Title: Fair Chance for Small Business Relief Act
Policy area: Commerce

Summary:
Fair Chance for Small Business Relief Act
This bill prohibits the Small Business Administration from declining to provide or guarantee certain small business loans solely on the basis that an applicant (1) is on probation or parole, (2) is presently subject to a means by which formal criminal charges are brought (e.g., indictment or arraignment), or (3) has been arrested or convicted of any crime.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6894 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6894

   To amend the Small Business Act to ensure that applicants with a 
criminal record are eligible for certain loans, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 15, 2020

Mrs. Beatty (for herself, Mr. Kennedy, Ms. Norton, Mrs. Watson Coleman, 
  Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Michael F. Doyle of 
    Pennsylvania, Ms. Moore, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Fudge, Ms. 
  Bonamici, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. 
Carson of Indiana, Mr. Trone, and Ms. Haaland) introduced the following 
      bill; which was referred to the Committee on Small Business

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Small Business Act to ensure that applicants with a 
criminal record are eligible for certain loans, 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 ``Fair Chance for Small Business 
Relief Act''.

SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY FOR CERTAIN LOANS FOR APPLICANTS WITH A CRIMINAL 
              RECORD.

    (a) General Business Loans.--Section 7(a)(1)(B) of the Small 
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(a)(1)(B)) is amended to read as follows:
                    ``(B) Criminal history.--The Administrator may not 
                decline to provide a guarantee for a loan made under 
                this subsection solely on the basis that an otherwise 
                eligible applicant, or a person with any equity stake 
                in the eligible applicant--
                            ``(i) is on probation or on parole;
                            ``(ii) is presently subject to an 
                        indictment, criminal information, arraignment, 
                        or other means by which formal criminal charges 
                        are brought in any jurisdiction; or
                            ``(iii) has been arrested or convicted of 
                        any crime.''.
    (b) Economic Injury Disaster Loans.--The flush matter following 
subparagraph (E) of section 7(b)(2) of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 636(b)(2)) is amended by striking the period at the end and 
inserting the following: ``: Provided further, That for purposes of 
this paragraph, the Administrator may not decline to provide a loan or 
guarantee under this subsection solely on the basis that an otherwise 
eligible applicant, or a person with any equity stake in the eligible 
applicant, is on probation or on parole, is presently subject to an 
indictment, criminal information, arraignment, or other means by which 
formal criminal charges are brought in any jurisdiction, or has been 
arrested or convicted of any crime.''.
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