HR 9491

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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 25, 2026

Ms. Velazquez introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Small Business

A BILL

To amend the Small Business Act to provide re-entry entrepreneurship counseling and training services for incarcerated individuals, and for other purposes.

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 shall—

“(A) 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; and

“(B) seek to consult with both 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) to develop and update such plan.

“(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.

“(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 goals of the services provided under this section are 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; and

“(4) in-depth one-on-one training, including individual support in the development of a business plan, entrepreneurial skills, and strategies for starting up a small business concern.

“(e) Certificate.—A covered individual shall receive a certificate upon completion of the counseling and training provided under this section.

“(f) 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.

“(g) Continuation of Services.—A covered individual receiving services under this section may continue to receive such services after release from Federal custody.

“(h) 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 to identify opportunities to access capital for covered individuals.

“(i) 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.

“(j) Survey.—Each women’s business center, association of women’s business centers, small business development center, or association of small business development centers 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.

“(k) 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

(e);

“(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 provided under this section;

“(6) a summary and analysis of surveys conducted under subsection (j); and

“(7) any additional information, as determined by the Administrator.

“(l) Covered Individual Defined.—In this section, the term ‘covered individual’ means an individual incarcerated in a Federal prison designated as a minimum, low, or medium security prison by the Director of the Bureau of Prisons.

“(m) 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, as applicable, for the costs relating to the services provided under the section.”. <all>