U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) on Oct. 25 signed on as the lead original cosponsor of a bipartisan bill that would reauthorize the Interagency Committee on Women’s Business Enterprise (ICWBE), a U.S. government entity that coordinates federal resources to help women-owned businesses grow and succeed.
“Women have made monumental steps as business owners and entrepreneurs and we must remove unnecessary barriers so that women continue to succeed,” Rep. Salazar said.
The Interagency Committee on Women’s Business Enterprise Act of 2023, H.R. 6058, which is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY), would reauthorize the ICWBE to appoint a chairperson to handle panel operations and prevent backlogs. U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced the companion bill in her chamber.
“Women deserve a seat at the table,” said Rep. Salazar. “I am proud to cosponsor this bill to ensure that the Women’s Business Enterprise has a chairperson to operate and lead the panel.”
Established in 1979, the ICWBE has been inactive since 2000. No other federal agency has had the authority to help coordinate federal resources for women-owned businesses, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Salazar’s office.
Appointing an ICWBE chairperson would help increase the ability of the federal government to provide targeted assistance to women entrepreneurs as they seek to start and grow their businesses, and would update the agencies and departments that would coordinate to ensure all resources are being used effectively, the summary says.
Additionally, the bill would modernize the interagency mission to identify the barriers women business owners and women entrepreneurs face in starting and growing their businesses.
“Helping women business owners flourish helps ensure a strong economy and greater prosperity,” Rep. Meng said. “The fact that this is a bipartisan and bicameral effort, shows how important this is for our country, and the millions of female entrepreneurs across the nation.”
The Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization and the Association of Women’s Business Centers endorsed the measure.