Davids Visits Kansas Veteran-Owned Food Cart, Discusses Bipartisan Legislation to Support Veteran Entrepreneurs

ROELAND PARK, KS - Today, on the eve of Veterans Day, Representative Sharice Davids visited Morty’s, a veteran-owned small business in Roeland Park, KS. Davids, whose mother served in the Army for 20 years, discussed her bipartisan legislation, the SERV Act, that would help veteran small business owners succeed. Davids also gained insight into the veteran owner and his business challenges as he prepared for daily operations. She sampled a Morty’s Italian beef sandwich for lunch.

“As the daughter of a veteran, I have always said that because of their sense of service and dedication, there are few people better situated to become entrepreneurs than our nation’s veterans,” said Davids. “While that’s certainly true for Brian Newton who I spoke with today, he and other veterans face unique obstacles to starting and operating a small business. That's why I introduced the SERV Act to help eliminate those barriers, so our veterans can better support their families and, as in Brian's case, even whip up a delicious Italian beef sandwich!"

“My father was a career Marine and I served for a decade myself, with seven of those years spent overseas,” said Brian Newton, local veteran and owner of Morty’s. “I struggled for many years integrating back into civilian life, and especially with starting a business since we often reenter our new communities alone without the knowledge of how these systems work or even where to begin. I am thankful for leaders such as Rep. Davids who understand the unique challenges faced by veterans and who continue to work on our behalf. Rep Davids is on my team, and I am very thankful for that.”

Brian Newton served in the military for 10 years, seven of which were overseas. After returning home, he opened Morty’s, a food cart and catering business specializing in Italian beef sandwiches and Vienna Beef Chicago-style hot dogs. Due to high demand and after years of searching for space, Newton recently purchased a brick-and-mortar location in Kansas City, KS where he will soon open a restaurant for walk-up and delivery service. Davids and Newton discussed the challenges Newton faced when starting a business and the successes he has since achieved.

Alongside Representative Mark Alford (R-MO-03), Davids introduced the SERV Act to study the barriers veterans face when starting a business and improve the accessibility of existing veteran-focused small business programs. The bill recently passed out of the U.S. House Small Business Committee unanimously and now heads for a vote on the House floor, where it passed in 2019 with broad bipartisan support. Specifically, it:

• Commissions a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on the ability of veteran and reservist small business owners to access credit.
  • This includes a new analysis on common sources of credit and how deployment and other military responsibilities affect veterans' and reservists' credit.
• Requires the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development to develop an action plan for outreach and promotion of the many programs available to veterans looking to transition into the business world.
• Requires the task force to report annually to Congress on its appointments and outline its plan for outreach on the many programs available to veterans, service-disabled veterans, reservists, and their spouses.

“As the daughter of a veteran, Representative Sharice Davids knows the challenges veterans face when starting a small business and she has been a strong champion for veteran-owned small businesses on the House Committee,” said Mindy Brissey, Regional Administrator, Small Business Administration Region VII. “The US Small Business Administration is proud to work with Rep. Davids to increase veteran access to capital, government contracting opportunities, training and counseling, and other support services to start and grow their businesses.”

While military experience provides transferable entrepreneurial training and skills, the number of veterans starting their own business has decreased drastically over the last few decades. Today, only 4.5 percent of the more than 3.6 million veterans who have served since September 11, 2001 have launched a company. In contrast, the number of World War II and Korean War veterans who went on to operate a business was 50 and 40 percent, respectively. Reasons for this decline include challenges accessing credit, transitioning to civilian life, and overcoming stigmas around physical disabilities and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Davids has worked hard to ensure Kansas veterans are supported after returning home from active duty. Most recently, she helped pass the Honoring our PACT Act, which expands Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) health care eligibility to 3.5 million American veterans exposed to burn pits and toxic airborne hazards while deployed. Davids' office also helps military and veteran constituents access VA health care and benefits and acts as a facilitator between federal, state, and local agencies. For more information on how veterans can receive assistance, constituents are encouraged to visit Davids' website or call her office at (913) 621-0832.