GSBA Meets with Congressman Adam Smith

On October 20 GSBA members from the 9^th congressional district met with Representative Adam Smith at the offices of the Northwest Network of BTLG Survivors of Abuse.

The group discussed the frustrating lack of progress on a federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and the problematically broad religious exemptions within the current version. Rep. Smith admitted that the issue was not being addressed by this Congress, but that there was “no place for religious exemptions” in the bill. He agreed that taking people out of the job pool hurts our whole society, adding that “The strongest societies are those that discriminate the least.”

GSBA President & CEO Louise Chernin urged the Congressman to be wary of the increasing attempts by conservative groups and legislators to pass further so-called religious exemptions laws that would allow them to circumvent existing anti-discrimination bills. Monisha Harrell of Equal Rights Washington added that the religious exemptions clauses were of concern to many groups beyond the LGBT community, including women, racial minorities, and people who are divorced, among many others. Congressman Smith agreed and described them an example of religious fanaticism here in the United States. He stated that he wants "to be a voice where it is still needed, as much for healthcare as for gay rights,” listing areas that needed more attention, including equality and protection for the transgender community. He specifically mentioned the need to address wrongful discharges of transgender people serving in the military and continuing benefit inequities.

With the recent example of California’s opening of the utility contracts process to LGBT-certified businesses, George Pieper of Out Front Office Solutions informed the group and the Congressman about the need to proactively advocate for LGBT inclusion in minority contacting fairs and decisions.

Our hosts at the Northwest Network celebrated the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which was the very first federal protection based on sexual orientation or gender identity. They asked how we could build on that hard-fought success and extend it. The Congressman congratulated the group for effective advocacy in recent year, but again acknowledged that the party in control of the House of Representatives does not take up any legislation that they do not want to take up, meaning that probably there is little effective advocacy to be done on LGBT issues in the next term.

However, Rep. Smith urged the whole group to think long term, especially about how we address the critical issue of people being turned off government and civic engagement. He asked how progressives in general can prove once again that government does and can do good, as well as a broader narrative of what progressive politics are and how they can build a more just society. As always, advocates need to identify constituents of legislators who need to be convinced and have them share their personal stories.

You can find more information about Congressman Smith and contact his office here. He is the Ranking Member on the House Armed Services Committee.

Small Businesses Gain Federal Contracts

By Calvin W. Goings, Region 10 Regional Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration and GSBA Board Member

I am proud to announce that the federal government met its small business federal contracting goal for the first time in eight years.  In Fiscal Year 2013, our government awarded 23.39 percent in federal contracts to small businesses.  That’s $83.1 billion of contracting dollars, according to SBA’s Small Business Procurement Scorecard.

Progress continues in several small business prime contracting categories. The SBA has increased its efforts and collaboration with all federal agencies to broaden opportunities for our small businesses to compete and qualify for federal contracts. The new “Quick Pay” program has accelerated payments from the government to small businesses so small business owners can maintain cash flow to grow their businesses. And, the private sector’s equivalent, “Supplier Pay” program supports small businesses as well.

We all know that when small businesses earn federal contracts, it’s a ‘win-win’ for the federal government and for small businesses, the innovative job creators who fuel the nation’s economy.

As Regional Administrator, my goal is to ensure our small businesses continue to gain federal contracts to expand their opportunities and fuel the American economy. Therefore, you may be asking: what can my small business do to earn a share of federal contracts?

One of the first steps in becoming a government contractor is to determine if your small business qualifies for government contracts on SBA.gov. If your small business qualifies, you will need to register your business with the federal government’s System of Award Management (SAM) website, the primary database of vendors doing business with the federal government.

The SBA offers many additional support programs for America’s small businesses such as:

The SBA 8(a) Business Development Program offers an inclusive and broad scope of assistance to firms that are owned and controlled by underserved individuals. This program includes SBA’s Mentor Protégé Program, designed to connect successful firms with 8(a) program participants to establish your small business entrepreneurial success.

The “ChallengeHer Initiative”, a SBA partnership, with Women Impacting Public Policy and American Express Open, provides women a forum for discussion on federal contracting and connects women-owned businesses to increase their small business network.

And, SBA’s SUB-Net is a comprehensive database listing subcontracting opportunities by large prime contractors and other non-federal agencies. This is an excellent and alternative way to gain your share of the federal contracting process.  You can find the list of opportunities at www.sba.gov/content/sub-net.

You can learn more about small businesses and federal contracting through the Government Contracting Classroom which can be found at www.sba.gov/gcclassroom.

The SBA is here to help you, so if you have additional questions after exploring the various SBA tools mentioned above, please contact the Seattle District office at 206-553-7310 for additional resources and counseling.