Legislation to support Native American entrepreneurs could boost grants to tribes, Hawaiian natives

A bipartisan effort to strengthen and expand government-backed opportunities for Native American entrepreneurs got a boost this week, with legislation championed by a Kansas lawmaker advancing in the U.S. House.

The Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act — introduced by U.S. Reps. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, and Eli Crane, R-Arizona — moved out of committee Wednesday, according to Davids’ office. A version of the bill also passed out of committee in the U.S. Senate in mid-2023.

“Small businesses are the heartbeat of our communities and economy, and Tribal businesses are often important employers on reservations and their surrounding areas,” said Davids, who is an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation and member of the U.S. House Small Business Committee.

The proposed legislation would create a better government-to-government working relationship with Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations, Davids said. The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Native American Affairs (ONAA) would also be able to expand its grant-making ability, establish field offices, conduct tribal consultation, utilize SBA’s entrepreneurial and contracting programs, and provide training, counseling, and technical assistance.

Currently, the ONAA has a valuable but limited mission, Davids said: to support Native American entrepreneurs, conduct outreach with tribal communities, and connect Native business owners with SBA resources. However, because the current SBA budget does not include explicit funding for the ONAA, the office can only support a small staff and can be unilaterally disbanded.

The legislation enhances the ONAA by codifying it into federal law, establishing an assistant administrator role to oversee its operations and report directly to SBA leadership.

Watch a video from U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids’ remarks to congressional colleagues Wednesday, then keep reading.

“We must break down barriers and increase access to resources so that every entrepreneur and business owner can grow their operation and succeed, and it all begins with having a seat at the table,” Davids said. “I appreciate the broad bipartisan support for this bill, which aims to provide Native entrepreneurs with direct access to SBA leadership.”

ICYMI: Bill to help ease veterans’ transition from military to business passes US House with KC leaders in the trenches

The Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act was originally introduced in 2021.

“Economic development in our tribal communities is crucial — not just for those communities, but for everyone in our districts and states,” said Rep. Crane. “This bill will help draw more attention to the resources available to tribal business owners through the SBA and encourage the ONAA to continue developing new methods for outreach to ensure that tribal businesses are not overlooked — all without unnecessarily expanding government.”