Veteran Entrepreneurship Empowerment Act

Waived Guarantee Fees: The bill prevents the collection of guarantee fees for loans up to $1,000,000 made to small businesses owned by veterans or their spouses, which reduces the cost of borrowing (Section 3).

Lower Equity Requirements: For startup or ownership change loans up to $1,000,000, the minimum equity injection percentage is reduced by at least 5 percentage points for veterans and their spouses (Section 4(a)(B)(i)).

Reduced Project Costs: For loans to veteran-owned small businesses, the required investment may be as low as 5 percent of the total project cost (Section 4(b)(D)).

Increased Accountability: The Small Business Administration must publish data on how many veterans and spouses are using loan programs and entrepreneurial development services, ensuring these resources are actually reaching the intended people (Section 5).

Limited Scope of Fee Waivers: The fee waiver does not apply to all loans, specifically excluding those made under paragraph (36) or (37) of Section 7(a) of the Small Business Act (Section 3(a)(1)(B)(i)).

Loan Amount Caps: The benefits regarding fee waivers and reduced equity injections are only available for loans where the amount or deferred participation share is not more than $1,000,000, meaning larger business ventures do not receive these specific benefits (Section 3 and Section 4).