Women business owners have become the darling to every political candidate up for re-election. We’ve been wooed with words without substance. And now, the USWCC is demanding action on behalf of women business owners.
To do this, we need your help – whether you are a business-owner, career professional, government official, retiree or a stay-at-home mom, we ask you to take action. This is the first step in pooling our voices into one unified voice for the economic growth of women. We call on each of you to use our online advocacy system to contact your congressional leaders and tell them that you expect them to earn your vote by supporting policies (and the implementation of laws) that support women business owners.
We also hope you will make appointments to visit with your political leaders. Let them know that they must support the following - or you will not give them your vote.
1. Increase the amount the federal government spends with women-owned businesses from the miniscule 2.9% to at least your own paltry low goal of 5% (thereby increasing your spending with women-owned businesses by at least $5.6 billion annually).
A good way to start on this goal would be to simply implement existing law. Implement PL 106-554 – the Women’s Federal Procurement Program. This important legislation was passed into law nearly four years ago and still has not been implemented. PL 106-554 provides a set-aside for women-owned businesses to help us increase the amount of government contracts awarded to women. Make our political leaders earn our votes. Ask the questions and get the answers now – before you vote.
2. Increase the number of U.S. Small Business Administration backed loans for women and protect these important loan programs (instead of cutting these programs or raising their fees).
The percentage of loans going to women-owned businesses is not comparable to our numbers and growth in the marketplace. Between FY1998 and FY2003 (during the most dramatic increase ever in the number of women-owned firms in America), there was a 7.5% decrease in the average value of SBA backed loans made to women-owned businesses.
You want our vote? Help women to understand and gain access to these SBA-backed loans. Stop trying to cut the very programs that help us. Stop talking about how much you love us while behind the scenes you are cutting and hacking away at the programs that are in place to help us. Make our political leaders earn our votes. Ask the questions and get the answers now – before you vote.
3. Don’t just talk about stopping contract bundling and consolidation – do it! We hear endlessly about policies to stop the bundling and consolidation of federal contracts. What we don’t see is any real action.
Every year the federal government spends more and more money on larger and larger contracts with fewer and fewer suppliers. It is no wonder women-owned businesses represent 30% of all businesses in the U.S. and receive less than 3% of all federal government contracts. The political rhetoric lacks any real teeth. The fact is that we are being slowly but surely cut out of the process. Make our political leaders earn our votes. Ask the questions and get the answers now – before you vote.
4. Enforce the FAR Regulation 19.502-2 Small Business Set-Asides (set-asides for contracts under $100,000 if two or more competitive small businesses can be identified.)
This simple but powerful law is not being enforced and there is a lack of funding for personnel to oversee its enforcement. Without a commitment of funds or top-level leadership, this law is little more than words. Make our political leaders earn our votes. Ask the questions and get the answers now – before you vote.
5. Reduce the cost of health insurance for small business owners. Accept the fact that our healthcare system is broken and that not one truly impactful action has been taken in this century to help small businesses with out of control healthcare costs. Make our political leaders earn our votes. Ask the questions and get the answers now – before you vote.
Show us respect and earn our vote. Go here to use our online advocacy system to contact your congressional leaders.
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