The National 8(a) Association returns to Anchorage for its summer conference, on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 22 and 23. Karen Mills, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, is attending and will give the Keynote address. Other officials — from DoD, the Dept. of Interior, Dept. of Justice, NASA, SBA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have confirmed they’ll be here. Speakers include Margot Dorfman, CEO, U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce and VP, National Association of Small Business Contractors.  Combined with the contractors with whom you want to network, and matchmaking sessions, this is shaping up to be the most successful education and networking conference ever!

This year saw a number of issues facing Alaska Natives and as a member of Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, I was able to defend Alaska’s Native Corporations on their ability to operate under the 8(a) program and also work to improve life in Alaska’s Native communities and villages.

This past summer, the Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight held a hearing on the contracting preferences extended to Alaska Native Corporations, Indian tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations. While not a member of this subcommittee, I was invited to participate and defend the benefits of these preferences for Alaska Natives. As a result of this hearing, I have requested that Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, hold a hearing on the Native American 8(a) program and examine the federal Indian policy behind it. While reform may be needed to protect the purpose and the integrity of the Native American contracting program, I believe that this should be done at a neutral hearing that includes all stakeholders.

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In late October, the agency published the proposed regulation changes in the Federal Register and the deadline to submit comments is December 28. Click here to review the proposed rule changes.

The public meetings next week will be held on Thursday, December 10, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday, December 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The meeting will be held at the SBA headquarters at 490 3rd Street in Washington, D.C. in the Eisenhower Conference room located on the second floor. To review the Federal Register’s posting of the meeting announcement, click here.

Participants wishing to testify must pre-register for the sessions by contacting Latrice Andrews (Latrice.Andrews@sba.gov) of the SBA’s Office of Business Development. You can also reach Andrews by fax at (202) 481-4042.

“The development of the Native business community is integral to the culture and economy of Alaska,” said Rep. Young. “We need to make it attractive for businesses to open and grow in Alaska so that we can continue to be a strong state. I will always offer any support I can to that effort, and this bill will most certainly work towards that goal.”

The Native American Business Development Enhancement Act of 2009:

• Authorizes the SBA’s Administrator (acting through the Associate Administrator) to: (1) operate a Tribal Business Information Centers program that provides Native American populations with business training and entrepreneurial development assistance; (2) designate entities as centers; (3) contribute agency personnel and resources to the centers; and (4) make grants to the centers.
• Allows any eligible applicant to apply for an additional grant to assist with outreach, development, and enhancement on Indian lands of small business startups and expansions owned by Indian tribe members, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. Requires for eligibility, that the applicant be in a state in which the combined Indian Tribe members, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians make up at least 1% of the state’s total population.

The 8(a) program works within the federal government, which gives preference to Alaska Native corporations in landing federal contracts without competition from other bidders.

State lawmakers say it’s under threat and Monday they met to present a unified defense.

Native corporations and lobbying groups are now on the record.

“We hope that your involvement will prove to be a positive influence on this economic engine for Alaska,” said Sarah Lukin of the Native American Contractors Association in her testimony.

Their testimony is ammunition to fight for 8(a).

“ANCSA (Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act) corporations are not merely for-profit corporations. They are stewards of the native homeland, sponsors of education and training opportunities, employers of first resort for our people,” said Julie Kitka, the president of the Alaska Federation of Natives.

In July, a U.S. Senate subcommittee put the program under the microscope.

“From the taxpayer perspective, it’s hard to see why the Alaska Native corporations should be able to receive enormous contracts with no competition,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.

Native corporations routinely handle multi-million dollar bids.

The Small Business Administration argued it’s unfair to treat the corporations as if they’re small, disadvantaged businesses.

The chatter on Capitol Hill concerns Alaskans who rely on 8(a).

“The 8(a) program and the benefits that it have brought to the Alaska Native corporations are second only to the TAPS (Trans-Alaska Pipeline system) line and the pipeline and what it has done for Alaska,” said state Rep. Jay Ramras, R-Fairbanks.

State Sen. Lesil McGuire, R-Anchorage, says they’ll need all the help they can get.

“We could get the other lawmakers in New Mexico and Hawaii together and form sort of a coalition of local lawmakers that see the benefits of this 8(a) program within their communities,” McGuire said.

State lawmakers say they’ll send a transcript of this hearing to Alaska’s Washington delegation.

A report shows in the year 2000 Alaska Native corporations collected $500 million in contracts. Eight years later that number skyrocketed to $5 billion, but advocates say the law is doing what it’s supposed to do.

Though most 8(a) corporations can only receive federal contracts of five million dollars or less, Alaska Native corporations are the exception.

They have no limit because of an amendment that former Sen. Ted Stevens helped pass.

Contact Ted Land at tland@ktuu.com