Max Baucus: “I want to ruminate about this concept of quotas and goals. First of all, nobody likes quotas. They are rigid, they are…”

“I want to ruminate about this concept of quotas and goals. First of all, nobody likes quotas. They are rigid, they are unforgiving, they are almost insulting. The DBE program does not use quotas; it uses goals. Now, some say the goal is 10 percent, 15 percent, or 20 percent, or what not; so is it really a goal? To be honest with ourselves here, it is a goal, but it does have a number associated with it. For example, the number is 10 percent. Some States ask for a lower goal--not a quota, but a lower goal. Some States are granted those lower goals. Some States ask for higher goals and they are granted those higher goals. Some States say, ``Our goal is going to be 10 percent,'' and lo and behold, it turns out that the disadvantaged business enterprise program does not meet 10 percent, it is a lower percent. That has happened in a couple of States. In 1996, in Arizona and in Alaska, the goal was 10 percent, but those two States did not reach the 10 percent goal. In Alaska, it was 8.6 percent. In Arizona, it was 8.9 percent. You might ask: What happened? Why didn't those States meet their goals? As far as I know, nothing has happened, which is further evidence that this is not a quota; it is just a goal. We all know that goals are important. We know that if we want to achieve something, it is good to have a goal.”