WASHINGTON — The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has drafted legislation it hopes to introduce into Congress in April to reauthorize the White House Conference on Small Business (WHCSB).
The draft legislation sets up the framework for a new WHCSB, including sponsorship by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and establishing that only delegates selected by state conferences may attend the national conference.
The first WHCSB was convened by President Carter in 1980, according to the March 26 issue of TIA's Weekly Legislative Update. Subsequent conferences were convened by President Reagan in 1986 and President Clinton in 1995, it said.
"All three conferences shared similar organizational formats and activities performed, with differences generated in process and outcomes," TIA said.
"To their credit, each of the three conferences issued 60 policy recommendations for Congress and the administration to consider," TIA said.
"In addition, the 1995 conference delegates elected regional implementation teams which worked closely with SBA officials in monitoring congressional and executive branch action on the 1995 conference's recommendations," it said.
There has not been a WHSBC in more than two decades, and this is far too long to go without a national forum for small business, according to the association.
"The 115th Congress should reunite the wide variety of voices within the small business community to help educate Congress and the White House on issues that matter most to small businesses," it said.