On the recordMay 20, 2010
as Chair of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I am pleased to introduce the Strengthening Entrepreneurship for America's Veterans Act of 2010. This vital and timely legislation builds upon the Small Business Administration's, SBA, existing counseling programs that successfully assist hundreds of thousands of veterans, service-disabled veterans and reservists annually, creating thousands of jobs. By strengthening and improving these programs, the SBA will be able to reach even more veterans, helping them to achieve their dream of starting or growing their own small businesses. According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, there are currently more than 23.8 million veterans in the United States. Since 2001 alone, more than 2 million of these servicemembers have been deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. This means that every day, hundreds of new veterans are returning home from service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Seeking to move on with their lives after long deployments, many veterans become entrepreneurs to support both themselves and their families. However, in the face of historically high unemployment and tight credit, starting a business has never been more difficult.
