UPDATE: Women-owned small businesses victorious in U.S. District Court; Numbers are on the rise

A Census Bureau study released today found that women-owned businesses grew 20 percent from 1997 to 2002. During that period, women-owned businesses grew at twice the national rate for all private companies and also outpaced the growth of firms owned by men. The report comes as the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce (USWCC) is celebrating a victory for women-owned small businesses around the country. In a case we have been following, the U.S. District Court recently ruled that the Small Business Administration had been “unreasonably” delaying the implementation of the Women’s Procurement Program, resulting in the loss of “billions of dollars in opportunities every year” for women business owners, according to USWCC CEO Margot Dorfman.

Full Article:
Women-Owned Businesses Grew at Twice the National Average, Census Bureau Reports

NEW: Check out NCRW's Research*for*Action Clearinghouse for Information on Judge Alito Confirmation Hearings

This URGENT ACTION edition of the Clearinghouse features the important work of our member centers and other advocacy groups on the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, providing you with the tools to get involved, learn the issues, and make your voice heard!

NEW: Check out NCRW's Research*for*Action Clearinghouse for Information on Judge Alito Confirmation Hearings

NEW: Timeline shows years of delay by FDA on Plan B

NCRW has been following the FDA's delay in announcing a decision on the over-the-counter status of the emergency contraceptive Plan B. Recently, the GAO released a report on the "unusual" nature of the FDA's past decisions on the drug. Earlier this week, Mother Jones released a timeline providing a comprehensive outline of years of delay in decisions regarding emergency contraception.
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UPDATE: Senate passes tax cuts; House passes cuts to vital programs

Last week the House voted to cut $50 billion from Medicaid, food stamps, student loans, and child support enforcement among other programs that provide critical support to low- and moderate-income women and their families. The same night, the Senate passed a $60 billion tax cut bill - more than half of which would go to households with incomes over $1 million.

Read more from the National Women's Law Center and Fair Taxes for All Coalition

Read more on taxes and women from the National Council for Research on Women

UPDATE: Full GAO Report on FDA's "Unusual" Plan B Decision Released

We reported last month on the intial findings of the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) report on the FDA's decision to deny the sale of Plan B over-the-counter. The full report, titled Decision Process to Deny Initial Application for Over-the-Counter Marketing of the Emergency Contraceptive Drug Plan B Was Unusual is now available on the GAO's website.

TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE (PDF)

MISSING: Women and People of Color in Government Contracts in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina

Under Executive Order 11246, signed in 1965 by President Johnson, federal contractors having 50 or more employees and $50,000 in federal contracts must prepare a written affirmative action program. In the wake of a large rebuilding effort in areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina and Rita, the Department of Labor has signed a memorandum which allows companies receiving new contracts to be exempt from compliance with the affirmative action program requirements.

TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

NEW: General Accounting Office Releases Initial Findings on 2004 FDA Plan B Decision

The Washington Post reported today on initial findings from the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) report on the FDA's 2004 decision to reject the over-the-counter status of Plan B. The draft GAO report indicates that the decision was "highly unusual, was made with atypical involvement from top agency officials, and may well have been made months before it was formally announced." The full report will be available by the end of the month.

TO READ MORE CLICK HERE