forging a new course

By David Lizarraga, Chairman of the USHCC

Hispanic growth as a population and as an economic engine has illustrated the changing fabric of America’s business community and economy over the past decade. Hispanic businesses have developed a presence in key industries such as agriculture, construction, transportation, finance and services.
Today, Hispanic consumer and business wealth is vital to helping the United States advance and compete in a global economy. The USHCC represents the nation’s more than 2.5 million Hispanic-owned businesses that collectively generate nearly $400 billion in revenue annually.
As vital contributors to the U.S. economy, Hispanic entrepreneurs will engage with top leaders in the White House, Congress and Corporate America at the USHCC Legislative Conference in March, leading toward the Presidential elections in November. At this event, we will advance a legislative agenda that addresses issues of concern to our Hispanic business community. These include:

• Small Business
and Procurement Reform
The USHCC supports the reauthorization of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and key legislative improvements to SBA’s small and minority business programs. We also support improvements on contract bundling, increasing federal contracting goals for small business, size standard reform and improved enforcement, and the reinstatement of the Price Evaluation Adjustment program across all federal agencies.
• Expanding Fair Trade
in the Americas
The USHCC supports an extension of the President’s Trade Promotion Authority and the approval of trade agreements with Panama and Colombia in order to advance the cause of fair trade and poverty reduction in Latin America, and as a diplomatic tool to advance democratic, labor and safety standards. Toward that end, the USHCC also encourages the White House to negotiate fair trade agreements with other Latin American nations such as Bolivia and Ecuador.

• Promoting Homeownership
and Hispanic Net Worth
The USHCC is concerned that the current crisis in the housing market will result in the loss of approximately $71 billion in housing wealth. Ultimately, the upcoming foreclosures—including 2 million expected from ARMs readjustments this year—will cause a 10 percent decline in housing prices, which will lead to a $2.3 trillion economic loss. The USHCC encourages Congress and the administration to address this foreclosure crisis without jeopardizing the availability of debt capital.
• Health Care and Education
The USHCC believes significant reform of our health care system is required to address the coverage gap affecting the Hispanic community. The gap in access is best addressed by lowering the cost of health coverage premiums, which are spiraling out of control for both individuals and employers, and by easing regulatory restrictions to enable small businesses to provide health care coverage to their workers.
In education, the USHCC recognizes in the need to improve the quality of our workforce and supports revisions to the No Child Left Behind Act to increase investments in English Language Learners, decrease dropout rates, and close the achievement gap of minority students.
• Immigration Reform
The USHCC continues to strongly support efforts to enact comprehensive reform of our nation’s immigration laws. Initiatives such as the one passed in Arizona and the Social Security No-Match initiative being pursued by the administration will have a devastating effect on the economy and employment. Congress and the administration should remain steadfast in seeking comprehensive immigration reform including H-2B reform, the Dream Act, and other important legislative fixes to our broken immigration laws.

I agree when our presidential candidates say America needs change. It is imperative that these and other key legislative issues be addressed by our new president. We must change the way we do business in Washington and quickly adopt an economic stimulus package that will strengthen our economy and create jobs so that, through hard work and perseverance, Americans of every color and creed can achieve the American Dream.
In Washington DC, from March 11-13, the USHCC will mobilize Hispanic entrepreneurs from across the U.S. to give voice to the urgent concerns of the small business community. The USHCC cannot do this alone; no one ever does. We need Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans—people of every color in the human rainbow who comprise the rich tapestry we call the United States of America.