[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 73 (Monday, April 29, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H2643-H2645]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         ENTREPRENEURS WITH DISABILITIES REPORTING ACT OF 2024

  Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 7985) to require the Administrator of the Small 
Business Administration to submit to Congress a report on the 
entrepreneurial challenges facing entrepreneurs with a disability, and 
for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 7985

       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 ``Entrepreneurs with 
     Disabilities Reporting Act of 2024''.

     SEC. 2. REPORT ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP CHALLENGES OF 
                   ENTREPRENEURS WITH DISABILITIES.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Small 
     Business Administration shall submit to Congress a report on 
     the challenges that entrepreneurs with a disability encounter 
     with starting and operating a business, including--
       (1) an assessment of the challenges and needs of 
     entrepreneurs with a disability;
       (2) a description of the resources and support that the 
     Small Business Administration provides to entrepreneurs with 
     a disability;
       (3) a description of outreach to entrepreneurs with a 
     disability by the Small Business Administration, including by 
     district and regional offices of the Small Business 
     Administration, small business development centers (as 
     defined in section 3(t) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
     632(t))), and women's business centers (as defined in section 
     29(a) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 656(a)));
       (4) a description of any joint efforts between offices of 
     the Small Business Administration or the Small Business 
     Administration and other Federal agencies to advance the goal 
     of supporting the economic success of entrepreneurs with a 
     disability;
       (5) any deficiencies in the resources and support described 
     under paragraph (2);
       (6) a description of the use of, and access to, resources 
     of the Administration by entrepreneurs with a disability; and
       (7) any recommendations for legislative actions that are 
     necessary to address the challenges or needs of entrepreneurs 
     with a disability that are identified in the report.
       (b) Compliance With CUTGO.--No additional amounts are 
     authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. 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 bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in full support of H.R. 7985, the Entrepreneurs 
with Disabilities Reporting Act of 2024, introduced by Representatives 
McGarvey and Molinaro.
  This legislation will require the SBA to issue a report to Congress 
on the challenges individuals with disabilities face when starting a 
business. Further, it will require the SBA to look at resources across 
the Federal Government that assist individuals with disabilities.
  The Government Accountability Office estimates that there are nearly 
50 programs across nine Federal agencies that support employment 
opportunities for individuals with disabilities. However, Federal 
agencies often fail to coordinate or collaborate on such programs to 
ensure that their efforts are not duplicated and are working as 
efficiently as possible. The Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Reporting 
Act of 2024 will require the SBA to look at this fragmented system and 
do its part to consolidate and streamline those efforts.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives McGarvey and Molinaro for their

[[Page H2644]]

leadership on this important issue and for introducing this bill. I 
urge a ``yes'' vote on the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, today we are considering H.R. 7985, which would require 
the SBA to submit a report to Congress on the challenges facing 
entrepreneurs with disabilities.
  Despite progress to increase employment rates, only 26 percent of 
people with disabilities participate in the labor force. That is why we 
need a comprehensive study to assess the resources that are available 
to people with disabilities, examine their effectiveness, and determine 
what actions need to be taken to support entrepreneurs with 
disabilities.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the efforts of Mr. McGarvey and Mr. 
Molinaro to increase opportunities for people with disabilities. I urge 
my colleagues to support H.R. 7985. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from the State of New York (Mr. Molinaro).
  Mr. MOLINARO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 
7985, the Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Reporting Act, which I am 
very proud to co-lead alongside my colleague, Representative McGarvey. 
I am grateful for his leadership and commitment to move the legislation 
forward and also to address an important need in our communities across 
this country.
  This bipartisan bill will provide much-needed clarity for our 
entrepreneurs with disabilities as they navigate the SBA's complex maze 
of over 50 different programs geared to support individuals with 
intellectual, physical, and developmental disabilities as they start a 
business.
  As of April 2022, 74 percent of adults with disabilities work outside 
the traditional workforce. Approximately 1.8 million of these adults 
with disabilities were businessowners themselves.
  From limited access to affordable capital to a scarcity of supports 
and services tailored to their unique needs, the SBA needs to step up 
and, frankly, provide much greater support in working to consolidate 
this fractured and complex system.
  Entrepreneurs of every ability should have a fair shot at pursuing 
their passion. As chair of the Small Business Subcommittee on 
Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development, I remain 
committed, as I know my colleague, Mr. McGarvey, does, to empowering 
our entrepreneurs with disabilities to contribute more to Main Street 
and lead more independent lives.
  The absence of adequate reporting data on entrepreneurs with 
disabilities renders this eager and highly competent community to the 
sidelines. The Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Reporting Act would 
provide a comprehensive assessment of the needs of our entrepreneurs 
with intellectual, physical, and developmental disabilities and help 
inform lawmakers of legislative solutions to address the challenges 
these individuals face in order to break down barriers so they can 
pursue their own employment options and create opportunities to owning 
their own businesses.
  Mr. Speaker, again, I thank Representative Morgan McGarvey for his 
partnership on this bill. I urge my colleagues to support this 
commonsense, bipartisan legislation, and I look forward to continuing 
to show America what it means to think differently, breaking down 
barriers and creating opportunities for every individual of every 
ability.

                              {time}  1600

  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. McGarvey).
  Mr. McGARVEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the 
Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Reporting Act.
  I think too often the outside focus on this body is on what isn't 
working. There isn't enough attention paid to when things come together 
and when it works the way it should.
  I thank Chairman Williams and Ranking Member Velazquez for their 
support. I especially thank Chairman Molinaro, the chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce, for his 
courage and compassion in personally navigating the maze of people who 
face intellectual and developmental disabilities.
  We had a subcommittee hearing, and Chairman Molinaro brought up 
Maeve, a young woman from New York, talking about her coffee shop. I 
brought up Cody Clark from Louisville, a truly inspiring young man who 
not only is an entrepreneur who told us about his experience, but I 
think he performed the first-ever magic trick in front of the Small 
Business Committee this year to highlight his point of what we can 
accomplish.
  This bill helps ensure that every American--every American--has the 
opportunity to become that type of successful entrepreneur. After all, 
isn't that the fundamental promise of the American Dream, that any 
person in this country can work hard, take risks, and hopefully find 
success?
  What we highlighted in this hearing and through the stories of Maeve 
and Cody and others is that Americans with disabilities, like other 
underprivileged groups, see fewer opportunities to make this dream a 
reality.
  In fact, 74 percent of people with disabilities do not participate in 
our Nation's labor force. Too many barriers--both physical and 
intangible--block their way to joining the workforce or starting a 
business. The Federal Government must do more to help break those down.
  To do that, we have to better understand what these challenges are, 
and this bill takes a really important first step in that process. It 
will require the Small Business Administration to submit a report to 
Congress on the challenges faced by entrepreneurs with disabilities. 
This report will assess the entrepreneurs' challenges and needs, detail 
the resources the SBA currently provides, and recommend what actions we 
can take to improve how the Small Business Administration serves 
entrepreneurs with disabilities.
  The better Congress understands these challenges, the easier it will 
be to knock them down to take these barriers away and make sure every 
American has the chance to succeed.
  I again thank Chairman Williams, Ranking Member Velazquez, Chairman 
Molinaro, and everyone else involved for their leadership and support 
of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7985.
  Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I am 
prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Entrepreneurship provides people with disabilities a viable option to 
participate in the labor force and improve their quality of life.
  SBA's entrepreneurial ecosystem, comprised of nearly 1,000 resource 
partners across the country, can provide individuals with free 
counseling and training to launch and grow their small businesses.
  We do not know how well SBA and its resource partners are meeting 
their needs and what more could be done to better serve these 
individuals. This bill will go a long way in assessing the outreach and 
engagement provided by SBA and make legislative recommendations to 
address any deficiencies in the services provided to people with 
disabilities.
  Mr. Speaker, I applaud Mr. McGarvey and Mr. Molinaro for their 
bipartisan efforts, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we have held hearings this year 
that have highlighted the great work of disabled entrepreneurs across 
the country. I thank Representatives McGarvey and Molinaro again for 
offering this solution to ensure the government is working efficiently 
to offer these individuals the resources that are already available.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Williams) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 7985.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the

[[Page H2645]]

rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________