"Would you punish your child for bringing home a good report card?

Hardly. Yet, that is the thinking behind the latest Washington assault on Native 8(a) contracting, a federal small business development program. This is one government program that actually works as it was intended, delivering value to taxpayers, critical services to our country and opportunities for some of the poorest people in our nation.

Its very success has prompted Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) to propose legislation calling for the eradication of the very provisions that make Native 8(a) contracting work so well. Senator McCaskill’s legislation would penalize Native Enterprises by breaking another promise this country made to its indigenous people – and close the door on one of the most promising avenues to economic sustainability.

It’s the same old story. Political, legal and economic rules are slanted against Tribes and anytime something proves valuable to Native Americans, the federal government takes it away.

Congress created the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 8(a) program in 1958 to help minority and other small, disadvantaged people build their businesses. Congress later brought Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations and Native Hawaiians into the program and granted them additional opportunities. Where most 8(a) businesses are small, often owned by one or two individuals, Native enterprises represent the interests of thousands – and in many cases tens of thousands of owners. Congress recognized that to make a meaningful economic impact, Native enterprises needed access to larger contracts and removed the cap on the size of Native 8(a) awards.

It took many years – and many failures - for our Native enterprises to become the business models many are today. Despite our progress, our share is less than two percent of the $439 billion the federal government spent on procurement contracts in 2007."

Get the Story:
Lance Morgan: Native 8(a): Keep It Going (The Hill 10/12)

Related Stories:
Sen. McCaskill plans bill to restrict Native contracting programs (10/8)
Alaska Native firms propose government contracting reforms (10/4)
Alaska Native corporation drops bid to take over troubled firm (10/4)
WaPo: Alaska Native shareholders unhappy with corporate deal (10/1)
WaPo: Alaska Native shareholders not reaping contract benefits (9/30)