TITLE: Recognizing April 29, 2025, as Prison Entrepreneurship Program Day at the State Capitol.

SUMMARY: Recognizing April 29, 2025, as Prison Entrepreneurship Program Day at the State Capitol.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Prison Entrepreneurship Program Day at the State Capitol is taking place on April 29, 2025; and WHEREAS, Established in 2004, the Prison Entrepreneurship Program is a nonprofit organization that aims to transform the lives of its participants through completion of a character development program and an entrepreneurship boot camp; in the course of the program, participants take part in a business plan competition and complete numerous classes; upon graduation, they are honored in a formal ceremony and awarded a Certificate in Entrepreneurship from the Baylor University Hankamer School of Business; and WHEREAS, After being released from prison, PEP graduates have experienced high rates of employment and low rates of recidivism, and they continue to benefit from PEP resources such as eSchool classes, the Communitas Business Centers, and family reunification initiatives; to date, nearly 10,000 incarcerated individuals have participated in PEP, and over 4,000 certificates have been awarded; those who have completed the program have established more than 700 businesses, including several that generate over $5 million in gross annual revenue; and WHEREAS, Among its many accolades, PEP has earned the Texas Governor's Award for Criminal Justice Volunteer Service, and it was named a Rising Star in the Fast Company/Monitor Group Social Capitalist Awards; and WHEREAS, For more than two decades, the Prison Entrepreneurship Program has excelled in its mission of helping former inmates to become productive citizens, and numerous individuals and communities have benefited from its successful efforts; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas Legislature hereby recognize April 29, 2025, as Prison Entrepreneurship Program Day at the State Capitol and extend a warm welcome to the visiting delegation. Cain Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 949 was adopted by the House on May 23, 2025, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House