[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 8, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H33-H35]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      PRISON TO PROPRIETORSHIP ACT

  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 5078) to amend the Small Business Act to provide re-
entry entrepreneurship counseling and training services for 
incarcerated individuals, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5078

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Prison to Proprietorship 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. RE-ENTRY ENTREPRENEURSHIP COUNSELING AND TRAINING FOR 
                   INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS.

       The Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating section 49 as section 50; and
       (2) by inserting after section 48 the following new 
     section:

     ``SEC. 49. RE-ENTRY ENTREPRENEURSHIP COUNSELING AND TRAINING 
                   FOR INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS.

       ``(a) Services Required.--The Administrator, in 
     coordination with the Director of the Bureau of Prisons, 
     shall require women's business centers and small business 
     development centers identified under the plan described in 
     subsection (b) to provide entrepreneurship counseling and 
     training services to covered individuals.
       ``(b) Plan.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Administrator, in consultation with 
     an association formed to pursue matters of common concern to 
     women's business centers and an association of small business 
     development centers formed pursuant to section 21(a)(3)(A), 
     shall develop a plan, which shall be updated annually, to 
     match women's business centers and small business development 
     centers with covered individuals in Federal prisons who are 
     eligible to receive services under this section.
       ``(2) Matching.--In determining matches under paragraph 
     (1), the Administrator shall prioritize matching the women's 
     business center or small business development center in 
     closest proximity to the applicable Federal prison to provide 
     such services.
       ``(3) Association responsibilities.--If the women's 
     business center or small business development center 
     identified under the plan in paragraph (1) is unable to 
     provide such services to covered individuals in such Federal 
     prison, another women's business center or small business 
     development center, an association of women's business 
     centers, or an association of small business development 
     centers shall provide such services in accordance with the 
     requirements of this section.
       ``(c) Goals.--The goal of the services provided under this 
     section is to provide covered individuals with the following:
       ``(1) Assistance and in-depth training on how to start or 
     expand a small business concern.
       ``(2) Tools, skills, and knowledge necessary to identify a 
     business opportunity, including how to--
       ``(A) draft a resume, business plan, and transition plan;
       ``(B) identify sources of capital; and
       ``(C) connect with local resources for small business 
     concerns.
       ``(d) Additional Requirements.--The services provided under 
     this section shall include--
       ``(1) a presentation providing exposure to the 
     opportunities involved in self-employment and ownership of a 
     small business concern;
       ``(2) a self-study course manual focused on the basic 
     skills of entrepreneurship, financial literacy, the language 
     of business, and the considerations and life skills relevant 
     to self-employment and ownership of a small business concern;
       ``(3) five two-day sessions of in-depth classroom 
     instruction introducing the foundations of self-employment 
     and ownership of small business concerns, including guided 
     discussions to explore personal entrepreneurial development 
     interests;
       ``(4) in-depth training delivered through one-on-one 
     mentorship, including individual support in the development 
     of a business plan, entrepreneurial skills, and strategies 
     for starting up a small business concern; and
       ``(5) upon completion of the counseling and training, a 
     presentation of a certificate.
       ``(e) Priority.--The Administrator shall, to the extent 
     practicable, ensure that women's business centers and small 
     business development centers prioritize providing 
     entrepreneurship counseling and training services to covered 
     individuals who will be released from Federal custody not 
     later than 18 months after the date on which such a covered 
     individual begins to receive such services.
       ``(f) Continuation of Services.--A covered individual 
     receiving services under this section may continue to receive 
     such services after release from Federal custody.
       ``(g) Grant Authority.--In carrying out this section, the 
     Administrator may, subject to appropriation, award a grant to 
     an association formed to pursue matters of common concern to 
     women's business centers or small business development 
     centers to coordinate the services described under this 
     section, including to develop curriculum, train mentors and 
     instructors, and establish public-private partnerships to 
     support covered individuals and identify opportunities to 
     access capital.
       ``(h) Curriculum.--The Administration shall print and make 
     available to women's business centers, small business 
     development centers, an association of women's business 
     centers, or an association of small business development 
     centers any curriculum or course materials developed pursuant 
     to this section.
       ``(i) Survey.--Each women's business center or small 
     business development center that provided services under this 
     section shall survey covered individuals who received such 
     services to assess the satisfaction of such covered 
     individuals with such services.
       ``(j) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
     enactment of this section and annually thereafter, the 
     Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Small Business 
     of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Small 
     Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate a report on the 
     performance and effectiveness of the services provided under 
     this section, which may be included as part of another report 
     submitted to such committees by the Administrator, and which 
     shall include--
       ``(1) the number of covered individuals counseled or 
     trained under this section;
       ``(2) the number of hours of counseling provided by each 
     women's business center and each small business development 
     center under this section;
       ``(3) the number of certificates presented under subsection 
     (d)(5);
       ``(4) the demographics of covered individuals who received 
     services, including age, gender, race, and ethnicity;
       ``(5) the level of understanding of business concepts of 
     covered individuals upon completion of the counseling and 
     training described under this section;
       ``(6) a summary and analysis of surveys conducted under 
     subsection (i); and
       ``(7) any additional information the Administrator may 
     require.
       ``(k) Covered Individual Defined.--In this section, the 
     term `covered individual' means an individual incarcerated in 
     a Federal prison that the Director of the Bureau of Prisons 
     has designated as a minimum, low, or medium security prison.
       ``(l) Funding.--Subject to the availability of 
     appropriations, the Administrator shall reimburse women's 
     business centers, small business development centers, an 
     association of women's business centers, or an association of 
     small business development centers for the costs relating to 
     the services provided under the section.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
New York (Ms. Velazquez) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) each 
will control 20 minutes.

[[Page H34]]

  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Today, we will consider four bipartisan bills that were unanimously 
approved by the Small Business Committee last November. Two of the 
bills will provide entrepreneurship training to individuals in prison 
and post-release. The other two bills will make meaningful improvements 
to contracting programs that support small businesses.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 5078, the Prison to Proprietorship 
Act, as amended. I introduced this bill with my good friend and 
colleague, Mr. Chabot, the ranking member of the Small Business 
Committee.
  I am pleased to be leading this important effort with the ranking 
member. We have worked together over the years and have made great 
strides in helping America's 30 million entrepreneurs launch and grow 
their small businesses.
  With this bill, we will have an opportunity to make a meaningful 
difference in people's lives. This legislation will require the SBA's 
resource partners to provide entrepreneurship training to individuals 
in Federal prisons through intensive, in-depth classroom instruction 
combined with one-on-one mentoring.
  Small Business Development Centers and Women's Business Centers, 
which currently provide free or low-cost counseling and training 
services at nearly 1,000 locations across the country, are poised and 
well positioned to carry out these services in Federal prisons.
  Last fall, the Small Business Committee held a hearing to learn more 
about the role entrepreneurship can play in overcoming barriers to 
employment for the formerly incarcerated. We learned that despite steps 
to reform and improve our criminal justice system, the formerly 
incarcerated face significant barriers to reentering the workforce. 
Many employers will not hire these individuals because of the stigma 
associated with their incarceration or because of legal restrictions in 
certain industries.
  In testimony before the House Small Business Committee, a witness 
said he thought that when he got out of prison and served his time, he 
would be able to move on and have a second chance in life. Sadly, that 
was not the case. He soon realized that someone with a felony 
conviction could be legally discriminated against in housing, 
employment, public benefits, and voting rights.
  These impediments can prove difficult to overcome. Studies have shown 
that an estimated 60 percent of these individuals remain unemployed a 
year after release.
  Recidivism rates tend to be higher for those individuals who lack 
employment. Of the 262,000 offenders who were released from Federal 
prison between 2002 and 2006, 50 percent of those who could not find a 
job committed a new crime or were sent back to prison. However, 93 
percent of those who were able to secure employment were able to 
reintegrate back into society successfully.
  Providing a pathway to entrepreneurship has the potential to empower 
the formerly incarcerated who are locked out of the labor market to 
start and grow their own businesses. Programs that focus on leadership 
skills, financial literacy, developing a business plan, and building 
networks have the potential to reduce recidivism, provide a great 
return on investment by leading to economic expansion, and, ultimately, 
save the taxpayers millions of dollars.
  The legislation has the support of 10 small business groups, 
including America's Small Business Development Center, the Association 
of Women's Business Centers, SCORE, Small Business Majority, and the 
National Small Business Association, among others.
  Madam Speaker, I urge Members to support this bipartisan bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 5078, the Prison to Proprietorship Act, as 
amended.
  Before I speak on our first bill, I thank Chairwoman Velazquez for 
continuing our tradition in the Small Business Committee that we have 
had over recent years of emphasizing bipartisanship. I thank her for 
that. It is Democrats and Republicans really working together to pass 
legislation that is beneficial to the vast majority of Americans, 
whatever their political inclinations may be. It is something that we 
have been working on for years in the committee, and I thank her for 
that.
  Once again, we have four strong bills here that came out of the Small 
Business Committee. Our first two bills focus on fostering 
entrepreneurship among the soon-to-be or formerly incarcerated.
  Last fall, we held a hearing that featured compelling testimony about 
the power of entrepreneurship and how that power can help people 
looking to get their lives back on track after having been 
incarcerated. These individuals typically face higher rates of 
unemployment than any other segment of our population, not 
surprisingly, really. Providing worthy individuals an outlet for their 
entrepreneurial spirit not only helps them to reacclimate to society 
but also boosts our economy, and it benefits many local communities all 
across this Nation.
  The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that almost half of all U.S. 
prisoners, unfortunately, are without access to vocational training 
programs. Studies show that inmates who go through vocational training 
programs are much less likely to commit additional crimes when they get 
out. So it just makes sense for us to emphasize these training 
programs.

  This bill directs the Association of Women's Business Centers and the 
Association of Small Business Development Centers to coordinate reentry 
entrepreneurship services by providing counseling and training services 
that focus on individuals who have been incarcerated in Federal prison.
  This bill will create a pathway for qualified ex-offenders to be 
successful, contributing members of society, and I urge my colleagues 
to support this bill.
  Madam Speaker, again, I thank the gentlewoman from New York for 
working with us and collaborating with us on this important 
legislation. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan 
legislation that can help unlock the power of entrepreneurship for 
people who either are about to be incarcerated or have been.
  It makes sense to give them a chance, rather than have them on a path 
where they are going to be in prison, get out, and commit more crimes, 
which are going to harm society as well as mess up their lives 
severely, as well.
  This legislation is something that we have before us and can pass. It 
is good for the country, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  As the flagship agency tasked with supporting entrepreneurs and small 
businesses, the SBA can play a pivotal role in providing 
entrepreneurship training in Federal prisons.
  I am pleased to be sponsoring this legislation, which will provide 
meaningful opportunities and hope for those who are committed to 
rebuilding their lives but are locked out of the labor market. This 
legislation will go a long way in creating more jobs on Main Street, 
with the added benefit of reducing recidivism.
  I thank Ranking Member Chabot and his staff for working with me to 
provide a path forward for those who have served time and repaid their 
debt to society. I would add that of the many pieces of legislation 
that we have marked up and the many hearings that we have conducted in 
our committee, this has been one of the most rewarding, moving 
experiences. We all should be proud of providing people with a second 
chance.

[[Page H35]]

  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5078, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________