U.S. Army Spc. Sydney Buehler, an Army cannon crewmember with 3rd Infantry Division, attends a national job fair at Fort Stewart, Georgia. The fair was open to transitioning service members, military spouses, veterans, retirees, and their families.
Photo by Sgt. Jose Escamilla/U.S. Army
The National Veterans Employment & Education Division Staff of The American Legion had a week full of activities last week promoting veteran entrepreneurship and small business growth. They attended the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee hearing, supporting the passage of the “Veterans Entrepreneurship Training Act”, extending the beneficial Boots to Business program. The staff also reviewed the “Successful Entrepreneurship for Reservists and Veterans Act” and attended a Congressional hearing on the same.
Further activities included research and efforts to enhance Federal contracting for Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSBs), especially focusing on the “Vets First” program expansion to the Department of Defense (DoD). Despite setbacks with the inclusion of “Vets First” in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the staff remained dedicated to this cause.
On the housing front, they continued to follow up on the “Housing our Military Veterans Effectively Act of 2023” or the “HOME Act of 2023,” emphasizing the need for transparency and consistency in the Veterans Affairs’ (VA) contracts for veteran-owned businesses.
The Division Staff analyzed the annual Scorecard for fiscal year 2022 released by the Small Business Administration (SBA), scrutinizing the percentage of contract dollars spent for prime and subcontracts for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) across various federal agencies. This analysis underlines the Division Staff’s ongoing advocacy for increased access and opportunities for SDVOSBs.
Read more in the VE&E Weekly Report.
Author: caLegion HQ
Chartered and incorporated by Congress in 1919, The American Legion is the nation’s largest veterans service organization and its Department of California is dedicated to serving the approximately 2 million veterans living in communities across the Golden State.