Representative Mike Michaud serves Maine's 2nd District in the United States Congress.

The legislative process can be frustrating at times, and it can take a while for a bill to become a law. Progress on even the most modest or reasonable policy changes can get stuck along the way.

For example, in early 2007 I authored a provision that would make a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loan program more accessible to reservist small business owners and essential employees. That provision passed the House in April of 2007 as a part of a bill (H.R. 1361) that unfortunately did not pass the Senate.

About a year later in 2008, the provision was included in another bill (H.R. 4253), which passed the House and Senate and then was signed by the president into law.

While that was very welcome news at the time, it was not the final act. The SBA, the federal agency responsible for carrying out the new provision, still needed to issue some rules in order to accomplish the goals of the legislation.

I am pleased to announce that just this week we've seen the process come full circle. Effective October 28th, a few months shy of two years after I first authored the provision, the SBA has issued the necessary rules to make the bill work. H.R. 4253, the Military Reservist and Veteran Small Business Reauthorization and Opportunity Act, is finally a reality and will start to help our veterans and small businesses.

According to the SBA, the legislative changes will now make the SBA's Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan (MREIDL) program more accessible to small businesses facing financial loss when the owner or essential employee is called to active military duty. This is accomplished by extending the application period for a loan, increasing the unsecured loan threshold, and raising the maximum loan limit.

The MREIDL program provides a direct working capital loan, and the funds may be used to cover operating costs until the essential employee or business owner is released from active duty.  The SBA defines an "essential employee" as an individual (whether or not the owner of the small business) whose managerial or technical skill is critical to the successful daily operation of the business.

Under the new SBA rules, a small business can apply for an MREIDL on the date the essential employee receives notice of the expected call-up. The application period is extended to one year after the essential employee is discharged from active duty, an increase from the previous 90-day application window. I authored this provision extending the time our small businesses have to apply for this loan because many reservists are small business owners and they often need more than three months to get their small businesses back up and running. Some also have to recover from physical or mental injuries. An arbitrary deadline shouldn't stand in the way of any returning soldier.

We owe no greater debt than to our brave men and women in uniform. This change to the disaster loan program gives America's veterans and reservists some deserved economic security after they've put their lives on the line for our national security. To find out more about the MREIDL program and get more information on others, I recommend that you visit SBA's website at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.