Central Missouri News

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Successful Entrepreneurship for Reservists and Veterans (SERV) Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by Representative Mark Alford (MO-04). The legislation aims to support veteran small business owners by identifying challenges they face and improving access to existing programs.

Representative Mark Alford expressed his satisfaction with the passage of the bill, stating, "I’m proud our bipartisan SERV Act passed the House with overwhelming support. This commonsense legislation will help veteran small business owners and entrepreneurs succeed." He emphasized the importance of studying barriers faced by veterans when starting businesses and urged the Senate to take up the bill swiftly.

Representative Sharice Davids highlighted her personal connection to veterans, saying, "Veterans have the skills and dedication to build successful small businesses, but they need better support when transitioning from service to entrepreneurship." She stressed her commitment to ensuring veterans have access to necessary resources.

Representative Herb Conaway pointed out the difficulties veterans encounter when returning to civilian life. He remarked, "For many of our nation’s veterans, transitioning back to civilian life can be daunting—especially for those seeking to start their own small business."

The SERV Act seeks to study barriers faced by veterans in starting businesses and enhance accessibility of veteran-focused programs. It includes commissioning a Government Accountability Office report on credit access for veteran and reservist business owners and requires annual reports from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development.

Despite military experience providing valuable entrepreneurial skills, fewer veterans are starting businesses compared to previous generations. The SERV Act aims to address this decline by improving credit access and easing transitions into civilian entrepreneurship.