[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 1, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E600]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       INVESTING IN A NEW VISION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND SURFACE 
                     TRANSPORTATION IN AMERICA ACT

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                               speech of

                     HON. JESUS G. ``CHUY'' GARCIA

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 30, 2020

  Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say a few words 
about the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise--or DBE--Program. While our 
progress toward equal opportunity for minority and women entrepreneurs 
has been slower than I would like, the DBE program is a big part of the 
reason we are at least moving in the right direction. In a recent study 
in my home State of Illinois, researchers examined business 
opportunities associated with the Pace Suburban Bus agency. This agency 
connects my district to the suburbs surrounding Chicago and also 
provides paratransit services to people with disabilities. This study 
didn't just examine Pace's own spending, but also examined how 
businesses in the broader Illinois construction market are faring. This 
is very important because Pace operates the DBE program which at least 
opens the door to businesses owned by women and minorities, while the 
broader construction market is dominated by the private sector which 
generally lacks such equal opportunity measures. The study performed 
regression analyses to determine what business earnings were for women 
and minority business owners even after adjusting for a number of 
factors such as education, age, occupation and industry. The results 
were startling: business earnings for Latino firm owners as compared to 
white male firm owners were 6 percent lower, for Asians they were 10 
percent lower, for white women they were 19 percent lower, for Native 
Americans and African Americans, they were 26 percent lower. Pace 
Suburban Bus Disparity Study 2015, Colette Holt & Associates, 2015, at 
96. These statistics make clear why it's so incredibly difficult for 
women and minorities to get ahead in business--and why the DBE Program 
is so necessary.

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