INTRODUCTION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ADVERTISING EQUITY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 76
(Extensions of Remarks - May 08, 2019)
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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E559]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
INTRODUCTION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ADVERTISING EQUITY
ACCOUNTABILITY ACT
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HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON
of the district of columbia
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce a bill, the Federal
Government Advertising Equity Accountability Act, to require all
federal agencies to include in their annual budget requests to Congress
the amount they spend on advertising contracts with small disadvantaged
businesses (SDBs) and businesses owned by minorities and women. Federal
agencies would be required to provide prior and projected total
expenditures for such contracts. Representatives Barbara Lee and Gwen
Moore are cosponsors of this bill.
In 2007, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined spending
on advertising contracts with minority-owned businesses by five
agencies--the Department of Defense, the Department of the Treasury,
the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of the
Interior and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration--and
found that only five percent of the $4.3 billion available for
advertising contracts went to minority businesses. In light of these
concerning figures, several Members of Congress and I sent a letter to
the GAO in April 2016 requesting updated information on the amount of
federal advertising dollars spent with SDBs and businesses owned by
minorities and women. That GAO report, released in July 2018, showed
that in fiscal year 2017, only 16 percent of the federal government's
advertising contract obligations went to SDBs and businesses owned by
minorities and women.
The federal government is the largest advertiser in the United
States, and it has an obligation to ensure equitable access to its
contracts for SDBs and businesses owned by minorities and women. The
GAO's findings make it clear that there is still much progress to be
made.
The regular collection of information on federal advertising
contracts with SDBs and businesses owned by women and minorities, along
with the provision of this information to legislators and stakeholders,
is essential to bridging the divide between what current statistics
show and a more inclusive advertising landscape. This bill would
achieve these goals while also promoting transparency and encouraging
federal agencies to strive to reach minorities, who often receive their
daily news from smaller media outlets that serve communities of color.
The requirement that agencies submit prior and projected information
regarding the amount of advertising dollars spent with SDBs and
businesses owned by minorities and women would allow federal agencies
to evaluate their progress over time. The regular collection of this
information would also demonstrate that the promotion of equity in
advertising, and in all areas of government, should be a continuous
effort that is important to the mission of every agency.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
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