House lawmakers have found an area of bipartisan interest in a divided Congress: American entrepreneurship.
Reps. Rick Allen, Georgia Republican, and Mark DeSaulnier, California Democrat, are seeking to expand entrepreneurial skills training to existing federal workforce development programs.
“Having built my own business from the ground up, I know how difficult that process can be,” Mr. Allen said in a statement. “The Startup Act is about removing barriers to entrepreneurship and expanding access to the hands-on training and tools that will help countless people turn their version of the American Dream into a reality.”
The legislation, introduced Wednesday, would amend the current Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to include entrepreneurial skills development training in the current system.
It would also authorize the Labor Department to conduct a three-year, multi-state study to review the outcomes of new programs and report its findings to Congress.
Mr. DeSaulnier said his inspiration to foster entrepreneurship stems from personal experience, as well as local inventors and small business owners in his district who have called for more government support.
“As a former restaurateur and small-business owner, I am very aware of the risks associated with opening a new business and the razor-thin margins on which small businesses have to operate,” he said. “That said, I know firsthand how important it is that entrepreneurs and small business owners have access to all available resources so that their businesses, which are the backbone of both our local and national economies, can thrive.”
Entrepreneurship has escalated in recent years, particularly in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which sent millions of office workers home and bolstered the remote-work culture.
In 2020, more than four million new business applications were filed, with 2021 meeting roughly the same level, according to data compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau.
From 2019 to 2020, the rate of new entrepreneurs rose by 7%, going from 31% to 38%, according to Forbes.
Mr. Allen and Mr. DeSaulnier expect their bill to pass with broad bipartisan support.
• Mica Soellner can be reached at msoellner@washingtontimes.com.
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