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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Prison Entrepreneurship Program Day at the State |
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Capitol is taking place on April 29, 2025; and |
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WHEREAS, Established in 2004, the Prison Entrepreneurship |
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Program is a nonprofit organization that aims to transform the |
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lives of its participants through completion of a character |
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development program and an entrepreneurship boot camp; in the |
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course of the program, participants take part in a business plan |
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competition and complete numerous classes; upon graduation, they |
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are honored in a formal ceremony and awarded a Certificate in |
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Entrepreneurship from the Baylor University Hankamer School of |
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Business; and |
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WHEREAS, After being released from prison, PEP graduates have |
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experienced high rates of employment and low rates of recidivism, |
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and they continue to benefit from PEP resources such as eSchool |
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classes, the Communitas Business Centers, and family reunification |
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initiatives; to date, nearly 10,000 incarcerated individuals have |
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participated in PEP, and over 4,000 certificates have been awarded; |
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those who have completed the program have established more than 700 |
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businesses, including several that generate over $5 million in |
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gross annual revenue; and |
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WHEREAS, Among its many accolades, PEP has earned the Texas |
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Governor's Award for Criminal Justice Volunteer Service, and it was |
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named a Rising Star in the Fast Company/Monitor Group Social |
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Capitalist Awards; and |
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WHEREAS, For more than two decades, the Prison |
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Entrepreneurship Program has excelled in its mission of helping |
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former inmates to become productive citizens, and numerous |
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individuals and communities have benefited from its successful |
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efforts; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize April 29, 2025, as Prison |
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Entrepreneurship Program Day at the State Capitol and extend a warm |
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welcome to the visiting delegation. |