All Roll Calls
Yes: 217 • No: 190
119-hr-2966119th CongressWALLET
American Entrepreneurs First Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Van Duyne, Beth [R-TX-24]
Passed House
Summary
Ties SBA loan access to immigration status. This bill would require applicants for SBA 7(a) loans and Small Business Investment Act (title V) loans to provide birth dates, certify U.S. citizenship, national status, or lawful permanent residency, and give alien registration numbers for any lawful permanent resident owners. It defines several noncitizen categories as "ineligible persons" and would bar applicants or owners in those categories from eligibility.
Show full summary
- Small business owners who are U.S. citizens, nationals, or lawful permanent residents: Must certify their status and ownership. A business is eligible only if it is 100 percent beneficially owned by such individuals.
- Asylees, refugees, visa holders, nonimmigrants, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, and people without lawful status: Are named as ineligible persons and would be barred from applying as individuals or as owners.
- SBA applicants and lenders: Applications must include date of birth for each individual applicant and owner and required certifications. Applications lacking that information or with any ineligible owner would be ineligible.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Tighter Small Business loans by immigration status
If enacted, Small Business Administration 7(a) and Title V loan applications would face new ID and citizenship checks. Applications filed after enactment would need each owner’s date of birth, certifications about U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or lawful permanent resident status (or that the business or guarantor is 100% owned by them), a certification that no owner is an “ineligible person,” and alien registration numbers for any lawful permanent residents. An application missing this information would be ineligible. A business would also be ineligible if any direct or indirect owner is an ineligible person, and an individual applicant would be ineligible if they are an ineligible person. The bill says “ineligible person” includes asylees, refugees, people issued a visa to remain in the United States, temporary visa holders (nonimmigrants), people granted DACA under the June 15, 2012 policy, and people without lawful status.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Van Duyne, Beth [R-TX-24]
TX • R
Cosponsors
Rep. Cloud, Michael [R-TX-27]
TX • R
Sponsored 4/17/2025
Roll Call Votes
house vote • 6/6/2025
On Passage
Yes: 217 • No: 190