When you join Moms In Business Network, you join Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) is a national bi-partisan public policy organization representing more than 550,000 women in business and women business owners nationwide.
Like you, we understand the importance of public policy and the fact that it has a direct impact on running and expanding your business. Decisions are made daily in Congress and the Administration that affect your bottom line.
Through WIPP, MIBN works, in a bi-partisan fashion, to make sure that the voice of mom businesses owners is represented at the table where these decisions are being made.
Following is a summary of positions advocated by WIPP. MIBN supports WIPP in there efforts to make women business ownership represented in Congress, although on some items the stance on certain issues is not always shared by all members, the committees come to as much bi-partisan agreement as possible in order to achieve progress at least one step at a time.
If you would like to make a difference on any of the following issues: please alert us right away, and we will introduce you to the leaders of your state's Instant Impact Team Leaders.
Of the 46.6 million uninsured Americans, 60 percent are employed by a small business or a dependent of someone who is employed by a small business.
WIPP members have again ranked access to affordable healthcare for small businesses as a priority issue in the 2007 annual survey of legislative issues.
WIPP supports allowing small businesses to form large insurance pools nationwide to lower costs of healthcare premiums for small businesses.
WIPP submitted testimony on access to affordable healthcare to both the Senate and House Small Business Committees in March 2007.
WIPP continues to urge Congress to take action to ensure small businesses have access to affordable healthcare options to offer to their employees at reasonable rates or make it possible for employees to obtain individual insurance at rates they can afford.
Taxes
Both the House and Senate recently passed minimum wage legislation with provisions that would provide tax incentives for small businesses.
The House measure contained approximately $1.3 billion in tax incentives over ten years while the Senate bill contains $8.3 billion over ten years.
WIPP supports provisions that would provide tax incentives and support for small businesses and sent a letter to Senate Appropriations Committee leaders urging for support of important provisions as the bill moves to a House-Senate Conference Committee.
Access to Capital
WIPP supports the Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE) Act of 2007 (H.R. 578) that would encourage investment in small and women-owned businesses.
H.R. 578 would provide a 25% tax credit of up to $500,000 per taxable year to qualified angel investors. Similarly, the maximum investment amount for any single qualified small business is $250,000 per taxable year.
H.R. 578 was introduced by Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) and Rep. Don Manzullo (R-IL) and currently has 3 additional cosponsors: Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS), Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN).
WIPP supports initiatives to encourage investment in small businesses.
Procurement
Small Business Administration (SBA) Reauthorization
WIPP continues to press for vital provisions and programs to be included in the Small Business Administration (SBA) Reauthorization bill which will reauthorize all SBA programs for a three-year period through September 2009.
Provisions and programs that WIPP has highlighted in testimony, press releases, letters to Congress, and grassroots include implementation the Women’s Equity in Procurement Act; provisions that direct the SBA to accept certification from state, local and national certifying entities for women and minority owned firms; comprehensive legislative changes on contract bundling; and rules strengthening subcontracting requirements.
Women’s Equity in Procurement Act
Upon the release of the SBA-commissioned study, WIPP has urged the SBA to examine the results of the study and to take action to ensure that women entrepreneurs receive their fair share of government contracts.
WIPP continues to press the Congress and the Administration to implement the Women’s Equity in Procurement Act of 2000 which allows contracting officers to restrict up to 5% of all federal contracts to women owned businesses.
For five years, failure to implement this program has cost women owned businesses billions of dollars in federal contracts.
In the absence of this program, WIPP continues to work with the federal agencies to urge them to achieve the 5% contracting with women owned business goal.
WIPP submitted testimony to the SBA and Congressional committees on numerous occasions, most recently to the House Small Business Committee in March 2007.
Repeal of 3% Withholding Tax
WIPP supports H.R. 1023 and S. 777 which would repeal section 511 of the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-222).
Section 511 is a sweeping new requirement mandating that federal, state, and local governments withhold 3-percent from payments for goods and services. This new tax withholding requirement affects all government contracts as well as any payment to any person for a service or product provided to a government entity.
WIPP is advocating for repeal of this provision and is part of the Government Withholding Relief Coalition headed up by the US Chamber of Commerce.
Telecommunications
WIPP believes that market demand, innovation in technology and competition between providers should drive changes in the telecommunication sector.
WIPP supports and has weighed in on legislation that aims to increase competition in the telecommunications marketplace, which would reduce prices for small businesses and create innovation in the technological marketplace.
WIPP recently submitted Comments to FTC on Telecommunications Reform in February, 2007
Women’s Initiatives
Retirement for Women –Retirement Security for Life Act
The Retirement Security for Life Act (S.1010) was introduced in the Senate by Senators Kent Conrad (D-ND), Gordon Smith (R-OR), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY).
This bill is endorsed by the Americans for Secure Retirement Coalition, of which WIPP is a member.
The Retirement Security for Life Act would provide a 50 percent tax exclusion on the income from the payout of a lifetime annuity, up to $20,000 per year. Thus, for example, a taxpayer in the 25 percent tax bracket who excluded this amount from income would save $5,000.
Women’s Business Centers
Women’s Business Center grant renewal language contained in H.R. 1591, the Iraq Supplemental bill. If this bill is signed into law, all successful WBCs will be able to apply for renewable grant funding on a 3-year cycle. This WIPP-backed provision was previously offered by Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair John Kerry (D-MA) and Ranking Member Olympia Snowe (R-ME).
What makes this little bag the same price as your average home?
Surprising, isn't it? What could possibly be in this bag that costs the same as your home, yet is actually more important?
People everywhere around the country are forced to make a choice between this bag and their home. Why? Because this bag of life-saving prescriptions costs $1600 PER MONTH! In addition to health insurance that can cost between $550 to $1000 per month. This is more than many mortgages.
Recently a group of MIBN members went to speak with Nevada state representatives: Senator Harry Reid, Congressman Dean Heller, and Congressman Jon Porter to discuss the healthcare crisis in our country. We are actively seeking moms like you to meet with our representatives personally to discuss the issues that affect your business.
Members of MIBN can sign up to join a group of business leaders in your city.
What makes this little bag the same price as your average home?