Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Reporting Act of 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. McGARVEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Reporting Act.

I think too often the outside focus on this body is on what isn't working. There isn't enough attention paid to when things come together and when it works the way it should.

I thank Chairman Williams and Ranking Member Velazquez for their support. I especially thank Chairman Molinaro, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce, for his courage and compassion in personally navigating the maze of people who face intellectual and developmental disabilities.

We had a subcommittee hearing, and Chairman Molinaro brought up Maeve, a young woman from New York, talking about her coffee shop. I brought up Cody Clark from Louisville, a truly inspiring young man who not only is an entrepreneur who told us about his experience, but I think he performed the first-ever magic trick in front of the Small Business Committee this year to highlight his point of what we can accomplish.

This bill helps ensure that every American--every American--has the opportunity to become that type of successful entrepreneur. After all, isn't that the fundamental promise of the American Dream, that any person in this country can work hard, take risks, and hopefully find success?

What we highlighted in this hearing and through the stories of Maeve and Cody and others is that Americans with disabilities, like other underprivileged groups, see fewer opportunities to make this dream a reality.

In fact, 74 percent of people with disabilities do not participate in our Nation's labor force. Too many barriers--both physical and intangible--block their way to joining the workforce or starting a business. The Federal Government must do more to help break those down.

To do that, we have to better understand what these challenges are, and this bill takes a really important first step in that process. It will require the Small Business Administration to submit a report to Congress on the challenges faced by entrepreneurs with disabilities. This report will assess the entrepreneurs' challenges and needs, detail the resources the SBA currently provides, and recommend what actions we can take to improve how the Small Business Administration serves entrepreneurs with disabilities.

The better Congress understands these challenges, the easier it will be to knock them down to take these barriers away and make sure every American has the chance to succeed.

I again thank Chairman Williams, Ranking Member Velazquez, Chairman Molinaro, and everyone else involved for their leadership and support of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7985.

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