Grassley Works to Keep the Iowa Women's Business Center Open


? Sen. Chuck Grassley today introduced legislation that would secure continued funding for the Iowa Women's Business Center. The Iowa center is funded by the Small Business Administration. The legislation was introduced with Sen. Olympia Snowe, Chairwoman of the Senate Small Business Committee.

Grassley said the Iowa's Women's Business Center provides services to more than 700 women entrepreneurs annually and is in danger of suffering significant funding cuts and possible closure. Grassley's legislation would make an immediate change in the funding formula of Women's Business Centers Program to help ensure adequate funds to maintain the Iowa Women's Business Center.

"The Women's Business Center helps start and build successful women-owned businesses in Iowa which are vital to the health of Iowa's economy," Grassley said. "We can't afford to have the resources offered by the Women's Business Center not at the fingertips of entrepreneurs who might need the business training and technical assistance."

The Iowa Women's Business Center is supported by a grant from the Small Business Administration's Office of Women's Business Ownership. There are six locations in Iowa: Coralville, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Sioux City and Waterloo.

According to the Small Business Administration, there are 9.1 million women-owned small businesses in the United States. These businesses contribute $3.6 trillion to the economy and employ 25.5 million people.