An amendment permanently establishing the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) has been unanimously accepted into the federal infrastructure agreement.
U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) presented the amendment expanding the agency’s capacity to promote and administer programs aiding minority business enterprises (MBEs) development and resiliency.
“The Minority Business Development Agency is a crucial resource for minority owned business and businesses in underserved communities,” Baldwin said. “Especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resources provided by the MBDA will help hundreds of entrepreneurs and minority businesses achieve their goals and build back better. I am glad to see our bipartisan amendment make this agency permanent, and look forward to seeing businesses in Wisconsin and nationwide take advantage of the support and assistance they offer.”
Authorities noted amendment provisions include providing certainty by placing the MBDA in statute and formally establishing processes for the MBDA Business Center Program; making the MBDA more effective by placing into law the mission and goals of the agency and providing tools for successful execution; and forming an entrepreneurial talent pipeline via the creation of a new program encouraging entrepreneurship at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and minority serving institutions (MSIs).
“The African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin proudly supports the Minority Business Development Act of 2021 and recognizes Sen. Baldwin’s leadership on this issue,” Ossie C. Kendrix Jr., president and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin, said. “As Black business owners begin to build back our economy in the post-pandemic world, we will need deliberate legislative actions that will assist in the creation and growth of economic opportunities in our community.”