[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 192 (Tuesday, November 21, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1120]
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

                       Tuesday, November 21, 2023

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Federal Government 
Advertising Equity Accountability Act, which would 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 and projected total 
expenditures for such contracts. At my request, the Committee on 
Appropriations has been requiring such information from many agencies 
for the last several years, but this bill would codify this requirement 
and apply it to all federal agencies.
  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 findings, several Members of Congress and I sent letters to 
GAO in April 2016 and June 2022 requesting updated information on the 
amount of federal advertising dollars spent with SDBs and businesses 
owned by minorities and women. A GAO report released in July 2018 
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. GAO agreed last year to issue 
an updated report.
  The federal government is the largest advertiser in the United 
States, and it has an obligation to ensure equitable access to its 
contracts for SDBs and businesses owned by minorities and women. The 
GAO's findings demonstrate that there is still much progress to be 
made.
  The regular collection of information on federal advertising 
contracts with SDBs and businesses owned by women and minorities is 
essential to bridging the gap between what current statistics show and 
a more inclusive advertising landscape. This bill would help achieve 
this goal while also promoting transparency and encouraging federal 
agencies to strive to reach minorities, who often receive the news from 
smaller media outlets that serve communities of color. The requirement 
that agencies submit prior and projected information on the amount of 
advertising dollars spent with SDBs and businesses owned by minorities 
and women would allow federal agencies to evaluate their progress. The 
regular collection of this information would also demonstrate that the 
promotion of equity in advertising, and in all areas of government, is 
a continuous effort and is important to the mission of every agency.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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