This bill would amend the Small Business Act to create re-entry entrepreneurship counseling and training services for incarcerated individuals. The goal is to help people prepare to start or manage a business as they return to their communities, using entrepreneurship as a pathway to employment and self-sufficiency. It would affect incarcerated people who participate in reentry programs, along with the agencies and service providers that deliver those services.
What This Bill Does
- Amends the Small Business Act to add re-entry entrepreneurship counseling and training.
- Targets incarcerated individuals who are preparing to return to the community.
- Uses federal small-business policy tools to support business planning and training.
- Aims to connect reentry services with self-employment and small-business pathways.
Who This Bill Affects
If you are an incarcerated person preparing for release, or a family member supporting someone coming home, this bill could expand access to business counseling and training that helps with self-employment planning after incarceration. For most other people, the effect is indirect: it could modestly improve community reentry outcomes and local economic activity if the program leads to more lawful, stable income for participants. There is no direct benefit or cost for the average resident outside the reentry system, but it may influence how correctional and small-business resources are used.
See how this bill affects you — sign in for a personalized analysisWho Supports & Opposes This
- Reentry service providers They would argue that entrepreneurship training gives returning citizens a practical way to build income when traditional employers are hesitant to hire them. It can complement job placement services by expanding the number of viable pathways to lawful work.
- Community development advocates They would say small-business ownership can keep more earnings in local neighborhoods and help stabilize families after incarceration. The training can also improve financial literacy and reduce reliance on informal or precarious work.
- People leaving prison with business ideas They may see this as a chance to turn skills or trade experience into a legitimate livelihood. Counseling can help them navigate licensing, planning, and launch steps they might not otherwise know.
- Fiscal conservatives They may object to creating or expanding a federally supported program without a clear estimate of cost or evidence of long-term savings. Some will argue limited public funds should go first to core reentry needs like housing, addiction treatment, or job placement.
- Workforce placement providers They could argue the bill favors entrepreneurship even though most returning citizens need immediate wages and structured employment. In their view, job-readiness and employer partnerships may reach more people than business-startup training.
- Victims' rights advocates Some may question whether public resources should be directed toward helping people convicted of crimes start businesses. They may prefer investments that focus on accountability, restitution, and victim services instead.
Key Implications
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““provide re-entry entrepreneurship counseling and training services for incarcerated individuals””
This means the federal small-business system would be used to prepare people for entrepreneurship before they leave custody, not just after they reenter society.
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““amend the Small Business Act””
The bill would place reentry entrepreneurship within a federal small-business framework, which can affect how agencies design guidance, partnerships, and program eligibility.
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““incarcerated individuals””
The main beneficiaries are people currently in prison or jail settings who are close enough to release to make reentry planning meaningful.
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““and for other purposes””
This standard legislative phrase signals that the bill may include related administrative or technical changes needed to carry out the new counseling program.
Official Source & Bill Facts
BillBoard checks this page against public Congress.gov metadata, then adds plain-English analysis where available.
- Bill
- HR 9491
- Congress
- 119th Congress
- Official title
- To amend the Small Business Act to provide re-entry entrepreneurship counseling and training services for incarcerated individuals, and for other purposes.
- Policy area
- Criminal Justice
- Latest action
- Referred to the House Committee on Small Business. (June 25, 2026)
- Last updated
- June 26, 2026
Latest Status
June 25, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on Small Business.
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Ask AI about this billData sourced from api.congress.gov.