87R9992 TBO-D     By: Hull H.R. No. 161       R E S O L U T I O N          WHEREAS, Since 2004, the Prison Entrepreneurship Program has   equipped Texas inmates with valuable skills and resources that help   them achieve a successful reentry into society; and          WHEREAS, PEP is a nonprofit organization that aims to   transform the lives of its participants through completion of a   character development program and an entrepreneurship boot camp; to   join PEP, inmates must make it through a highly selective   application process, and those who are accepted are transferred to   the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Estes Unit, near Dallas,   or Bell Unit, near Houston; in the course of the program,   participants take part in a business plan competition and complete   numerous classes; upon graduation, they are honored in a formal   ceremony and awarded a Certificate in Entrepreneurship from the   Baylor University Hankamer School of Business; and          WHEREAS, After being released from prison, PEP graduates have   experienced high rates of employment and low rates of recidivism,   and they continue to benefit from PEP resources such as eSchool   classes, the Communitas Business Centers, and family reunification   initiatives; to date, those who have completed the program have   established more than 500 businesses, including five that generate   over $1 million in gross annual revenue; and          WHEREAS, Among its many accolades, PEP has earned the Texas   Governor's Award for Criminal Justice Volunteer Service, and it was   named a Rising Star in the Fast Company/Monitor Group Social   Capitalist Awards; furthermore, it ranked as a finalist for the   Peter F. Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation and an Ashoka   Changemakers award; and          WHEREAS, The Prison Entrepreneurship Program is excelling in   its mission of helping former inmates to become productive   citizens, and numerous individuals and communities have benefited   from its successful efforts; now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas   Legislature hereby commend the Prison Entrepreneurship Program and   extend to all those associated with the organization sincere best   wishes for continued success; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be   prepared for the Prison Entrepreneurship Program as an expression   of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.