[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 3, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H2401-H2402]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1615
ENTREPRENEURS WITH DISABILITIES REPORTING ACT OF 2025
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 1621) 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, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1621
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 2025''.
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
Administrator provides to entrepreneurs with a disability;
(3) a description of outreach to entrepreneurs with a
disability by the Administrator, 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 described under 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) No Additional Funds Authorized.--No additional funds
are authorized to carry out the requirements of this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Williams) and the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. McGarvey)
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 support of H.R. 1621, the Entrepreneurs with
Disabilities Reporting Act of 2025, introduced by Representatives
McGarvey and Stauber.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation requires the SBA to report to Congress
on the challenges facing individuals with disabilities and what
resources or programs the SBA provides to assist them. The report will
also include legislative recommendations to address those challenges.
America is the land of opportunity, meaning that anyone can and
should be able to engage in entrepreneurship without regard to whether
they have a disability. This bipartisan legislation will assess the
challenges that individuals with disabilities encounter when starting a
small business and identify whether and how government policies may
exacerbate those challenges.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives McGarvey and Stauber for their
leadership on this important issue and for introducing this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the bill, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. McGARVEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 1621, the
Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Reporting Act of 2025.
As vice ranking member of the House Committee on Small Business, I am
proud to partner with Congressman Stauber, who has done incredible work
in this area to support Americans with disabilities and help to ensure
that every American has the same opportunity to become a successful
entrepreneur.
Mr. Speaker, this is, after all, the fundamental promise of the
American Dream: that any person in this country can work hard, take
risks, and hopefully find success.
Yet, Americans with disabilities, like other underprivileged groups,
see fewer opportunities to make their entrepreneurial dream a reality.
There are 44 million people with disabilities in the United States. In
my home State of Kentucky, approximately 18 percent of people have a
disability. Yet, people with disabilities make up just 6 percent of our
Nation's small business owners. We have to change that.
Far too often, entrepreneurs with disabilities encounter significant
barriers, both physical and intangible, when starting their own
business, including having a harder time getting bank loans and start-
up investments, inadequate support services, and insufficient outreach
from Federal programs. We know this is just the tip of the iceberg and
that more barriers exist.
Today, nearly 2 million small businesses are owned by people with
disabilities, but there could be so many more. Here is how: by
improving the public programs that serve differently abled individuals
and implementing policies that make work and entrepreneurship more
accessible, providing accommodations, tackling ableism, and the list
goes on.
Mr. Speaker, to pull this off, our bill would require SBA to conduct
a comprehensive study of the resources that are available to
entrepreneurs with disabilities, examine their effectiveness, and
determine what actions need to be taken to help support these
entrepreneurs.
By conducting this report, SBA will have the opportunity to revisit
the effectiveness of their programs to ensure that our government
better serves people with disabilities who want to start their own
small business.
This bill came together in a way that I think the Founders might have
envisioned. Last Congress, the Committee on Small Business heard from
my constituent Cody Clark, a small business owner, a disabilities
rights advocate, and I think the only person who has ever performed a
magic trick in front of our committee.
He testified on the challenges that entrepreneurs with disabilities
face based on his experience as an entrepreneur with autism, and this
bill was born from his insight and experience.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in
supporting this critical legislation for Cody and for every other
American with their own entrepreneurial dream, and 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 Minnesota (Mr. Stauber).
Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in favor of the
Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Reporting Act of 2025.
I will start by thanking my friend and colleague from Kentucky (Mr.
McGarvey) for introducing this bill and for his hard work in getting
this bill to this point.
Every day, people with disabilities across our great country
demonstrate resilience, innovation, and an entrepreneurial spirit. Yet,
many roadblocks make entrepreneurship unnecessarily difficult.
These individuals don't lack talent, but they lack access. That is
access to capital, access to resources, and the support needed to turn
their ideas into successful businesses.
The Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Reporting Act ensures that we
take a hard look at the obstacles standing in the way of aspiring
entrepreneurs with disabilities. It directs the Small
Business Administration to assess whether current programs are
effectively serving these individuals and to identify where
improvements are needed.
[[Page H2402]]
If we are serious about fostering economic growth and opportunity, we
cannot leave behind the millions of great Americans with disabilities
who want to contribute, who want to innovate, and want to build
something of their own.
Removing these obstacles isn't just the right thing to do, but it is
a smart investment in economic growth. Entrepreneurs with disabilities
bring creativity, and they bring drive. We should be clearing the path
and not blocking it.
Mr. Speaker, today is a fly-in day for the House of Representatives.
This conversation between Chairman Williams, Mr. McGarvey, and the
leadership of Ranking Member Velazquez won't get the headlines because
this apparently doesn't sell to the news media.
We in this country, as Democrats and Republicans, have more in common
than we do differences, and we are letting the American people know
that today.
Chairman Williams has done a tremendous job in the Committee on Small
Business of allowing Members to bring ideas and legislation that is
bipartisan. I thank the chairman for his hard work and for allowing us
to do that.
I thank Ranking Member Velazquez for allowing us to do that, as well.
I thank Mr. McGarvey for managing the floor today.
Mr. Speaker, this is who we are, and I point out that Mr. McGarvey
said this is the way the Founding Fathers would want it. I totally
agree with that. One of the gentleman's constituents brought the
concern, and it took us a little while to get there, but we got there.
Mr. Speaker, we are working in a bipartisan fashion to remove
obstacles in the way of the growth for our disability community.
Mr. Speaker, I know your background. The Speaker was chosen, just
like me and millions of other parents, to raise a special child who God
gave us. It is up to us now as a country and as legislators to not
leave anybody behind.
Mr. Speaker, nobody in our disability community will ever be left
behind, and you are seeing that in a bipartisan fashion.
I thank Mr. McGarvey, Ranking Member Velazquez, and Chairman Williams
for their leadership and allowing us to introduce this legislation
because we are helping the most vulnerable in our community. That is
exactly what we should be doing.
Mr. McGARVEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to
close.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Chairman Williams and Ranking
Member Velazquez, for this incredible work and, as Mr. Stauber said,
allowing us to work together in this way.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Stauber for his incredible work in this area
and for his willingness to advocate for so many Americans, including
his own child. It takes tremendous strength and courage. I thank the
gentleman for working with me specifically on this important bipartisan
piece of legislation to ensure that this Congress and the SBA do right
by Americans with disabilities.
Mr. Speaker, entrepreneurship is the hallmark of the American Dream.
It is who we are--a land of opportunity for all. This bill takes a
commonsense, bipartisan step toward improving government services for
entrepreneurs with disabilities.
By requiring the SBA to assess current programs and identify
challenges and barriers that entrepreneurs with disabilities face, we
lay the groundwork for a better, more inclusive society and economy.
Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy. If we can
make it easier for more people to start a small business, we will all
benefit.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 1621, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support
this commonsense 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. 1621, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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