Davids Reintroduces Bipartisan Bill to Inspire Youth Entrepreneurship
Representative Sharice Davids (D-KS), along with Representatives French Hill (R-AR) and Dean Phillips (D-MN), reintroduced the bipartisan 21st Century Entrepreneurship Act to increase workforce and entrepreneurship opportunities, especially for students from underserved communities. Davids has served on the U.S. House Small Business Committee since being sworn into Congress.
“In Kansas, we have the talent and the great education system to power the next generation of entrepreneurs—and we know from experience that mentorship improves outcomes for students,” said Davids. “The 21st Century Entrepreneurship Act will provide effective after-school programs with new curriculum and experienced mentors, creating a pipeline of success for our students.”
Entrepreneurship is an engine of economic growth, job creation, and innovation, but American entrepreneurship has steadily declined over the past several decades. New businesses accounted for 38 percent of all businesses in the US in 1982 compared to just 29 percent in 2018. Davids’ bill aims to cultivate the next generation of entrepreneurs by requiring the Small Business Administration (SBA) to develop an entrepreneurship curriculum for students in the 21st century and encouraging mentorship from proven business leaders across the country.
While most existing federal entrepreneurial development and mentorship programs focus on those with already-established careers, this bill would help create a pipeline to entrepreneurship by targeting entrepreneurial education toward students from underprivileged and underrepresented backgrounds.
“The 21st Century Entrepreneurship Act will connect the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) with the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) to provide mentorship to underserved students and develop their entrepreneurship and professional skills,” said Representative French Hill. “As Co-Chair of the Congressional Entrepreneurship Caucus and lifelong entrepreneur, I am proud to co-lead this legislation again this Congress with my colleague, Rep. Phillips, and look forward to the impact this important legislation will have on our youth across our nation for years to come.”
“Our young people are our future, and cultivating the next generation of business leaders requires encouraging entrepreneurship at an early age,” said Representative Dean Phillips. “New businesses account for a disproportionate share of innovation, economic growth, and job creation. We must take action today to ensure a thriving, equitable business landscape tomorrow.”
While our economy is experiencing record job creation, Davids has been squarely focused on lowering costs and boosting workforce opportunities for Kansans. She was the only member of Kansas’ congressional delegation to vote for the bipartisan infrastructure law, which is creating good-paying construction jobs at home. Davids also voted for major bipartisan manufacturing legislation last year, which has already generated more than 100,000 jobs nationwide. Finally, Davids previously announced Kansas’ Third Congressional District has created more clean energy jobs than any other congressional district in the country over the past year.
This legislation is supported by the Center for American Entrepreneurship and Bipartisan Policy Center Action.