartisan package of bills.
With that I yield to the Ranking Member Velázquez for her open-
ing statement.
Ms. VELÁZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for
holding this markup to discuss six bipartisan bills that will go a
long way to help our nation’s 33 million small businesses and exer-
cise our oversight of the SBA.
All but one of these bills unanimously passed through our Com-
mittee in the previous year and on suspension with overwhelming
bipartisan support. Two of the bills under consideration today
strengthen the oversight of 7(a) loan agents to help address some
of our workforce challenges that are especially acute for small busi-
nesses and to provide service members and veterans the dedicated
focus on entrepreneurial development and contracting assistance.
Today’s legislation showcases this Committee’s bipartisan tradi-
tion to enact legislation that fosters a nurturing environment for
3

small businesses, as well as conduct rigorous oversight on SBA’s
programs.
To that end, I am pleased to lend my support to these bills and
I hope that this is a sign of more bipartisan work to come. Small
businesses depend on it. They play a critical role in the growth of
our economy by creating jobs and supporting our local commu-
nities. They are innovative and resilient but face challenges that
we must be committed to solving together.
That is why it is important that we are able to come together
today and take steps to help small businesses address some of
these challenges and celebrate all the good they do for this nation,
particularly our transitioning service members and veterans.
I look forward to our discussion and I yield back.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Thank you, Ranking Member Velázquez.
Does any other Member seek recognition for the purpose of mak-
ing an opening statement?
Seeing none, we will now move to consideration of the first bill.
H.R. 1644
The first bill we will mark up today is H.R. 1644, the 7(a) Loan
Agent Oversight Act introduced by Mr. Meuser and Mr. Phillips.
I now recognize the bill’s sponsor, Mr. Meuser, for an opening
statement on H.R. 1644.
Mr. MEUSER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
As this Committee has discussed extensively already in this Con-
gress, it is imperative that the SBA has the oversight capabilities
in place to manage its access to capital programs. Without accurate
information, we cannot perform the oversight that is needed to
safeguard and protect American taxpayer dollars. This bill, H.R.
1644, the 7(a) Loan Agent Oversight Act will ensure Congress re-
ceives the data it needs to conduct proper oversight of loan agents
that participate in the SBA’s flagship 7(a) lending program. The
SBA’s Inspector General has reported that nearly 15 percent of all
7(a) loans include a loan agent. Unfortunately, the OIG has already
reported that over the last decade there has been more than $335
million in documented loan agent fraud. H.R. 1644 will provide in-
formation on how many loans have been processed with the assist-
ance of loan agents and the default rate of loans that are associ-
ated with a loan agent.
Additionally, the legislation requires the SBA to perform a risk
analysis on agents who operate within the program. At the end of
the day, these are the government programs that were developed
to assist American small businesses to obtain access to capital.
Given this important mission, Congress and the SBA must conduct
the appropriate level of oversight. The information that will be pro-
vided to Congress under H.R. 1644 will be paramount as we meas-
ure the effectiveness of these programs and whether the SBA has
the correct oversight requirements in place to administer such a
significant program. As more small businesses utilize the SBA’s
program, it is increasingly important for Congress to understand
how different groups assist small businesses and lenders through
the lending process.
Mr. Chairman, I thank you for bringing these bills forward. I ap-
preciate my colleague, Congressman Phillips, for his partnership on
this. I look forward to working with all colleagues to ensure the
4

SBA’s access to capital programs like 7(a) are serving our small
businesses well and we remain good stewards of taxpayer dollars.
And I yield back.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Thank you.
And I would now like to recognize the cosponsor of the bill, Mr.
Phillips, for an opening statement.
Mr. PHILLIPS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to voice
my support for the measure before us, legislation introduced by my
good friend and colleague, Mr. Meuser.
As a cosponsor of the 7(a) Loan Agent Oversight Act, I thank Mr.
Meuser for his leadership and partnership on the important issue
at hand, which is oversight of loan agent participation in the 7(a)
program.
We have heard it for years from the SBA’s Office of Credit Risk
Management and the Office of Inspector General that we can, and
must, do more to supervise and track 7(a) loans generated by third-
party loan agents. Although loan agent activity can make up as
much as 11 percent of the entire 7(a) portfolio, there do remain
gaps in SBA’s oversight of these individuals. As Mr. Meuser noted,
the legislation would require OCRM to submit a report to Congress
every year detailing the performance and risk factors with regards
to the 7(a) loans generated through the services of a loan agent. By
better understanding loan agent participation in the program, we
can continue to ensure the integrity of SBA’s flagship program, the
protection of taxpayer dollars, and most importantly, the success of
small businesses across the nation.
As those of us on the Committee continue to work in a thoughtful
and bipartisan manner to increase access to capital for small busi-
nesses, it is essential that we provide effective oversight over the
SBA and give it the tools it needs to manage risk within its loan
portfolios.
I look forward to voting in favor of the legislation and urge the
Committee and my colleagues to adopt the measure and report it
favorably to the house. With that I yield back.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Thank you.
Are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for a
statement on H.R. 1644?
Seeing none, I would like——
Ms. VELÁZQUEZ. Mr. Chairman?
Chairman WILLIAMS. Yes, ma’am.
Ms. VELÁZQUEZ. Yes. I would like to be recognized.
Let me begin by thanking Mr. Meuser, the Chair of Economic
Growth, Tax, and Capital Access Subcommittee and the Commit-
tee’s party Ranking Member, Mr. Phillips, for working together to
make sure SBA has the proper oversight in place to address the
increased risk introduced by loan agents in the 7(a) program. Over
the years, the Office of Inspector General has identified increased
risk associated with loans originating through agent activity as a
top agency challenge and is a concern that I shared.
In February 2020, we held a hearing to examine the manage-
ment of the Office of Credit Risk Management, which is responsible
for the oversight of SBA lenders and the 7(a) program. The two
bills we are considering today are a direct result of our Commit-
tee’s oversight work on this issue and will enable SBA to monitor
5

loan agent involvement in the 7(a) program and better manage the
risk. In the interim, the IG reports the SBA has made great
progress in addressing this longstanding challenge. I am pleased
with the SBA’s progress and the bipartisan effort we are seeing
today to find a common sense solution. I urge my colleagues to sup-
port H.R. 1644.
And Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay. Any other Members who wish to be
recognized for a statement on H.R. 1644?
Okay. Seeing non, we will move on. And I want to thank you for
that, Ranking Member. And I now recognize myself to speak in
support of this legislation.
H.R. 1644, the 7(a) Loan Agent Oversight Act is a critical piece
of legislation that would require the Small Business Administra-
tion’s Office of Credit Risk Management to submit an annual re-
port containing specific information related to 7(a) loan agents.
Plain and simple, this bill is about providing common sense ac-
countability and protections for the American taxpayer and Main
Street America.
I want to thank my colleague from Pennsylvania, Mr. Meuser, for
introducing this bill, as well as the gentleman from Minnesota, Mr.
Phillips, for cosponsoring this important piece of legislation, and I
urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1644.
If there is no further discussion, the Committee now moves to
consideration of H.R. 1644.
The clerk will report the bill.
The CLERK. H.R. 1644, to amend the Small Business Act——
Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, H.R. 1644 is consid-
ered as read and open for amendment.
Does anyone wish to offer an amendment?
Okay. Seeing none, the question is now on adoption of H.R. 1644
and ordering it favorably reported to the House.
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it and H.R. 1644 is
agreed to and ordered favorably to the House.
Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Chairman?
Chairman WILLIAMS. Yes?
Mr. MEUSER. I do request a recorded vote.
Chairman WILLIAMS. All right. A recorded vote has been re-
quested. And pursuant to Committee Rule 13 and House Rule 11,
further proceedings on the bill are postponed.
H.R. 1651
The next bill we will mark up today is H.R. 1651, the Small
Business 7(a) Loan Agent Transparency Act, also introduced by Mr.
Phillips and Mr. Meuser.
I now recognize the bill’s sponsor, Mr. Phillips, for an opening
statement on H.R. 1651.
Mr. PHILLIPS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to speak
in support of my bill, the Small Business 7(a) Loan Agent Trans-
parency Act.
Over the past few weeks, this Committee has engaged in some
spirited debate about the future of SBA’s Capital Access programs.
Regardless of where we all stand on SBA’s proposed changes to the
6

7(a) and 504 Loan Programs, I know that we all understand the
importance of SBA continuing to provide access to capital for small
businesses. The 7(a) program is the SBA’s flagship capital access
program, providing over $25 billion in working capital to small
businesses in the last year alone. The 7(a) program is a staple of
the small business lending ecosystem reaching those who may not
otherwise be able to obtain a loan for their businesses. Notably, the
program aims to carry out its critical mission at no cost to the tax-
payer. Let me say that again. At no cost to the taxpayer.
And that brings me to the legislation before us. As I mentioned
earlier, up to 11 percent of the entire 7(a) portfolio can be gen-
erated through loan agents who are third-party intermediaries that
connect borrowers with SBA lenders and provide them with loan
application services, usually for a fee. Despite their significant
presence in the 7(a) program, OCRM lacks the capability to unique-
ly identify and systematically monitor loan agent activity. Instead,
OCRM is left to rely on self-reporting lender reviews to track the
participation of 7(a) agents who are responsible for processing bil-
lions in taxpayer dollars.
We know this dynamic adds potential uncertainty to the 7(a) pro-
gram. As OIG has identified, increased risk introduced by loan
agents is one of the agency’s biggest challenges. Although SBA has
made progress in its oversight efforts, there is more that can and
should be done to limit exposure in the 7(a) portfolio and maintain
its integrity and reliability for small businesses in need of capital.
The Small Business 7(a) Loan Agent Transparency Act takes
three simple steps to improve SBA’s oversight of loan agent partici-
pation in the 7(a) program.
First, it requires that OCRM create a mandatory registration
system to uniquely identify loan agents who participate in the 7(a)
program.
Second, it requires OCRM to establish an accompanying data-
base to track the services offered by 7(a) loan agents and their per-
formance within the 7(a) portfolio.
And lastly, it authorizes OCRM and the SBA Lender Oversight
Commission to take enforcement action against 7(a) loan agents.
This legislation is straightforward, it is bipartisan, and most of all,
common sense, and adopting it will help us take a crucial step to-
wards strengthening the 7(a) program.
I want to thank the Chairman and Ranking Member for their
collaboration in drafting the legislation, and to my friend, Mr.
Meuser, for his participation on this issue.
I once again urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the legislation,
and I hope to see it reported favorably to the House.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And with that I yield back.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Thank you. And I would now like to rec-
ognize the cosponsor of the bill, Mr. Meuser, for an opening state-
ment.
Mr. MEUSER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And as we examine
access to capital for small businesses, it is imperative that we also
look at the SBA’s existing 7(a) loan program. As we are, I do want
to very much thank my friend and colleague from Minnesota, Mr.
Phillips, for working on the role of loan agents within this program.
Mr. Phillips introduced H.R. 1651, the Small Business 7(a) Loan
7

Agent Transparency Act which addresses concerns presented to us
by the SBA’s Inspector General. Mr. Phillips’s bill, H.R. 1651, takes
the steps to ensure the SBA contract the role of loan agents within
the SBA’s largest traditional lending program.
I do look forward to working in a bipartisan manner to ensure
the SBA has the correct level of oversight in place for the growing
population of agents within its flagship 7(a) loan program.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Thank you.
And are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for
a statement on H.R. 1651?
Seeing none, I would like to recognize the Ranking Member to
speak on the bill.
Ms. VELÁZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I commend Mr. Phillips and Mr. Meuser for their bipartisan
work on H.R. 1651, the Small Business 7(a) Loan Agent Trans-
parency Act. The 7(a) program is SBA’s largest traditional lending
program. It provides access to capital for small businesses that can-
not find it elsewhere.
In Fiscal Year 2022, SBA approved more than 47,000 SBA loans
totaling more than $25 billion. Loan agents are an integral part of
the 7(a) program, oftentimes facilitating access to capital by con-
necting borrowers with SBA lenders or by offering other products.
As reliance on loan agents increases, it is essential that the agen-
cy manage their involvement to minimize fraud. Competent loan
agents can screen borrowers, help prepare forms, and better reach
underserved communities, but dishonest agents can cast a stain on
the 7(a) program, hurting borrowers and lenders alike. That is why
I am pleased to support the bill before us today, which requires
SBA to establish a registration system that collects data on 7(a)
loan agents to better track and evaluate the performance of loans
generated through loan agent activity.
I urge the Committee to adopt this measure and I yield back, Mr.
Chairman.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Thank you for that.
And I now recognize myself to speak in support of this legisla-
tion.
H.R. 1651, the Small Business 7(a) Loan Agent Transparency Act
continues this Committee’s efforts to ensure proper safeguards are
in place at the SBA to protect taxpayers and to small businesses
that rely on the longevity of the program. This bill would enact
new oversight of the 7(a) loan program by establishing a registra-
tion system for 7(a) agents and this change will allow for greater
transparency to root out bad actors in the system.
Once again, I want to thank my distinguished colleague from
Minnesota, Mr. Phillips, for introducing this bill, as well as my
good friend from Pennsylvania, Mr. Meuser, for cosponsoring it.
I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1651.
If there is no further discussion, the Committee now moves to
consideration of H.R. 1651.
The clerk will read the report.
The CLERK. H.R. 1651, to amend the Small Business Act——
Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, H.R. 1651 is consid-
ered as read and open for amendment.
8

Does anyone wish to offer an amendment?
Seeing none, the question now is adoption of H.R. 1651 and or-
dering it in favor of the report of the House.
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it. H.R. 1651 is agreed
to and ordered favorably to the House.
Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Chairman?
Chairman WILLIAMS. Yes, sir, Mr. Meuser.
Mr. MEUSER. I request a recorded vote.
Chairman WILLIAMS. A recorded vote has been requested pur-
suant to Committee Rule 13 and House Rule 11. Further pro-
ceedings on the bill are postponed.
H.R. 1541
The next bill we will mark up today is H.R. 1541, the Small
Business Workforce Pipeline Act of 2023. This bipartisan legisla-
ture was introduced by Mr. Crow and cosponsored by Mr. Molinaro,
Mr. Thanedar, and Ms. Salazar.
I now recognize one of the bill’s cosponsors, Mr. Molinaro, for an
opening statement on H.R. 1541.
Mr. MOLINARO. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I am proud to have introduced the Small Business Workforce
Pipeline Act alongside my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, in-
cluding Mr. Thanedar and Ms. Salazar. This bipartisan legislation
seeks to address an issue that affects communities all across Amer-
ica and certainly throughout Upstate New York, the part of New
York State I represent.
This will address workforce shortages for local small businesses
by directing small business development centers to establish and
facilitate the implementation of apprenticeship and training pro-
grams for small businesses. We know that we need to improve
workforce development for our nation’s small businesses, and this
bill will help address the issues that continue to hold main street
back. Certainly, as we all travel around our districts as I do mine,
we continue to hear from small business owners on how they can-
not find enough people to work. We had the opportunity of one of
my constituents, Mr. Bruno Schickel to present just a month ago
before a hearing of this Committee. As the owner of Schickel Con-
struction in Ithaca, New York, he told us as many contractors and
construction companies have explained, it is becoming increasingly
more difficult to recruit skilled employees.
I look forward, Mr. Chairman to the swift passage of this bill. I
thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and thank you, Mr.
Chairman, for your work on this important issue and this piece of
legislation.
And with that I yield back.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Thank you.
I would now like to recognize the cosponsor of the bill, Mr.
Thanedar, for an opening statement.
Mr. THANEDAR. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I also thank Represent-
ative Crow and Representative Molinaro, and Representative Sala-
zar for working on this great bill. I am here to support H.R. 1541.
Small businesses face great challenges, including hiring, recruit-
ing, and retaining qualified workers. In my district and across our
9

nation, small businesses are struggling to find the skilled workforce
they need to thrive. However, H.R. 1541 can make a significant dif-
ference in addressing this issue. H.R. 1541 is a forward-thinking
bill that aims to create opportunities through apprenticeship net-
works. These networks will be established in collaboration with
leading universities, colleges, development agencies, the private
sector, and other key shareholders. By bringing together these di-
verse entities, we can leverage their expertise, resources, and con-
nections to build a robust workforce development infrastructure.
One of the greatest advantages of this bill is its focus on providing
alternative pathways to success and a dignified career.
As the cost of college education continues to rise, apprenticeships
offer an attractive and viable option for individuals seeking mean-
ingful employment. By combining on-the-job training with class-
room instruction, apprenticeships equip workers with the skills and
experience needed to excel in their chosen fields. Moreover, this bill
has the potential to uplift underserved communities and help indi-
viduals escape poverty. By providing apprenticeships with good
wages and opportunities for career growth, we can empower indi-
viduals to improve their lives and contribute to the economic pros-
perity of their communities.
Supporting H.R. 1541 is not just an endorsement of small busi-
nesses but a commitment to fostering economic growth, reducing
unemployment, and strengthening our communities. This bill will
create a workforce pipeline that connects small businesses with the
talented individuals they need to succeed. By investing in work-
force development through apprenticeships, we are investing in the
future prosperity of our nation. I am proud to cosponsor H.R. 1541.
Thank you, and I yield back.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Are there any other Members who wish
to be recognized for a statement on H.R. 1541?
Seeing none, I would like to recognize, oh, Mr. Crane, I am sorry.
Mr. CRANE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I understand the shortage of qualified workers that we have out
there right now as a former entrepreneur. I have many friends that
are entrepreneurs, and this is one of the number one issues they
deal with.
That being said, when I talk to them about the causation and the
reason they are having a tough time finding qualified workers
never once have I heard any of them say that it is because the SBA
does not have an apprenticeship program. I want to point out that
it is my opinion that this town, the bureaucracies up here do not
do anything well, and so it does concern me when we start tasking
the SBA to do jobs like this because there is really no account-
ability up here. Even if we do have oversight studies and whatnot,
when we find out that these groups are not doing what we tasked
them to do, nobody ever gets fired. And so it is concerning to me.
I understand the intent of this. I think it is great that it is bipar-
tisan, but I just have concern that this is just going to be one more
of these programs where nothing actually gets done, small busi-
nesses do not get help. If we want to help small businesses, we
need to really improve the economy. We need to quit pumping you
know tens of billions of dollars into the economy that we do not
10

have causing record inflation. Those are the types of things that ac-
tually will help small businesses.
I yield back. Thank you.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Thank you, Mr. Crane.
Are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for a
statement on H.R. 1541?
Okay. Seeing none, I would like to recognize the Ranking Mem-
ber to speak on the bill.
Ms. VELÁZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And I would like to correct for the record that SBA is not given
responsibility in creating an apprenticeship program. This is for
the network of Small Business Development Centers across the na-
tion, and they are stakeholders that work in partnership with the
SBA.
I am pleased to support H.R. 1541, the Small Business Workforce
Pipeline Act, which was introduced by Representatives Crow,
Molinaro, Thanedar, and Salazar. This bill allows SBDCs, Small
Business Development Centers, to assist small firms in estab-
lishing job training and apprenticeship programs. ‘‘Earn while you
learn’’ programs are proven ways for small businesses to attract
and retain qualified workers. By empowering our nation’s SBDCs
to share job training and apprenticeship information from federal
agencies with small employers, we can address one of the most
pressing programs facing many businesses today.
Small firms have been hit particularly hard by tightening labor
markets. As the recovery continues, unemployment drops and job
openings grow. I constantly hear from the smaller employers in my
district that it is getting harder than ever to recruit and retain
qualified workers. The legislation will take an important step to
help American workers gain new skills and assist small businesses
in finding qualified workers.
I want to thank Mr. Crow, Mr. Molinaro, Mr. Thanedar, and Ms.
Salazar for their bipartisan work on this bill. I urge Members to
support this bill and I yield back.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Thank you for that.
And I now recognize myself to speak in support of this legisla-
tion. H.R. 1541, the Small Business Workforce Pipeline Act of 2023
expands the services of Small Business Development Centers to in-
clude the information on how small businesses can establish and
improve work-based learning and apprenticeship programs.
Just this past month, Mr. Molinaro led an Innovation Entrepre-
neurship and Workforce Development Subcommittee hearing high-
lighting the serious labor shortage issues facing far too many small
businesses across this country.
I want to thank Mr. Crow for introducing this bill, as well as my
distinguished Committee colleagues, Representatives Molinaro,
Thanedar, Salazar for cosponsoring this bill.
To close, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1541.
If there is no further discussion, the Committee now moves to
consideration of H.R. 1541.
The clerk will report the bill.
The CLERK. H.R. 1541, to amend the Small Business Act to in-
clude requirements——
11

Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, H.R. 1541 is consid-
ered as read and open for amendment.
Does anyone wish to offer an amendment?
There is no amendment at the desk so we will briefly pause
while staff—no, I am sorry.
Seeing none, the question is now on adoption of H.R. 1541 and
ordering it be favorably reported to the House.
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it and H.R. 1541 is
agreed to and ordered favorably to the House.
Mr. CROW. Mr. Chairman, I would like to request a recorded
vote.
Chairman WILLIAMS. A recorded vote has been requested, and
pursuant to Committee Rule 13 and House Rule 11, further pro-
ceedings on the bill are postponed.
H.R. 1730
The next bill we will mark up today is H.R. 1730, Supporting
Small Business and Career and Technical Education Act of 2023.
I introduced this bipartisan legislation along with Ms.
Gluesenkamp Perez, Mr. Allen, Mr. Fitzpatrick, and Mr. Mag-
aziner.
I now recognize myself for an opening statement on H.R. 1730.
H.R. 1730, Supporting Small Business and Career and Technical
Education Act of 2023 ensures federal resources are being used to
support entrepreneurs and connect businesses with qualified em-
ployees. This legislation directs the Small Business Development
Centers and Women’s Business Centers to assist small businesses
in hiring graduates from career and technical education programs.
Additionally, this legislation supports career and technical edu-
cation graduates by directing the SBDCs and WBCs to assist them
in starting a small business.
There are too many young people who feel like they have no
choice but to attend a 4-year college and incur tens of thousands
of dollars in debt even though their skills and interests do not fit
the typical 4-year college education. College is not for everyone and
this bill helps those people that choose an alternative educational
path to get employed or start their own small business. I believe
this legislation will help engage with the career and technical edu-
cation community to support small business growth.
And I want to thank my distinguished committee colleagues, Ms.
Gluesenkamp Perez for cosponsoring this legislation.
And to close, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.
And I would now like to co-sponsor of the bill, Ms. Gluesenkamp
Perez for an opening statement.
Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And
thank you for including this bill in today’s markup.
Like the Chairman, I came from the automotive industry. He
comes from the dealership side; I come from the independent side.
And before coming here I owned an auto repair and a machine
shop.
My district is home to a number of auto technician and tech-
nology training programs, including the programs at Lower Colum-
bia College and Clark College. These are family wage jobs that you
12

do not need a 4-year degree to get into. You see a guy driving down
the road with a big truck, nice truck, he has got a snowmobile, does
not have roommates. That is a guy that is working in the trades.
One of the best parts of my job is getting to go to these programs
and visiting and encouraging these young people in the path that
they have chosen. And the reality is we are desperate for techni-
cians. By 2024, we are going to be about 600,000 technicians short
in America. So there is a desperate need.
The program is that after graduating it can be hard for these
students to find the right fit. It is true that if you are a big player,
you have got a lot of employees, you can probably staff a job fair
and go down there and recruit. But if you are a Mom and Pop shop
struggling with all of the bureaucracy and all the things that it
takes to run a small business, you cannot just take a day off to do
recruitment.
And what is really important about this bill is that it encourages
the Small Business Development Centers and the Women’s Busi-
ness Centers to provide resources to help the smaller guys, the
growing guys, to get in there and find the right fit. Find the right
employees.
And one of the things I love about this bill is that it also works
to direct these centers to help CTE graduates start their own busi-
nesses. So many of these people are brilliant entrepreneurs. They
are hungry to grow our economy and succeed in their dreams of
owning their own shop. But the financial hurdles it takes to open
a small business are almost impossible to clear.
My husband spent 10 years laying in the street, jacking up cars,
fixing them up, building up his own business, his own clientele. A
lot of people give up in that time. This bill helps ensure that the
resources come to small businesses, to the trades, and start their
own businesses and be successful in that.
So for all the talk that we do about the American dream, I think
it is really encouraging that this Committee is putting the re-
sources and the elbow grease behind actually supporting career
and technical programs succeed and find the right fit in their hir-
ing and start their own businesses.
So thank you, sincerely, Mr. Chairman, for your leadership in
this. And I yield back.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Thank you.
And are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for
a statement on H.R. 1730?
All right. Seeing none, I would like to recognize the Ranking
Member to speak on the bill.
Ms. VELÁZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Williams.
I really commend you and Ms. Gluesenkamp in your efforts to
allow SBA resource partners to connect small employers with grad-
uates of career and technical education programs and also give
graduates the tools to launch their own enterprises. While a college
education is a sure and fast way to secure a successful career in
today’s global economy, it may not be the most prudent part for
every high school graduate.
CTE programs offer viable alternatives by training students with
a wide variety of skills oftentimes tailoring the curriculum to the
workforce needs of the local community.
13

I want to thank Mr. Williams and Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez for
their meaningful work on this bill.
And I urge Members to support this bipartisan piece of legisla-
tion. And I yield back my time.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Thank you for that.
And I once again reiterate my support for this legislation.
If there is no further discussion, the Committee now moves to
consideration of H.R. 1730.
The clerk will report the bill.
The CLERK. H.R. 1730, to amend the Small Business Act to——
Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, H.R. 1730 is consid-
ered as read and open for amendment.
Does anyone wish to offer an amendment?
Seeing none, the question is now on adoption of H.R. 1730 and
ordering it favorably be reported to the House.
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it.
H.R. 1730 is agreed to and ordered favorably to the House.
Mr. ELLZEY. Mr. Chairman, I request a recorded vote.
Chairman WILLIAMS. A roll call vote is ordered.
Pursuant to Committee Rule 13 and House Rule 11, further pro-
ceedings on the bill are postponed.
Before we consider H.R. 1606, I would like to ask unanimous
consent to waive the sponsor of the bill, Mr. Schneider on the Com-
mittee for the purpose of speaking on their legislation.
Ms. VELÁZQUEZ. No. Yes.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, so ordered.
H.R. 1606
Now we mark up H.R. 1606, the Veteran Entrepreneurship
Training Act of 2023.
This bipartisan bill was introduced by Mr. Schneider and cospon-
sored by myself, Mr. McGarvey, and Mr. Ellzey.
I now recognize myself for an opening statement.
H.R. 1606, the Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act of 2023
that authorized the Boots to Business program which helps
transitioning service members start and grow their own businesses.
After dedicating their lives to protecting the freedom of all Ameri-
cans, it is critical we give our veterans the tools and resources to
be successful when transitioning to civilian life. Veterans are nat-
ural leaders and the dedication necessary to thrive in the private
sector with the right training. I was fortunate enough to see first-
hand the work this program does when I visited Fort Hood with
Administrator Guzman this past March. I am proud to have had
the opportunity to work with my colleagues on this bipartisan leg-
islation to improve the Boots to Business program and I want to
thank my distinguished Committee colleagues, Representatives
McGarvey and Ellzey for cosponsoring this legislation.
And to close, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 1606.
I would now like to recognize the Democratic sponsor of the bill,
Mr. McGarvey, for an opening statement.
Mr. MCGARVEY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr.
Chairman, for your leadership, for your support of H.R. 1606, and
for including it in today’s markup. I am proud to join you and Rep-
14

resentative Ellzey as the sponsor of this bill, which is led by our
colleague, Representative Brad Schneider.
In addition to this Committee, I serve on the Veterans Com-
mittee, and we talk all the time about the importance of having
strong systems to ensure smooth transition from service to civilian
life. SBA’s successful Boots to Business program plays a crucial
role in that warm handoff, supporting our brave men and women
as they return home.
Members of our military and their spouses have the entrepre-
neurial spirit and skills necessary to become successful business
owners and this program provides critical help in unlocking their
potential. I look forward to its success for years to come with this
authorization.
I encourage all my colleagues to support this bill and yield back.
Chairman WILLIAMS. I would now like to recognize the other
leading Republican, Mr. Ellzey, for an opening statement.
Mr. ELLZEY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I want to say
thank you, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Schneider, and Mr. McGarvey, for
leading on this bill.
The bipartisan Boots to Business program is an important step
toward helping military veterans start and grow businesses. Help-
ing the veteran will obviously help the entire family of the veteran.
Going from active duty to veteran status is difficult because the
service member is leaving the support system of their military fam-
ily. But the Boots to Business program will help show a path for-
ward toward success.
As I have said many times, the military does a great job training
our service members to do their military job. They are trained to
be the most lethal force on the planet and how to best defend and
protect the people of the United States. But the military does not
do a good job at all of training them to be civilians. The Boots to
Business program will help to fill that gap. Helping veterans be
successful in civilian lie is critical for their well-being and the well-
being of their entire family and the communities where they live.
I look forward to this bill passing the House, the Senate, and
being signed into law by the president. I yield back.
Chairman WILLIAMS. I would now like to recognize the Demo-
cratic sponsor of the bill, Mr. Schneider, for an opening statement.
Mr. SCHNEIDER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And let me again
thank you for allowing me to join you today. Having served 3 terms
on this Committee, it is always a joy to be back in this room and
with this group.
I also want to thank the Committee for its consideration today
of this legislation, the Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act of
2023, which I am very proud to introduce with Chairman Williams,
Mr. McGarvey, and Mr. Ellzey. And I look forward to, as was just
noted, seeing it pass the House, the Senate, and be signed by the
president.
As was noted, our military are the best and the brightest we
have to offer. They reflect who we are as a nation. They serve in
places far away, laying their lives on the line to protect us and pro-
tect our freedoms. Success in their endeavors depends to a great
extent on their natural leadership abilities, their innovation, their
15

entrepreneurship, taking uncertain circumstances and finding ways
to get things done.
This is the exact same success that we are looking for in today’s
business leaders and why this program is so important. The skills
our veterans learn and develop in the military have true applica-
tion to what we are looking for in the private sector. And the Boots
to Business program helps translate those skills. It helps our vet-
erans translate those skills as they begin civilian life.
Our bill builds on proven outcomes by codifying the already suc-
cessful program. In fact, more than 100,000 veterans and their
spouses have already benefitted from this program since 2013.
According to the Department of Labor, in April, the April Jobs
Report, the unemployment rate among veterans is a mere 2.2 per-
cent compared to 3.4 for the rest of the U.S. population. Historic
lows. This is in no small part due to the transition programs like
Boots to Business that are helping our veterans move into their
lives. Through the Boots to Business program, service members
and their spouses enroll in a multiweek in-depth course. This
course teaches participants everything from the process of market
research to the art of securing funding for a new business. By codi-
fying the Boots to Business program into law, we can ensure future
service members are able to take advantage of the program so
many have already benefitted from.
I appreciate Chairman Williams co-leading this bill and working
with me to get it through the finish line. Over the years, I have
heard from many service people turn small business owners who
have directly benefitted from training provided by the Boots to
Business program. With so many communities seeming to replace
the businesses that did not survive the pandemic, this program is
even more important.
I am pleased that this bill has also enjoyed bipartisan support
and I urge all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to show their
support by voting in favor of it today.
Once again, I want to thank the Committee staff who have draft-
ed this legislation, and my colleague, Roger Williams. I look for-
ward to seeing this legislation go one step closer to being finally
signed into law.
And with that I yield back.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Thank you.
And are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for
a statement on the bill?
Seeing none, I would like to recognize the Ranking Member to
speak on the bill.
Ms. VELÁZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
In light of the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, it is an honor to
support the Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act that greatly
benefits our nation’s veterans.
Representative Schneider has been a long-time champion of this
bill which codifies the SBA’s Boots to Business program to help
transitioning service members launch and grow their own small
businesses. And I applaud Chairman Williams for his leadership as
well as the other two co-sponsors, Representatives McGarvey and
Ellzey.
16

As Members of this Committee know, starting a business is not
for the faint of heart. It takes courage, perseverance, resourceful-
ness, and leadership to launch a successful enterprise. Many of
these qualities are inherent in those that serve our country. De-
spite their skills and expertise, many service members have dif-
ficulty transitioning to civilian life.
A recent survey conducted by the Syracuse University Institute
for Veterans and Military Families found 44 percent expressed dif-
ficulty with transitioning from military life and 53 percent said
they did not know what they wanted to do as civilians. Entrepre-
neurship is one path service members can pursue to make the tran-
sition a success.
In Fiscal Year 2022, nearly 24,000 veterans, transitioning service
members, and military spouses received Boots to Business entre-
preneurship program. The program has been a shining example of
how the SBA and its resource partners can make sure the Amer-
ican dream is accessible to the valued men and women of our mili-
tary as well as veterans and military spouses.
That is why I urge all the Members today to support this bill.
Thank you. I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Thank you for that. And I once again
voice my support for this bill.
If there is no further discussion, the Committee now moves to
consideration of H.R. 1606.
The clerk will report the bill.
The CLERK. H.R. 1606, to amend the Small Business Act——
Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, H.R. 1606 is consid-
ered as read and open for amendment.
Does anyone wish to offer an amendment?
All right. Seeing none, the question is now on adoption of H.R.
1606 and ordering it favorably be reported to the House.
All those in favor, say aye.
Opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it and H.R. 1606
is——
Mr. ELLZEY. Mr. Chairman? Request to record a vote.
Chairman WILLIAMS. All right.
And a roll vote is ordered.
And so pursuant to Committee Rule 13 and House 11, further
proceedings on the bill are postponed.
H.R. 3511
The final bill we will mark up today is H.R. 3511, Service Dis-
abled Veteran Opportunities and Small Business Act introduced by
Mr. LaLota and Mr. McGarvey.
I now recognize sponsor of legislation, Mr. LaLota, for an opening
statement.
Mr. LALOTA. Thank you, Chairman Williams, for recognizing
this important piece of legislation to help the veteran community
specifically service disabled veterans. Those who have served our
nation in uniform, putting our great country before themselves, de-
serve our utmost thanks, support, and respect. We owe an even
greater debt of gratitude to our service-disabled veterans.
As service-disabled veterans transition to civilian life and look to
enter the government contracting space, this Committee should
17

identify and implement ways to make that transition earlier.
Proudly, Mr. Chairman, this bill does just that.
The Service-Disabled Veteran Opportunities and Small Business
Act provides greater opportunities to our nation’s disabled veterans
by allowing for additional contracts to be awarded to them through
the small business administration and Office of Veterans Business
Development. Currently, agencies must set a goal to procure at
least 3 percent of their contracting dollars with service-disabled,
veteran-owned small businesses. Unfortunately, many agencies are
failing to meet this statutory requirement. In fact, the entire fed-
eral government failed to meet this 3 percent goal to subcontract
to service disabled veterans.
This legislation helps to solve that problem by requiring the
Small Business Administration and the Office of the Veterans
Business Development to provide training to federal agency offi-
cials who fall below that 3 percent goal on how to increase the
number of contracts awarded to service-disabled veterans who own
or control a small business. Together, the SBA and the Office of
Veterans Business Development will issue guidance on the best
practices on how to increase the number of contracts to our nation’s
heroes.
I urge my colleagues to support the Service-Disabled Veteran Op-
portunities in Small Business Act and I yield back.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Thank you, Mr. LaLota.
And I would now like to recognize the other sponsor of the bill,
Mr. McGarvey, for an opening statement.
Mr. MCGARVEY. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Again,
I appreciate you helping bring this bill forward. Thank you to Rep-
resentative LaLota. Thank you, Representative LaLota, for your
service, for your leadership on this, for always working to help our
veterans.
This weekend we are going to observe Memorial Day and remem-
ber those who gave as President Lincoln said, ‘‘The last full meas-
ure of devotion for our country.’’ We will take Monday to honor
those who made the ultimate sacrifice, but this Congress should
work every single day to serve those who served us, especially
those who return home with the wounds of their service, both visi-
ble and invisible.
So I am proud to join Representative LaLota as a sponsor of the
Service Disabled Veteran Opportunities in Small Business Act, and
I am grateful it was included in today’s markup.
This bill would require the SBA to issue guidance for agencies
to better meet contracting goals for service-disabled, veteran-owned
small businesses and provide training for each agency that fails to
achieve the goals. The bill also requires a report to Congress detail-
ing the agencies that do not meet their goals so this Committee can
better understand what works and what does not and continue to
improve business opportunities for service-disabled business own-
ers.
I urge my colleagues to support the bill. I look forward to its pas-
sage today.
I yield back.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Are there any other Members who wish
to be recognized for a statement on H.R. 3511?
18

All right. Seeing none, I would like to recognize the Ranking
Member to speak on the bill.
Ms. VELÁZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I am pleased to lend my support to the Service-Disabled Veteran
Opportunities in Small Business Act, which is being led by Mr.
LaLota, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Contracting and Infra-
structure, and Mr. McGarvey, Ranking Member of the Innovation,
Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development Subcommittee.
In an effort to increase the number of contracts to service-dis-
abled, veteran-owned small businesses, the bill requires SBA to
issue guidance for each agency to better meet the current SDVOSB
goal and provide training for agencies that come up short. Building
our small business base within the federal procurement space is a
vital component of providing the government with the best prod-
ucts and services, while also investing in the economic growth of
America. Holding agencies accountable for meeting government set-
aside goals and adequately training and funding our contracting
personnel can deliver tangible results to the small contractors
fighting for limited opportunities.
Thank you to both Mr. LaLota and Mr. McGarvey for your com-
mitment to our nation’s veterans and your bipartisan work to find
a practical approach to increase the awards to service-disabled, vet-
eran-owned small business owners.
I urge a yes vote and yield back.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Thank you.
I now recognize myself to speak in support of this legislation,
H.R. 3511, the Service-Disabled, Veteran-Opportunities in Small
Business Act would amend the Small Business Act to require train-
ing to increase the number of contracts awarded to small busi-
nesses that are owned and operated by service-disabled veterans.
Our veterans have fought bravely and served our country with
honor, and they deserve our support as they transition from mili-
tary to civilian life, especially as they are looking to break into the
government contracting space.
I want to thank my distinguished colleagues for introducing this
bill and urge all my colleagues to support.
If there is no further discussion, the Committee now moves to
consideration of H.R. 3511.
The clerk will read and report the bill.
The CLERK. H.R. 3511, to amend the Small Business Act——
Chairman WILLIAMS. Without objection, H.R. 3511 is consid-
ered as read and open for amendment.
Does anyone wish to offer an amendment?
Seeing none, the question is now on adoption of H.R. 3511, is
agreed to and ordered favorably reported to the House.
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it.
H.R. 3511 is agreed to and ordered favorably to the House.
Mr. LALOTA. Mr. Chairman, I request a recorded vote, please.
Chairman WILLIAMS. All right. A recorded vote has been re-
quested. So a roll call vote is ordered pursuant to Committee Rule
13 and House Rule 11. Further proceedings on the bill are post-
poned. The Committee stands in recess. Subject to the call of the
19

Chair, we will resume later today, 2:30 p.m., to vote on the out-
standing business.
[Recess]
Chairman WILLIAMS. The Committee will now resume consider-
ation of the bills on which roll call votes were requested and post-
poned.
There are six postponed recorded votes and we will start with
H.R. 1644, the 7(a) Loan Agent Oversight Act.
The question now is on adopting H.R. 1644 and ordering it favor-
ably reported to the House.
The clerk will call the roll.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer?
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Yes.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer votes aye.
Mr. Stauber?
[No response.]
Mr. Meuser?
Mr. MEUSER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye.
Ms. Van Duyne?
Mr. VAN DUYNE. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye.
Ms. Salazar?
[No response.]
Mr. Mann?
[No response.]
Mr. Ellzey?
Mr. ELLZEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye.
Mr. Molinaro?
[No response.]
Mr. Alford?
[No response.]
Mr. Crane?
Mr. CRANE. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye.
Mr. Bean?
[No response.]
Mr. Hunt?
Mr. HUNT. Yes.
The CLERK. Mr. Hunt votes aye.
Mr. LaLota?
Mr. LALOTA. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye.
Mr. Golden?
[No response.]
Mr. Mfume?
Mr. MFUME. Mr. Mfume votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Mfume votes aye.
Mr. Phillips?
[No response.]
Mr. Landsman?
Mr. LANDSMAN. Yes.
The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye.
20

Mr. McGarvey?
[No response.]
Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez?
Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez votes aye.
Ms. Scholten?
[No response.]
Mr. Thanedar?
Mr. THANEDAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye.
Ms. Chu?
Ms. CHU. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye.
Ms. Davids?
[No response.]
Mr. Pappas?
Mr. PAPPAS. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Pappas votes aye.
Ranking Member Velázquez?
Ms. VELÁZQUEZ. Aye.
The CLERK. Ranking Member Velázquez votes aye.
Mr. Chairman?
Chairman WILLIAMS. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Chairman Williams votes aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay. Are there any other Members who
have not voted or wish to change their vote?
Ms. SALAZAR. I would like to vote.
Mr. ALFORD. Yes, sir.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay. For what purpose does the gen-
tleman seek recognition?
Mr. ALFORD. Mr. Chairman, I would like to vote aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. For what purpose does the lady——
Ms. SALAZAR. From Florida.
Chairman WILLIAMS.—from Florida?
Ms. SALAZAR. Yeah. I vote yes.
The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Ms. Davids?
Ms. DAVIDS. Mr. Chairman, I would like to vote aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Davids votes aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Mr. Phillips?
Mr. PHILLIPS. Phillips votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Phillips votes aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Mr. McGarvey?
Mr. MCGARVEY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to vote
aye.
The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Ms. Scholten?
Ms. SCHOLTEN. I would like to vote aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Scholten votes aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Mr. Golden?
Mr. GOLDEN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye.
21

Chairman WILLIAMS. Are there any other Members who have
not voted or wish to change their vote?
Okay. The clerk will report.
The CLERK. Mr. Chairman, on that vote 22 ayes and 0 nays.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Thank you.
The motion is agreed to and H.R. 1644 is adopted and will be re-
ported favorably to the House.
The question now is on adopting H.R. 1651, the 7(a) Loan Agent
Transparency Act and ordering it favorably reported to the House.
The Clerk will call the roll.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer?
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Yes.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer votes aye.
Mr. Stauber?
[No response.]
Mr. Meuser?
Mr. MEUSER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye.
Ms. Van Duyne?
Mr. VAN DUYNE. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye.
Ms. Salazar?
Ms. SALAZAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye.
Mr. Mann?
[No response.]
Mr. Ellzey?
Mr. ELLZEY. Ellzey, aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye.
Mr. Molinaro?
[No response.]
Mr. Alford?
Mr. ALFORD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye.
Mr. Crane?
Mr. CRANE. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye.
Mr. Bean?
[No response.]
Mr. Hunt?
Mr. HUNT. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Hunt votes aye.
Mr. LaLota?
Mr. LALOTA. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye.
Mr. Golden?
Mr. GOLDEN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye.
Mr. Mfume?
Mr. MFUME. Mfume votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Mfume votes aye.
Mr. Phillips?
[No response.]
Mr. Landsman?
22

Mr. LANDSMAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye.
Mr. McGarvey?
Mr. MCGARVEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye.
Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez?
Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez votes aye.
Ms. Scholten?
[No response.]
Mr. Thanedar?
Mr. THANEDAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye.
Ms. Chu?
Ms. CHU. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye.
Ms. Davids?
[No response.]
Mr. Pappas?
[No response.]
Ranking Member Velázquez?
Ms. VELÁZQUEZ. Aye.
The CLERK. Ranking Member Velázquez votes aye.
Mr. Chairman Williams?
Chairman WILLIAMS. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Chairman Williams votes aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Are there any other Members who have
not voted or wish to change their vote?
Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Chairman, Mr. Phillips.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Mr. Phillips?
Mr. PHILLIPS. Yeah, I vote aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Phillips votes aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Any others?
Okay. The clerk will report.
Mr. Molinaro, how do you vote?
Mr. MOLINARO. Yes, sir. Aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay. Aye.
Ms. Scholten?
Ms. SCHOLTEN. Yes.
The CLERK. Mr. Molinaro votes yes.
And Ms. Scholten votes yes.
Mr. Chairman, on that vote 21 ayes and 0 nays.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay. The motion is agreed to and H.R.
1651 is adopted and will be reported favorably to the House.
The question now is on adopting H.R. 1541, the Small Business
Workforce Pipeline Act of 2023 and ordering it favorably reported
to the House.
The clerk will call the roll.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer?
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer votes aye.
Mr. Stauber?
[No response.]
Mr. Meuser?
23

Mr. MEUSER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye.
Ms. Van Duyne?
Mr. VAN DUYNE. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye.
Ms. Salazar?
Ms. SALAZAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye.
Mr. Mann?
[No response.]
Mr. Ellzey?
Mr. ELLZEY. Ellzey, aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye.
Mr. Molinaro?
Mr. MOLINARO. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Molinaro votes aye.
Mr. Alford?
Mr. ALFORD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye.
Mr. Crane?
Mr. CRANE. Nay.
The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes nay.
Mr. Bean?
[No response.]
Mr. Hunt?
Mr. HUNT. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Hunt votes aye.
Mr. LaLota?
Mr. LALOTA. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye.
Mr. Golden?
Mr. GOLDEN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye.
Mr. Mfume?
Mr. MFUME. Mfume votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Mfume votes aye.
Mr. Phillips?
[No response.]
Mr. Landsman?
Mr. LANDSMAN. Yes.
The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye.
Mr. McGarvey?
Mr. MCGARVEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye.
Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez?
Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez votes aye.
Ms. Scholten?
[No response.]
Mr. Thanedar?
Mr. THANEDAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye.
Ms. Chu?
Ms. CHU. Aye.
24

The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye.
Ms. Davids?
Ms. DAVIDS. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Davids votes aye.
Mr. Pappas?
[No response.]
Ranking Member Velázquez?
Ms. VELÁZQUEZ. Aye.
The CLERK. Aye, or sorry. The Ranking Member Velázquez
votes aye.
Mr. PHILLIPS. Phillips votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Phillips votes aye.
Mr. STAUBER. Stauber votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. The Chairman votes aye.
The CLERK. The Chairman votes aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Are there any other Members who have
not voted or wish to change their vote?
Okay. The clerk will report.
The CLERK. Mr. Chairman, on that vote 21 ayes and 1 nay.
Chairman WILLIAMS. The vote is agreed to and H.R. 1541 is
adopted and will be reported favorably to the House. The question
now is on adopting H.R. 1730, the Supporting Small Business and
Career and Technical Education Act of 2023, and ordering it favor-
ably reported to the House.
The clerk will call the roll.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer?
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer votes aye.
Mr. Stauber?
[No response.]
Mr. Meuser?
Mr. MEUSER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye.
Ms. Van Duyne?
Mr. VAN DUYNE. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye.
Ms. Salazar?
Ms. SALAZAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye.
Mr. Mann?
[No response.]
Mr. Ellzey?
Mr. ELLZEY. Ellzey, aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye.
Mr. Molinaro?
[No response.]
Mr. Alford?
Mr. ALFORD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye.
Mr. Crane?
Mr. CRANE. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye.
Mr. Bean?
25

[No response.]
Mr. Hunt?
Mr. HUNT. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Hunt votes aye.
Mr. LaLota?
Mr. LALOTA. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye.
Mr. Golden?
Mr. GOLDEN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye.
Mr. Mfume?
Mr. MFUME. Mfume votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Mfume votes aye.
Mr. Phillips?
[No response.]
Mr. Landsman?
Mr. LANDSMAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye.
Mr. McGarvey?
Mr. MCGARVEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye.
Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez?
Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez votes aye.
Ms. Scholten?
Ms. SCHOLTEN. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Scholten votes aye.
Mr. Thanedar?
Mr. THANEDAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye.
Ms. Chu?
Ms. CHU. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye.
Ms. Davids?
Ms. DAVIDS. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Davids votes aye.
Mr. Pappas?
[No response.]
Ranking Member Velázquez?
Ms. VELÁZQUEZ. Aye.
The CLERK. Ranking Member Velázquez votes aye.
Mr. Chairman Williams?
Chairman WILLIAMS. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Chairman Williams votes aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay. Are there any other Members who
have not voted or wish to change their vote?
Mr. MOLINARO. Mr. Chairman?
Chairman WILLIAMS. Welcome, Mr. Molinaro.
Mr. MOLINARO. Mr. Molinaro votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Molinaro votes aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. All right. Mr. Phillips?
Mr. PHILLIPS. And Mr. Phillips votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Phillips votes aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Anyone else?
26

Okay. The clerk will report.
The CLERK. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, 22 ayes and 0 nays.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay, the motion is agreed to and H.R.
1730 is adopted and will be reported favorably to the House.
The question now is on adopting H.R. 1606, the Veteran Entre-
preneurship Training Act of 2023 and ordering it be favorably re-
ported to the House. The clerk will call the roll.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer?
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer votes aye.
Mr. Stauber?
[No response.]
Mr. Meuser?
Mr. MEUSER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye.
Ms. Van Duyne?
Mr. VAN DUYNE. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye.
Ms. Salazar?
Ms. SALAZAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye.
Mr. Mann?
[No response.]
Mr. Ellzey?
Mr. ELLZEY. Ellzey, aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye.
Mr. Molinaro?
[No response.]
Mr. Alford?
Mr. ALFORD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye.
Mr. Crane?
Mr. CRANE. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye.
Mr. Bean?
[No response.]
Mr. Hunt?
Mr. HUNT. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Hunt votes aye.
Mr. LaLota?
Mr. LALOTA. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye.
Mr. Golden?
Mr. GOLDEN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye.
Mr. Mfume?
Mr. MFUME. Mfume votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Mfume votes aye.
Mr. Phillips?
Mr. PHILLIPS. Phillips votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Phillips votes aye.
Mr. Landsman?
Mr. LANDSMAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye.
27

Mr. McGarvey?
Mr. MCGARVEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye.
Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez?
Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez votes aye.
Ms. Scholten?
[No response.]
Mr. Thanedar?
Mr. THANEDAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye.
Ms. Chu?
Ms. CHU. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye.
Ms. Davids?
[No response.]
Mr. Pappas?
[No response.]
Ranking Member Velázquez?
Ms. VELÁZQUEZ. Aye.
The CLERK. Ranking Member Velázquez votes aye.
Mr. STAUBER. Stauber votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye.
Mr. Chairman Williams?
Chairman WILLIAMS. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Chairman Williams votes aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Are there any other Members who have
not voted or wish to change their vote?
Okay. None being, the clerk will report.
Ms. Scholten, did you vote?
Ms. SCHOLTEN. Yes.
The CLERK. Ms. Scholten votes aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Mr. Molinaro?
Mr. MOLINARO. Mr. Chairman, I vote aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Ms. Davids?
Ms. DAVIDS. Aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. The clerk will report.
The CLERK. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, 23 ayes and 0 nays.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay, great. The motion is agreed to and
H.R. 1606 is adopted and will be reported favorably to the House.
The question now is adopting H.R. 3511, the Service-Disabled
Veteran Opportunities in Small Business Act and ordering it favor-
ably reported to the House.
The clerk will call the roll.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer?
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer votes aye.
Mr. Stauber?
Mr. STAUBER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye.
Mr. Meuser?
Mr. MEUSER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye.
Ms. Van Duyne?
28

Mr. VAN DUYNE. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye.
Ms. Salazar?
Ms. SALAZAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Salazar votes aye.
Mr. Mann?
[No response.]
Mr. Ellzey?
Mr. ELLZEY. Ellzey, aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Ellzey votes aye.
Mr. Molinaro?
Mr. MOLINARO. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Molinaro votes aye.
Mr. Alford?
Mr. ALFORD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Alford votes aye.
Mr. Crane?
Mr. CRANE. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Crane votes aye.
Mr. Bean?
[No response.]
Mr. Hunt?
Mr. HUNT. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Hunt votes aye.
Mr. LaLota?
Mr. LALOTA. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. LaLota votes aye.
Mr. Golden?
Mr. GOLDEN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye.
Mr. Mfume?
Mr. MFUME. Mfume votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Mfume votes aye.
Mr. Phillips?
Mr. PHILLIPS. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Phillips votes aye.
Mr. Landsman?
Mr. LANDSMAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Landsman votes aye.
Mr. McGarvey?
Mr. MCGARVEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. McGarvey votes aye.
Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez?
Ms. GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez votes aye.
Ms. Scholten?
Ms. SCHOLTEN. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Scholten votes aye.
Mr. Thanedar?
Mr. THANEDAR. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Thanedar votes aye.
Ms. Chu?
Ms. CHU. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye.
29

Ms. Davids?
Ms. DAVIDS. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Davids votes aye.
Mr. Pappas?
[No response.]
Ranking Member Velázquez?
Ms. VELÁZQUEZ. Aye.
The CLERK. Ranking Member Velázquez votes aye.
Mr. Chairman Williams?
Chairman WILLIAMS. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Chairman Williams votes aye.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Are there any other Members who have
not voted or wish to change their vote?
Okay. If none, the clerk will report.
The CLERK. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, 23 ayes and 0 nays.
Chairman WILLIAMS. Okay, thank you.
The motion is agreed to and H.R. 3511 is adopted and will be re-
ported favorably to the House.
Without objection, Committee staff is authorized to make tech-
nical and conforming changes and Members have 2 business days
to file additional, supplemental, descending, and minority views.
I want to thank all of you for being here today. This was a good
day today. We got some business done for America.
And if there is no further business, this concludes today’s mark-
up.
Without objection, the Committee stands adjourned.
[Whereupon, 12:17 p.m., the committee was adjourned.]
30

APPENDIX
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