H.R. 8605 modifies how states administer self-employment assistance programs, which provide support to unemployed workers who want to start their own businesses instead of seeking traditional employment. The bill removes a requirement that participants be likely to exhaust their regular unemployment benefits and expands what counts as eligible self-employment activities, now including either formal entrepreneurial training and business counseling or individual business plans with market feasibility studies. The legislation also increases the cap on how many participants each state can enroll in these programs from 5 percent to 10 percent of the regular unemployment population. States must implement these changes beginning two years after the bill becomes law, though they can voluntarily adopt the new rules sooner. The Secretary of Labor is responsible for issuing detailed regulations to carry out the program changes.
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