The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Retire Through Ownership Act (S. 2403) on September 16 by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 401–14, sending the legislation to the president for his signature. The vote followed the Senate’s unanimous passage of the bill in October 2025.

What is a business worth? It is one of the most basic questions an owner can ask. For employee owners, the answer matters a lot more than you think, from the first day a business becomes an ESOP to the day an employee retires or leaves the company.

Nine months ago, the ESOP landscape looked very different.

Six months ago, it looked different again. Even three months ago, there were issues we could not have predicted would be part of today’s status quo.

When it comes to Congress, the old saying is true: It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

But as we enter the final five months of the 119th Congress, the marathon is quickly becoming a sprint.

The ESOP Association’s Advocacy Academy and ESOP Advocacy Day brought together a record-setting group of employee ownership advocates for two days of training, storytelling, and direct advocacy on Capitol Hill.

On May 6, members of The ESOP Association will have meetings on Capitol Hill to communicate a simple request: support policies that help ESOPs and employee owners succeed.