[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 132 (Monday, September 29, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1887]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING THE NATIONAL WOMEN'S BUSINESS COUNCIL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN J. LaFALCE

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 29, 1997

  Mr. LaFALCE. Mr. Speaker, as the ranking member of the Small Business 
Committee, I am proud that the reauthorization bill we reported 
contains strong support for women business owners. I am particularly 
delighted that our committee has reauthorized and expanded the National 
Women's Business Council.
  As the Small Business Subcommittee Chair in the 1970's, I held a 
number of hearings on the unique challenges and obstacles faced by 
women business owners. Remembering these hearings, the late Gillian 
Rudd, then president of NAWBO, approached me shortly after I became 
chairman of the House Small Business. She said, ``Congressman LaFalce, 
now that you are Chairman of the full Committee, I hope you will do 
something what's never been done before. I hope you will take up the 
cause of women business owners and give them a seat at the table.'' 
That is exactly what I intended to do.
  I asked Gillian to help me in preparing a series of hearings on women 
entrepreneurs. We searched for the best minds in the United States to 
learn about the business environment that was out there for women 
business owners. The hearings were a tremendous success, and we took 
our marching orders from the women who testified. We have learned that 
there were a number of things that Congress needed to do immediately to 
support the growth of women owned enterprises
  First and foremost, we needed to create a National Women's Business 
Council to be a voice for women entrepreneurs within the Federal 
Government. We also knew that there would need to be an interagency 
task force, comprised of representatives from all the Federal agencies 
to work with the council in a public/private sector partnership. 
Finally, it was essential that we also come up with a business training 
program developed for women addressing their unique needs.
  On the heels of receiving this information, delivered to the Small 
Business Committee in landmark testimony, I introduced and Congress 
passed H.R. 5050. That bill, the Women's Business Ownership Act of 
1988, included several very important initiatives, including the 
creation of the National Women's Business Council. This was the first 
step in achieving our goals.
  Now, 10 years later, we have accomplished all three of these goals. I 
am deeply gratified to have played a role in the establishment of all 
three and to see the fruits these efforts have borne. While it is so 
often repeated, I still think it merits mentioning just one more time. 
There are more than 8 million women business owners in the United 
States today, represented by 1,000 women's business organizations. 
Looking back on where we were two decades ago when this all began. I am 
still amazed at how the numbers of women entrepreneurs have 
skyrocketed. With greater growth in women's business ownership on the 
horizon, it is even more incumbent upon us to find ways to help these 
businesses succeed.

  On July 21, the National Women's Business Council, in partnership 
with the Federal Reserve System and the Small Business Administration, 
held an Access to Capital and Credit Expert Policy Workshop in my 
district, in my hometown of Buffalo, NY. The purpose of the workshop 
was to make recommendations on how to expand the access to capital and 
credit. During this particular workshop, one of ten held around the 
country, we focused on the growth in western New York. The National 
Women's Business Council has compiled the recommendations made by the 
great women entrepreneurs of Buffalo and other women around the country 
into a report to be released tomorrow. I look forward to working with 
the Council on their implementation.
  I have been working with the National Women's Business Council since 
I helped to create it in 1988. They have been an incredible resource to 
me and my staff. They do a wonderful job of representing women business 
owners around the country before Congress and the President, a task to 
which they have dedicated themselves wholeheartedly. The council is 
comprised of prominent women business owners and national women's 
business organizations which represent millions of women entrepreneurs 
nationwide. It is currently chaired by Lillian Vernon, a true American 
success story. These accomplished women are a resource at our disposal.
  In 1988, I held a series of hearings on the problems that women 
entrepreneurs face--the first series of its kind--that was compiled 
into a report entitled ``New Economic Realities: The Role of Women 
Entrepreneurs.'' In it, I said that there is a great untapped gold mine 
that exists within the American economy. There is a pool of talent that 
is so rich, that if we could tap into it and exploit it, we could 
unleash a windfall for the American economy. We have finally begun to 
do that.

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