[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.
____________________