Sponsor
Nydia M. Velázquez
Representative · D-NY
Representative · D-NY
The bill expands entrepreneurship training, certification, and post-release support for eligible federal incarcerated people to improve reentry and small-business connections, but it requires new federal spending, depends on appropriations and prison cooperation, and carries privacy and uneven-implementation risks.
People incarcerated in Federal minimum, low, and medium security prisons — especially those within about 18 months of release — gain entrepreneurship training, one-on-one business-plan support, certificates, and continuing post-release assistance, improving near-term reentry job prospects and opportunities for self-employment.
SBA-authorized grants and public–private partnerships fund curriculum and mentor training and reimburse providers, building capacity for sustained reentry services and stronger links between prisons and local small-business ecosystems.
Prioritizing people within 18 months of release and providing continuing access after release increases the likelihood the training will be applied quickly on reentry, benefitting families and communities (including rural areas) and potentially reducing recidivism.
Taxpayers may face increased federal spending because the SBA can reimburse providers and award grants if appropriations are provided.
Program reach and effectiveness depend on annual appropriations and cooperation from the Bureau of Prisons; without funding or prison coordination the services could be very limited despite the statutory program.
Implementation could be uneven where nearby Women's Business Centers/SBDCs lack capacity or clear funding, leaving some prisons—particularly in rural areas—without meaningful access to the program.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires SBA, with BOP coordination, to match WBCs/SBDCs to federal prisons to provide entrepreneurship training and to report annually; grants may be awarded subject to appropriations.
Official title: To amend the Small Business Act to provide re-entry entrepreneurship counseling and training services for incarcerated individuals, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 25, 2026 by Nydia M. Velázquez · Last progress June 25, 2026
Requires the SBA to coordinate with the Bureau of Prisons to make entrepreneurship counseling and training available to eligible incarcerated individuals in federal minimum, low, and medium security prisons through Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) and Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs). The SBA must create and update an annual proximity-prioritized matching plan, ensure alternate providers when needed, may award coordinating grants (subject to appropriations), provide printed curriculum, require participant surveys, reimburse providers for costs as funded, and deliver initial and annual reports to congressional small business committees.