{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://williams.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/chairman-williams-cheers-passage-national-defense-authorization-act", "Chairman Williams Cheers Passage of the National Defense Authorization Act in Victory for Veteran Entrepreneurs", "2024-12-12", "2024", "2024-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Roger Williams", "W000816", "williams.house.gov", "williams", "https://williams.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5009, the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes the full authorization of the Small Business Administration\u2019s (SBA) Boots to Business program for four years. Congressman Roger Williams (TX-25), Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, issued the following statement.\n\n\u201cThe SBA\u2019s Boots to Business program has provided assistance to tens of thousands of veterans starting their entrepreneurial journey,\u201d said Chairman Williams. \u201cAmerica\u2019s service members put their lives on the line for us, and we owe it to them to provide the resources they need to be successful in civilian life. The Boots to Business program does just that, capitalizing on service members\u2019 unique skills to help them to become successful entrepreneurs and fully achieve the American Dream.\u201d\n\nThe text of the bill can be found here.\n\nBackground:\n\nThe National Defense Authorization Act includes one of the first bills the House Committee on Small Business passed in 2023, of which Congressman Williams was an original cosponsor, codifying the SBA\u2019s Boots to Business Program. Originally beginning as an initiative in 2012, every Congress since 2013 has attempted to codify the Boots to Business program. The Boots to Business program has proven to be successful in assisting prospective veteran entrepreneurs to be successful in civilian life. Part of the Transition Assistance Program, Boots to Business has grown to help nearly 24,000 returning service members annually.\n\n###\n\nCongressman Roger Williams is the Chairman of the House Small Business Committee and member of the House Financial Services Committee. He proudly represents the 25th Congressional District of Texas.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://williams.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/chairman-williams-cheers-passage-national-defense-authorization-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.5787600316107273, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}