Lafayette Reporter

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Small Business Committee, introduced the Service-Disabled Veteran Opportunities in Small Business Act today, aiming to bolster small businesses owned by disabled veterans.

“Louisiana’s disabled veterans served our country honorably, and this bill would make sure the Small Business Administration meets its goal of awarding government contracts to businesses so they can provide good jobs to their communities,” said Kennedy.

The House of Representatives has already passed the companion bill, co-led by Reps. Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.) and Nicholas LaLota (R-N.Y.).

Currently, the Small Business Administration (SBA) offers a program that allocates $7 million for manufacturing contracts and $3 million for other contracts to service-disabled veterans’ small businesses. The Service-Disabled Veterans Opportunities in Small Business Act seeks to:

- Require the SBA to issue guidance aimed at more effectively meeting goals for extending contracts to small businesses owned by service-disabled veterans.

- Provide training for federal agencies that fail to meet contracting goals.

- Mandate the SBA to report to Congress with a list of each federal agency that failed to meet its contracting goals.

Full text of the bill is available here.