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<bill bill-stage="Introduced-in-House" dms-id="HD3C2B0E14C7942018263B3E3B67D5419" public-private="public" key="H" bill-type="olc"><metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
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<dc:title>119 HR 7998 IH: Building Reentry and Inclusive Development for Greater Employment Act</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. House of Representatives</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2026-03-19</dc:date>
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<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
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<distribution-code display="yes">I</distribution-code><congress display="yes">119th CONGRESS</congress><session display="yes">2d Session</session><legis-num display="yes">H. R. 7998</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES</current-chamber><action display="yes"><action-date date="20260319">March 19, 2026</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="B001324">Mr. Bell</sponsor> introduced the following bill; which was referred to the <committee-name committee-id="HWM00">Committee on Ways and Means</committee-name></action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title display="yes">To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend and expand the work opportunity tax credit.</official-title></form><legis-body id="H104CBCE02D144EC4BDCC1AE9C8A556CA" style="OLC"> 
<section id="H3EAA11F9D0484DA9BE52D07ABD396E16" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header>
 <text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Building Reentry and Inclusive Development for Greater Employment Act</short-title></quote> or the <quote><short-title>BRIDGE Act</short-title></quote>.</text></section> 
<section id="HE6F30D67B4DE4C20AB6DBDF854B892C8"><enum>2.</enum><header>Extension and expansion of work opportunity tax credit</header> 
<subsection id="H280FCAC525764CF0ABC7A9AEF3E12E14"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Extension of credit</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline"><external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/26/51">Section 51(c)(4)</external-xref> of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking <quote>December 31, 2025</quote> and inserting <quote>December 31, 2030</quote>.</text></subsection> <subsection id="H340DC60B89CF46C292B5D1D8C9BC788D"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Expansion of credit</header> <paragraph id="HA3BE1B969A724C3B8F3D160EC98CBD76"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Qualified ex-felon</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Section 51(d)(4) of such Code is amended to read as follows:</text> 
<quoted-block style="OLC" id="HB0AAECB4D40044DDA51C040C59FDE600" display-inline="no-display-inline"> 
<paragraph id="H77A74AD210AD4F558AB473013898FAAE"><enum>(4)</enum><header>Qualified criminal justice-impacted individual</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>qualified criminal justice-impacted individual</term> means any individual who is certified by the designated local agency—</text> <subparagraph id="H90ADDD5D1E0948DAB4857FC577F783B8"><enum>(A)</enum><text>as having been—</text> 
<clause id="H5D1FB3F20FA04D48BFC5127449103637"><enum>(i)</enum><text>convicted of a felony under any statute of the United States or any State, or</text></clause> <clause id="H5A5ED8E97D7649DDB3EE0943E5E55133"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>incarcerated in any Federal, State, or local correctional institution, or placed on probation, for a period of at least 90 days, and</text></clause></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H3C1B447DDF6D4EAAB68C270CD39435FF"><enum>(B)</enum><text>as having a hiring date which is not more than 3 years after—</text> <clause id="H1DB26CD1D6E3476FB7D61804EA288FEF"><enum>(i)</enum><text>in the case of an individual to whom only clause (i) of subparagraph (A) applies, the last date on which such individual was so convicted or was released from prison,</text></clause> 
<clause id="HF8F557D2648F4983BCF06F8C06DD3DF1"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>in the case of an individual to whom only clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) applies, the last date on which such individual was released from such incarceration or was discharged from such probation, and</text></clause> <clause id="HD0F6E9A5AD3746F1B89EF781B601499E"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>in the case of an individual to whom both clauses (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (A) apply, the later of the dates specified in clauses (i) and (ii) of this subparagraph.</text></clause></subparagraph></paragraph><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="HBAC0933BA74C495AAC3956F0C379E0D7"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Qualified opportunity youth</header><text>Section 51(d) of such Code is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:</text> <quoted-block style="OLC" id="H8BB9406EA0C34D21A84BDDDE220B90AF" display-inline="no-display-inline"> <paragraph id="HD42F029A1B9B49BD948273C974656FA3"><enum>(16)</enum><header>Qualified opportunity youth</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>qualified opportunity youth</term> means any individual who is certified by the designated local agency as being an out-of-school youth (as defined in section 129(a)(1)(B) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act).</text></paragraph><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></paragraph></subsection> 
<subsection id="H866CFEBC92844199B8CD2E17FE78D8A5"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Conforming amendments</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Section 51(d)(1) of such Code is amended—</text> <paragraph id="H80FCF4C8AF924AD0851DBD1BF4BB12DD"><enum>(1)</enum><text>in subparagraph (C), by striking <quote>qualified ex-felon</quote> and inserting <quote>qualified criminal justice-impacted individual</quote>,</text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H391D01CADC924DC784FACA179F6DADF3"><enum>(2)</enum><text>in subparagraph (I), by striking <quote>or</quote>,</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H2E01FC18FC2E4E118BF3520699AB4084"><enum>(3)</enum><text>in subparagraph (J), by striking the period at the end and inserting <quote>, or</quote>, and</text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="HECAA00DFDAB84FF787DF170916DFDA0B"><enum>(4)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:</text> <quoted-block style="OLC" id="H4F983F4FF1EE4AA78BF307210BE78912" display-inline="no-display-inline"> <subparagraph id="HF4543B9B9982410E9395A2C8EC4D856A"><enum>(K)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">a qualified opportunity youth.</text></subparagraph><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></paragraph></subsection> 
<subsection id="H091D841ED8EF491BAF8CB75B51A1E45A"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Effective date</header><text>The amendments made by subsections (a), (b), and (c) shall apply to individuals who begin work for the employer after the date of the enactment of this Act.</text></subsection> <subsection id="H786700509BD647E29DB0EF400CB950BC"><enum>(e)</enum><header>Administrative provisions</header> <paragraph id="H457B1A98D4C74F6D9F52502D156FD28A" commented="no"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Regulations by Secretary of the Treasury</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe such regulations or other guidance as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of the amendments made by subsections (a), (b), and (c), including by implementing the recommendations described in subclauses (I) and (II) of paragraph (2)(B)(i).</text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="HA3E470903AA943EC896128621ECB3B6A"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Study by Comptroller General</header> 
<subparagraph id="HA2CB30AF4AFF43D8BD114C4272794E23" commented="no"><enum>(A)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study on the efficiency of the administrative process through which employers may claim the credit determined under <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/26/51">section 51(a)</external-xref> of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.</text> </subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H108F955F382B49ED9DFB7B328E693EE3"><enum>(B)</enum><header>Report</header><text>Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress and the Secretary of the Treasury a report on the study described in subparagraph (A), and such report shall include—</text> 
<clause id="H8551EA94487E4DAF93C1A38B3877879F"><enum>(i)</enum><text>recommendations for enhancing the efficiency of the administrative process referred to in such subparagraph, including by—</text> <subclause id="H8DF3F4EAA0DF45AB9354D6947DDCDFC6"><enum>(I)</enum><text>improving interagency coordination and data collection procedures for purposes of carrying out such administrative process, and</text></subclause> 
<subclause id="HCDF61A483837432FA935C36A763205FE"><enum>(II)</enum><text>consolidating and simplifying any informational requirements on employers claiming the credit determined under <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/26/51">section 51(a)</external-xref> of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and</text></subclause></clause> <clause id="HE0ADA6A5B8CD4B8B8C428BEB754A8738"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>such other information as the Comptroller General determines appropriate.</text></clause></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection></section> 
</legis-body></bill>

