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House passes Burchett bill providing entrepreneurial training to formerly incarcerated individuals

January 8, 2020

The bipartisan legislation was co-authored by Rep. Burchett and Rep. Jeffries (NY-08)

WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives passed the Prison to Proprietorship for Formerly Incarcerated Act this afternoon. Congressman Tim Burchett (TN-02) served as the Republican lead for this bill and worked with Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08) to draft the legislation.

Many formerly incarcerated individuals face barriers when reentering the workforce. The Prison to Proprietorship for Formerly Incarcerated Act provides non-violent prisoners small business counseling and training services to help prepare them to be entrepreneurs or start their own small business after prison.

"Some individuals who have paid their debt to society deserve a second chance at success, and this includes giving folks re-entering the workforce a shot at entrepreneurship and small business ownership," said Rep. Burchett during his floor speech in support of the bill. "I'm a firm believer in giving folks the opportunity to succeed, and this bill makes sure those who are rejoining society have the skills and knowledge to do so."