Kerry Initiative for Women in Business Passes Senate

[bigtree]

The Senate today passed, S.2267, the Women's Sustainability Recovery Act. Originally introduced by Sen. John Kerry's (D-Mass.) as part of S.2186, the legislation safeguards women's business centers funded through the SBA in 39 states.

"Women-owned firms are constantly breaking down the barriers of the past and proving that the business world is no longer a good ol' boy network," said Kerry, Ranking Member of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. "This legislation prevents the Administration from continuing to short- change women entrepreneurs by short-changing the business centers that have been a valuable tool in helping them succeed."

The bill, which is identical to the provision introduced by Kerry on March 9, 2004, corrects the SBA's outdated funding formula to protect 53 of most experienced women's business centers (WBCs) that are at risk of losing funding. These women's business centers have graduated from the initial stage of the program and have entered the second, or "sustainability" phase. These "sustainability" centers make up over half the total centers, but currently receive less than a third of the program's funds.

"Last year alone, the WBC network helped 106,000 women in business," Kerry said. "Today, with women-owned firms opening at one-and-a-half times the rate of all privately held companies, the demand and need for women's business centers is even greater. Funding is not only important to the centers themselves, but to the women's business community at-large and to the millions of workers employed by women-owned businesses around the country."

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=191-04292004

[goobergunch]

1. Congratulations to Kerry and the Small Business Committee

It also bears noting that S 2267 is almost identical to S 2266, which was sponsored by Kerry (of course, the Senate Repubs weren't going to pass something directly sponsored by him) - and Kerry co-sponsored S 2267.

[timdoodle]

2. Too bad

Kerry wasn't there to vote for it. One of the many problems of running for POTUS out of the Senate...

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3. Unnessary for him to be there

If they needed him there he would have gone. I'm more impressed that he is focused on the election, which could be catastrophic in the biblical sense if Bush wins, rather than preening around the Senate halls taking credit for a bill he concieved, introduced, and shepherded to place it in a position to be realized.

edit: simmering down