[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 190 (Monday, December 3, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1595]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       INTRODUCTION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ADVERTISING EQUITY 
                           ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 3, 2018

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce a bill, the Federal 
Government Advertising Equity Accountability Act, to require all 
federal agencies to include in their annual budget requests to Congress 
the amount they spend on advertising contracts with small disadvantaged 
businesses (SDBs) and businesses owned by minorities and women. Federal 
agencies would be required to provide prior, current, and projected 
total expenditures for advertising contracts.
  In 2007, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined spending 
on advertising contracts with minority-owned businesses by five 
agencies--the Department of Defense, the Department of the Treasury, 
the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of the 
Interior, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration--and 
found that only five percent of the $4.3 billion available for 
advertising contracts went to minority businesses. In light of these 
concerning figures, several of my colleagues and I sent a letter to the 
GAO in April 2016 requesting updated information on the amount of 
federal advertising dollars spent with SDBs and businesses owned by 
minorities and women. That GAO report, released in July of this year, 
showed that in fiscal year 2017, only 16 percent of the federal 
government's advertising contract obligations went to SDBs and 
businesses owned by minorities and women.
  The federal government is the largest advertiser in the United 
States, and it has an obligation to ensure fair access to its contracts 
for SDBs and businesses owned by minorities and women. The GAO's 
findings make it clear that there is still much progress to be made.
  The regular collection of information on federal advertising contract 
obligations to SDBs and businesses owned by women and minorities, along 
with the provision of this information to legislators and stakeholders, 
is essential to bridging the divide between current statistics and a 
more inclusive advertising landscape. My bill would achieve these goals 
while also promoting transparency and encouraging federal agencies to 
strive to reach minorities, who often receive their daily news from 
smaller media outlets that serve communities of color. The requirement 
that agencies submit prior, current, and projected information 
regarding the amount of advertising dollars spent with SDBs and 
businesses owned by minorities and women will allow federal agencies to 
evaluate their progress over time. The regular collection of this 
information will also demonstrate that the promotion of equity in 
advertising, and in all areas of government, should be a continuous 
effort that is central to the mission of every agency.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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