Political Quotes

“I rise this morning to applaud the other body for passing the procurement goals for small business concerns owned by women amendment to the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994. I applaud Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and Carol Moseley-Braun for working for the concerns of women-owned small business. I have introduced a similar amendment to H.R. 4263, the Small Business and Minority Procurement Opportunities Act of 1994, in the Committee on Small Business. I applaud the leading organizations across the country representing women business interest, lead by the National Women's Business Council, in joining together to make sure that procurement reform contains provisions to assist women-owned business to gain access to Federal Government procurement. Currently, there are more than 6.5 million women-owned small businesses. These businesses employ more workers than the Fortune 500 and are found in all industry sectors. This number has grown by more than 60 percent in the past 5 years. In the same period, total receipts for women-owned small businesses have nearly tripled--raising to $278.1 billion in 1987 and projected to reach $1 trillion in 1995. However, one of the major obstacles faced by women business owners is the lack of access to Federal procurement contracts. The U.S. Government is the world's largest buyer of goods and services.”