Investing in A New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say a few words about the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise--or DBE--Program. While our progress toward equal opportunity for minority and women entrepreneurs has been slower than I would like, the DBE program is a big part of the reason we are at least moving in the right direction. In a recent study in my home State of Illinois, researchers examined business opportunities associated with the Pace Suburban Bus agency. This agency connects my district to the suburbs surrounding Chicago and also provides paratransit services to people with disabilities. This study didn't just examine Pace's own spending, but also examined how businesses in the broader Illinois construction market are faring. This is very important because Pace operates the DBE program which at least opens the door to businesses owned by women and minorities, while the broader construction market is dominated by the private sector which generally lacks such equal opportunity measures. The study performed regression analyses to determine what business earnings were for women and minority business owners even after adjusting for a number of factors such as education, age, occupation and industry. The results were startling: business earnings for Latino firm owners as compared to white male firm owners were 6 percent lower, for Asians they were 10 percent lower, for white women they were 19 percent lower, for Native Americans and African Americans, they were 26 percent lower. Pace Suburban Bus Disparity Study 2015, Colette Holt & Associates, 2015, at 96. These statistics make clear why it's so incredibly difficult for women and minorities to get ahead in business--and why the DBE Program is so necessary.

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