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Senator
Kerry and Senator Reid Support a Study That Will Ensure Minority
Firms Get Fair Share of Federal Advertising Contracts
Washington, DC--(HISPANIC
PR WIRE)--June 14, 2006--In an effort to ensure minority firms
are getting their fair share of federal advertising contracts,
Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), top Democrat on the Committee on
Small Business and Entrepreneurship, requested a study to determine
if the federal government is aggressively pursuing a policy to
expand minority advertising contracting opportunities.
“As members of
the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP Inc.),
we are very glad that Senator Kerry took the initiative in this
important and determinative step for Hispanic publications. We
have been soliciting this study for years and finally Senator
Kerry took the initiative to find out how much money the federal
government spends in advertising and how much of that money is
being spent in minority press”, said NAHP Inc. President,
Lupita Colmenero. “In other words, we are glad that the
federal government is being inclusive, she said.
“Senator Kerry
came to Meet The Hispanic Press and did more than speak on public
policy issues. He leads a call for accountability in how our Federal
government works with minority media in reaching our community
of diversity. He has now been joined by Senator Harry Reid (D-NV)
in this effort, and we are proud to have these two men working
on this important issue,” said Eddie Escobedo, Chairman
of the Board of Directors of NHPF (National Hispanic Press Foundation).
“For nearly six
years we’ve had a policy in place that says the federal
government is supposed to be advertising in minority publications
and on radio and television stations that reach minority audiences.
Are they doing that? Are they aggressively contracting with minority
firms?” Kerry asked. “It’s time we know how
the government measures up in meeting its responsibility to reach
out to all sectors of the American economy and in keeping its
commitment to minority entrepreneurs,” said Kerry.
Executive Order 13170,
signed in October 2000, directs federal agencies to expand all
contracting opportunities for small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs),
Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs), and firms participating
in the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) business development
program, including in information technology and General Service
Administration schedules. The Executive Order specifically requires
each federal agency to “take an aggressive role in ensuring
substantial minority-owned entities’ participation, including
8(a), SDB, and MBE, in federal advertising-related procurements.”
Kerry sent a letter
to the Government Accountability Office asking them to:
-- Determine which
federal agencies have developed plans to comply with the order
and to what extent there were shortfalls in compliance; and
-- Find out how many contracts were awarded to SDB, MBE and 8(a)
firms; and
-- Examine the total amount of federal dollars spent on advertising
2001-2005, and of that, how much money went to SDB, MBE and 8(a)
small businesses.
About the National
Association of Hispanic Publications, Inc
The National Association
of Hispanic Publications, Inc., (NAHP, Inc) is the largest organization
representing Hispanic publications at the national level. NAHP
Inc. works with 150 member and affiliated publications that share
a combined circulation of more than 10 million. Its member publications
and affiliated media associates reach more than 50 percent of
Hispanic households in throughout the U.S. every week. NAHP, Inc.
provides professional tools to assist Hispanic publications to
more effectively reach their readership. NAHP Inc. works hard
at keeping the Hispanic community informed and educated about
social issues, updating its readers about member publications,
providing technical assistance and improving the quality of Hispanic
publications at the national level. Please, visit our website
for more information: http://www.nahp.org or call 202-662-7250.
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CONTACT:
Adonaí Morales
915-532-3975 ext 323 |
