[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 44 (Tuesday, April 21, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E605]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    BUILDING EFFICIENT SURFACE TRANSPORTATION AND EQUITY ACT OF 1998

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                               speech of

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 1, 1998

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2400) to 
     authorize funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety 
     programs, and transit programs, and for other purposes:

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Chairman, don't vote for the Roukema amendment to 
destroy the Disadvantaged Business Enterprises program (DBE) or you 
will pay the price with your women small business owners. I have listed 
just a few examples of how women business owners can tell their own 
stories about the success of the DBE program.


                               NEW JERSEY

  Roberta Verdun, President, Summit Graphics Corporation, North 
Brunswick, NJ said: ``I have owned a small business for 25 years, . . . 
 I am also certified as a DBE and without the DBE program, I would not 
have opportunities to bid against the big businesses out there. DBE 
status affords me `opportunity.' I don't expect printing jobs handed to 
me but without the opportunity to offer a bid, I would be out of 
business!''
  Deborah Ayars, President, A-TECH Engineering, Vineland, NJ said: ``My 
firm has grown over the ten years I've been in business from just me to 
twenty total employees . . .  We employ local people who would 
otherwise be looking for jobs, most likely outside this area . . .  
Without the DBE provisions of ISTEA, the ever-larger majority firms 
would let none of the work out of their firms . . .  Taking away sub-
contracting incentives for women and minorities would deprive the 
economy of the kind of resources that increase our nation's global 
competitiveness, a goal of NEXTEA/ISTEA. In closing, the DBE program is 
one of the most successful programs the government has developed. It 
saves the government money, increases jobs in small business, and 
assists women and minority owners to get a foot in the door in 
business.''


                                 IDAHO

  Elaine Martin, President, MarCon, Inc., Nampa, ID said: ``Most 
companies can point to one or two jobs that made it possible for their 
companies to succeed. My `essential' job would not have been awarded to 
me without the DBE program. I was low bidder on a job in 1987 where the 
owner told the estimator to give the job to a larger, male owned firm 
that had a higher bind than mine. The estimator told the owner that the 
job had DBE goals and as low bidder, I should be given the opportunity 
to perform. That job allowed my company to survive another year as I 
worked in the field days and bid new work at night. In the ten years 
since that one $100,000 job that I would have lost without the DOT DBE 
program, my company has grown from $200,000 to $3 Million annually.''


                                  IOWA

  Joanna Pierson, President-Owner, Joanna Trucking, Inc., Sioux City, 
Iowa said: ``The DBE program has helped me to get a fair shake. My 
company is very good at what it does, but that does not mean anything. 
What does mean something is that I am a `foolish female,' `stupid 
woman,' I`m sure you`ve heard them all. To get rid of this program 
means putting me and others like me out of business along with 25 of my 
employees. Without this program, I am nowhere because I deal with men 
who want me out, and even my own brothers are trying to force me out. I 
represent competition to any male in business, but my company performs 
well, and I can honestly say that we do a better job than most male 
organizations . . .  We need to keep this program going, to `mend it, 
not end it' .''

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