I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8443 

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

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 16, 2024 

Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ 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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Prison to Proprietor5 ship Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. RE-ENTRY ENTREPRENEURSHIP COUNSELING AND 

7 TRAINING FOR INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS. 

8 The Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.) is 

9 amended— 


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1 (1) by redesignating section 49 as section 50; 

2 and 

3 (2) by inserting after section 48 the following 

4 new section: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 49. RE-ENTRY ENTREPRENEURSHIP COUNSELING 

6 AND TRAINING FOR INCARCERATED INDIVID7 UALS. 

8 ‘‘(a) SERVICES REQUIRED.—The Administrator, in 

9 coordination with the Director of the Bureau of Prisons, 

10 shall require women’s business centers and small business 

11 development centers identified under the plan described in 

12 subsection (b) to provide entrepreneurship counseling and 

13 training services to covered individuals. 

14 ‘‘(b) PLAN.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall— 

16 ‘‘(A) develop a plan, which shall be up17 dated annually, to match women’s business cen18 ters and small business development centers 

19 with covered individuals in Federal prisons who 

20 are eligible to receive services under this sec21 tion; and 

22 ‘‘(B) seek to consult with both an associa23 tion formed to pursue matters of common con24 cern to women’s business centers and an asso25 ciation of small business development centers 


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1 formed pursuant to section 21(a)(3)(A) to de2 velop and update such plan. 

3 ‘‘(2) MATCHING.—In determining matches 

4 under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall 

5 prioritize matching the women’s business center or 

6 small business development center in closest prox7 imity to the applicable Federal prison. 

8 ‘‘(3) ASSOCIATION RESPONSIBILITIES.—If the 

9 women’s business center or small business develop10 ment center identified under the plan in paragraph 

11 (1) is unable to provide such services to covered in12 dividuals in such Federal prison, another women’s 

13 business center or small business development cen14 ter, an association of women’s business centers, or 

15 an association of small business development centers 

16 shall provide such services in accordance with the re17 quirements of this section. 

18 ‘‘(c) GOALS.—The goals of the services provided 

19 under this section is to provide covered individuals with 

20 the following: 

21 ‘‘(1) Assistance and in-depth training on how to 

22 start or expand a small business concern. 

23 ‘‘(2) Tools, skills, and knowledge necessary to 

24 identify a business opportunity, including how to— 


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1 ‘‘(A) draft a re ́sume ́, business plan, and 

2 transition plan; 

3 ‘‘(B) identify sources of capital; and 

4 ‘‘(C) connect with local resources for small 

5 business concerns. 

6 ‘‘(d) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—The services 

7 provided under this section shall include— 

8 ‘‘(1) a presentation providing exposure to the 

9 opportunities involved in self-employment and own10 ership of a small business concern; 

11 ‘‘(2) a self-study course manual focused on the 

12 basic skills of entrepreneurship, financial literacy, 

13 the language of business, and the considerations and 

14 life skills relevant to self-employment and ownership 

15 of a small business concern; 

16 ‘‘(3) five two-day sessions of in-depth classroom 

17 instruction introducing the foundations of self-em18 ployment and ownership of small business concerns, 

19 including guided discussions to explore personal en20 trepreneurial development interests; and 

21 ‘‘(4) in-depth one-on-one training, including in22 dividual support in the development of a business 

23 plan, entrepreneurial skills, and strategies for start24 ing up a small business concern. 


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1 ‘‘(e) CERTIFICATE.—A covered individual shall re2 ceive a certificate upon completion of the counseling and 

3 training provided under this section. 

4 ‘‘(f) PRIORITY.—The Administrator shall, to the ex5 tent practicable, ensure that women’s business centers and 

6 small business development centers prioritize providing en7 trepreneurship counseling and training services to covered 

8 individuals who will be released from Federal custody not 

9 later than 18 months after the date on which such a cov10 ered individual begins to receive such services. 

11 ‘‘(g) CONTINUATION OF SERVICES.—A covered indi12 vidual receiving services under this section may continue 

13 to receive such services after release from Federal custody. 

14 ‘‘(h) GRANT AUTHORITY.—In carrying out this sec15 tion, the Administrator may, subject to appropriation, 

16 award a grant to an association formed to pursue matters 

17 of common concern to women’s business centers or small 

18 business development centers to coordinate the services 

19 described under this section, including to develop cur20 riculum, train mentors and instructors, and establish pub21 lic-private partnerships to support covered individuals and 

22 to identify opportunities to access capital for covered indi23 viduals. 

24 ‘‘(i) CURRICULUM.—The Administration shall print 

25 and make available to women’s business centers, small 


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1 business development centers, an association of women’s 

2 business centers, or an association of small business devel3 opment centers any curriculum or course materials devel4 oped pursuant to this section. 

5 ‘‘(j) SURVEY.—Each women’s business center, asso6 ciation of women’s business centers, small business devel7 opment center, or association of small business develop8 ment centers that provided services under this section 

9 shall survey covered individuals who received such services 

10 to assess the satisfaction of such covered individuals with 

11 such services. 

12 ‘‘(k) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

13 of the enactment of this section and annually thereafter, 

14 the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Small 

15 Business of the House of Representatives and the Com16 mittee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the 

17 Senate a report on the performance and effectiveness of 

18 the services provided under this section, which may be in19 cluded as part of another report submitted to such com20 mittees by the Administrator, and which shall include— 

21 ‘‘(1) the number of covered individuals coun22 seled or trained under this section; 

23 ‘‘(2) the number of hours of counseling pro24 vided by each women’s business center and each 


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1 small business development center under this sec2 tion; 

3 ‘‘(3) the number of certificates presented under 

4 subsection (e); 

5 ‘‘(4) the demographics of covered individuals 

6 who received services, including age, gender, race, 

7 and ethnicity; 

8 ‘‘(5) the level of understanding of business con9 cepts of covered individuals upon completion of the 

10 counseling and training provided under this section; 

11 ‘‘(6) a summary and analysis of surveys con12 ducted under subsection (j); and 

13 ‘‘(7) any additional information, as determined 

14 by the Administrator. 

15 ‘‘(l) COVERED INDIVIDUAL DEFINED.—In this sec16 tion, the term ‘covered individual’ means an individual in17 carcerated in a Federal prison designated as a minimum, 

18 low, or medium security prison by the Director of the Bu19 reau of Prisons. 

20 ‘‘(m) FUNDING.—Subject to the availability of appro21 priations, the Administrator shall reimburse women’s 

22 business centers, small business development centers, an 

23 association of women’s business centers, or an association 

24 of small business development centers, as applicable, for 


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1 the costs relating to the services provided under the sec2 tion.’’. 

Æ 


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