Max Baucus: “That is a very good point, particularly as to how much this has helped women become an equal force in this society--or…”

“That is a very good point, particularly as to how much this has helped women become an equal force in this society--or getting there. Third, the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program works. After the program went into effect, the percentage of highway expenditures going to disadvantaged businesses rose significantly, from 8 percent in 1982 to 12.9 percent in 1983. It has remained pretty stable ever since. The percentage of expenditures going to women-owned businesses has risen steadily, from 3.1 percent in 1983 to 6.7 percent in 1996. That is still pretty low. After all, women make up more than half of the population and own one-third of all small businesses. Maybe 6.7 percent is nothing to crow about, but it's more than double the percentage of expenditures that went to women-owned businesses in 1983, before women were added to the DBE Program. We can look at it another way. What would happen if this program were repealed? In recent years, several States have eliminated their own disadvantaged business enterprise programs, and the results have been dramatic. In 1989, Michigan repealed its disadvantaged business enterprise program for State highway contracts. Within 9 months, the percentage of highway dollars going to minority-owned businesses fell to zero. The percentage of highway dollars going to women-owned businesses receiving highway contracts fell to 1 percent.”