[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 24, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3299-S3300]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    AMENDING THE SMALL BUSINESS ACT

  Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now 
proceed to the consideration of H.R. 774, which is at the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 774) to amend the Small Business Act to change 
     the conditions of participation and provide an authorization 
     of appropriations for the women's business center program.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate 
consideration of the bill?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. There being no objection, the Senate proceeded 
to consider the bill.
  Mr. BOND. Mr President, today we in the United States Senate have an 
opportunity to take an important step in strengthening the Women's 
Business Center Program at the Small Business Administration. The 
``Women's Business Center Amendment Act of 1999'' authorizes SBA to 
make grants totaling up to $11 million annually to Women's Business 
Centers throughout the United States.
  During the past decade, the number of women-owned small businesses 
has exploded. Women-owned small businesses are the fastest growing 
segment of our nation's business community. Years ago, there was an 
advertising campaign slogan proclaiming that women ``had come a long 
way.'' I find that slogan very applicable to the plateau now reached by 
women entrepreneurs. During this time, women business owners have 
established themselves as a key component of our small business 
community, which has been the engine driving our economy during the 
1990's.
  The research foundation arm of the National Association of Women 
Business Owners (NAWBO) has conducted studies which show that women no 
longer are having more trouble than men obtaining bank loans. However, 
obtaining a loan does not guarantee a business' success. In fact, many 
small businesses that start out well capitalized end up failing. 
Success of a small business is usually dependent on the owner's 
management capabilities. Women's Business Centers offer help to women 
entrepreneurs who are looking to start a business or who already have a 
business by providing them with business and education training, 
including marketing, finance, and management assistance.
  For the past three years, I have worked with Senator Domenici Senator 
Kerry, and members of the Committee on Small Business first to save and 
later to expand the Women's Business Center Program. In 1996, when the 
Administration sought to zero-out the budget for the program, I helped 
lead the effort to earmark funds for the program within the SBA FY 1997 
budget. Senator Domenici, Senator Kerry and I sponsored the ``Women's 
Business Centers Act of 1997,'' which expanded the program from $4 
million to $8 million per year. This bill was incorporated into the 
``Small Business Reauthorization Act of 1997'' (Public Law 105-135).
  Last year, I sponsored the ``Year 2000 Readiness and Small Business 
Programs Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998,'' which included an 
increase from $8 million to $12 million and made other reforms in the 
Women's Business Center Program. This bill passed the Senate 
unanimously; unfortunately, the House of Representatives was not able 
to act on the bill before Congress adjourned. In light of the pressing 
demand to expand the authorization for the Women's Business Center 
Program, I applaud the Chairman of the House Committee on Small 
Business, Jim Talent, and the Committee's ranking Democrat, Nydia 
Velazquez, for their efforts to push through House-passage of the bill 
so quickly this year.
  The ``Women's Business Center Amendments Act of 1999'' brings us a 
giant step closer to achieving our goal of having at least one Women's 
Business Center up and running in each of the 50 states. Under this 
bill, SBA will be able to continue to fund the existing 35 eligible 
Centers and provide seed funding to new eligible applicant Centers in 
states not yet served by the program.
  The bill authorizes $11 million for Fiscal Year 2000 for the Women's 
Business Center Program; however, the Administration has requested $9 
million. This summer I intend to work closely with Senator Kerry on 
legislation to allow Women's Business Centers that have completed their 
initial three or five year Women's Business Center grants with SBA to 
apply for another five year grant to allow them to be able to continue 
to provide the high level of service they are currently delivering to 
women small business owners. Our initiative may require an increase in 
SBA's budget for the Women's Business Center Program for FY 2000, and I 
intend to study very closely the financial needs of the program. As a 
member of the Appropriations Committee, I will urge my colleagues to 
support an increase in the FY 2000 budget for the program, if 
necessary, that will allow it to expand and meet the needs of the 
growing number of women-owned small businesses. I strongly believe we 
must pursue this course even if that means pushing for an increase 
above the amount requested in the President's budget request.
  Mr. President, it is critical that the Senate vote to approve the 
``women's Business Center Act of 1999,'' so that the Federal government 
can continue to help make small business ownership a reality for women 
entrepreneurs. I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.
  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, today the Senate will vote on H.R. 774, the 
Women's Business Center Amendments Act of 1999. This bill will make 
small but important changes to the Women's Business Center program. 
First, similar to the bill that Senator Cleland and I introduced last 
Congress, it will raise the authorization for the centers from $8 
million to $11 million. Secondly, the bill changes the matching 
requirements for centers; instead of raising two non-Federal dollars 
for every Federal dollar in the third, fourth and fifth years, centers 
will only be required to raise one non-Federal dollar for every one 
Federal dollar. I

[[Page S3300]]

support this bill, thought I would prefer that the authorization and 
funding were increased to $12 million to make it consistent with the 
legislation our Committee passed last year. This program has been very 
successful in helping women start and grow businesses and it deserves 
generous funding.
  Women-owned businesses are increasing in number, range, diversity and 
earning power. They constitute more than one-third of the 20 million 
small businesses in the United States, and account for some $3 trillion 
in annual revenues to the economy. Addressing the special needs of 
women-owned businesses serves not only entrepreneurs, but also the 
economic strength of this nation as a whole.
  This bill further ensures that new and potential women business 
owners, who otherwise might be excluded from the economic mainstream of 
society, are afforded every opportunity to succeed through the Small 
Business Administration's Women's Business Centers program.
  Centers are faced with the challenging task of teaching business 
basics and providing practical support and realistic encouragement. 
Massachusetts has an excellent example of a Women's Business Center--
the Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE) in Boston. Andrea Silbert is a 
tireless executive director who effectively raises money, forges 
partnerships and designs thorough training and mentoring programs to 
help women entrepreneurs. When CWE trains an entrepreneur, she leans 
how to approach a lender for a loan, learns how to manage her business, 
and gains an understanding of the hows and whys of marketing. 
Nationwide, women should have access to this type of quality, 
comprehensive training.
  It is clear that the centers are having a positive social and 
economic impact on the lives of many women and the communities which 
they serve. New clients continue to be racially and ethnically diverse: 
Some 40 percent are members of minority groups. About half are married, 
and half are single, widowed, divorced, or separated.
  While this bill addresses some important issues, I am concerned about 
the unresolved problem of sustainability. How can established, 
effective centers that are at the end of the five-year Federal funding 
cycle continue to provide the same quality of services without the 
Federal contribution? It's their bread and butter, and it's 
indispensable leverage that helps centers raise the obligatory matching 
funding.
  Agnes Noonan, executive director of the Women's Economic Self-
Sufficiency Team (WESST corp.) in New Mexico recently reinforced this 
point when she testified before the Senate Committee on Small Business. 
With an 89 percent growth in the number of women-owned businesses over 
the last decade and a 161 percent increase in revenues, it is sound 
economic policy for the Federal government to support programs which 
facilitate the training and development of women business owners. It 
follows that we would be wise to safeguard the investment that has been 
made to date in the infrastructure of women's business centers around 
the country.
  I believe we should find a fair way to let these centers recompete 
for the base funding. And we should do it this calendar year, before 
it's too late and the centers have lost their Federal funding and are 
out of business. I will be introducing a bill to allow Women's Business 
Centers to recompete for Federal funding in mid-April, when we return 
from the Easter recess. I hope that my colleagues with strong Women's 
Business Centers in their states will join me in sponsoring 
recompetition legislation.
  Mr. President, I thank my colleagues for their continuing efforts to 
expand policies that allow women entrepreneurs to grow and thrive.
  Mr. CRAPO. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a 
third time, and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the 
table, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed at the 
appropriate place in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (H.R. 774) was considered read a third time and passed.

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