Women business owners hope Congress will block a new procurement
program that they say falls far short of what is needed to give women their
fair share of federal contracts.
Legislation enacted
in December 2000 directed the federal government to set aside contracts for
women in industries where they have been underrepresented. It took the Small
Business Administration seven years to issue proposed regulations for the
program, and its proposal limited the set-asides to only four industries.
The SBA is expected
to issue a final regulation in October. Agency officials contend federal courts
would rule the set-aside program is unconstitutional unless it is narrowly
tailored to remedy actual discrimination.
Groups representing
women business owners would rather start over next year with a new
administration and a new regulation than move forward with the SBA's proposal.
They contend a much broader set-aside program is needed in order for
women-owned businesses to receive 5 percent of all federal contracting dollars,
a congressionally mandated goal that has never been reached.
"We're working
hard to prevent that procurement rule from being finalized," Sen. John
Kerry, D-Mass., told women business owners at a Sept. 9 roundtable discussion
held by the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.
"This proposed
rule is an affront to the hard-working women business owners who need nothing
more than a chance to show their worth," said Kerry, who chairs the
committee.
Congress could use
the appropriations process to stop the rule. The federal government's fiscal
year ends Sept. 30, and Congress must pass legislation this month to continue
funding government agencies. It could attach a provision barring the SBA from
spending any money on implementing the women's procurement program.
Anne Sullivan, a
lobbyist for Women Impacting Public Policy, said Congress also should
strengthen the original legislation calling on the SBA to create a women's
procurement program. Congress should clarify its intent and include findings
showing how women are being discriminated against in federal contracting, she
said. This way, Sullivan said, women wouldn't "end up with an unacceptable
and insulting rule" like the one SBA proposed.
Source: http://columbus.bizjournals.com, sbc.senate.gov