Davids Highlights Women Entrepreneurs in Kansas’ Third District During Small Business Committee Hearing

Today, as the Chair of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax and Capital Access, Representative Sharice Davids led a hearing on the barriers facing women entrepreneurs. Executive Director of the Kansas City Women's Business Center Sherry Turner testified during the hearing, sharing her experience working with over 800 female business owners in Kansas, particularly through the pandemic.

In Overland Park, 40% of businesses are owned by women, and nationally, women are the fastest growing subset of entrepreneurs. Yet they still face unique barriers to starting and growing their business: only about 24 percent of small business loans go to female entrepreneurs, and when they do obtain loans, the average amount is 33 percent less than their male peers.

Watch Davids and KC WBC Executive Director Sherry Turner discuss the challenges facing Kansas women entrepreneurs during the pandemic:

Watch clip here.

"Women-owned businesses employ 9.4 million people nationwide, but throughout the pandemic, female entrepreneurs have been more likely to close their doors and report a significant decline in the health of their companies. Overall, women lost their jobs at rates 24 percent higher than men," said Davids. "A strong recovery from this crisis will depend on helping female entrepreneurs rebuild and getting women back in the workforce—and I'm glad to have local resources like the Kansas City Women's Business Center driving that effort."

"Certainly, the CARES Act was our lifeline as an organization to be able to increase our capacity…with some of the CARES Act dollars, through one of our largest counties in Kansas we were able to put $13.5 million of grant money towards businesses that were less than 15 employees," said KC WBC Executive Director Sherry Turner. "The grant we received through the Office of Women's Business Ownership is around 25% of our budget…[Davids' Women's Business Center Improvement Act] would potentially double that, which would really allow for more service."

Watch Davids and KC WBC Executive Director Sherry Turner discuss the Women's Business Center Improvement Act:

Watch here.

Last Congress, Davids introduced the Women's Business Center Improvement Act, which would boost access to resources for women business owners and increase funding for the Small Business Administration's WBC program. WBCs operate across the country, including in Kansas, and provide a full range of counseling and technical training services for small businesses primarily owned by women. The bill passed the House last Congress with bipartisan support.

Throughout the pandemic, Davids has worked tirelessly to ensure that small businesses continue to serve as the heart of our community. She introduced the SUPPLIES Act, which would promote manufacturing of PPE and medical equipment like face masks, hospital gowns, ventilators, and testing materials at small and medium manufacturers here at home. She has also been a fierce advocate for minority- and tribal-owned businesses, working with SBA to secure critical funds through PPP for these traditionally underserved business owners.