During National Small Business Week, Ernst Recognizes Women-Owned Small Businesses
During National Small Business Week, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, introduced a resolution to recognize the specific contributions of women-owned small businesses to Iowa and the nation. The resolution is cosponsored by Senators Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ed Markey (D-Mass), James Risch (R-Idaho), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.).
“Numbering more than 94,000 across the state of Iowa, women-owned small businesses are integral to our state’s economy—creating thousands of jobs and providing critical services for our communities, big and small,” said Senator Joni Ernst. “This resolution gives women entrepreneurs and small business owners the recognition they deserve for their tireless and irreplaceable contributions to our state and nation.”
“We are proud to see our nation’s leaders acknowledging the work of women business owners during National Small Business Week,” said National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Board Chair Cristina Morales Heaney. “Over the past two years, NAWBO has seen women business owners overcome hardships and face adversity head-on. Our contribution to the national economy and our local communities will forever change the landscape in America, and we are pleased to see both sides of the aisle highlighting our efforts.”
Senator Ernst has long been a staunch advocate for women-owned small businesses. In March, Ernst introduced the Empowering Women in Small Business Act, which seeks to increase access to capital for women-owned small businesses and make sure federal contracting obligations are being met according to existing law. Ernst penned an op-ed last year in the Cedar Rapids Gazette criticizing the federal government for its failure to reach its goal of awarding five percent of all federal contracting opportunities to women-owned small businesses, which has only been met twice since the goal was established in 1994.
