African-American Chamber of Commerce Applauds the Shapiro-Davis Administration for Standing Up for Pennsylvania’s Diverse Business Community

PA Transportation Secretary Michael B. Carroll, on behalf of the Shapiro-Davis Administration, has urged the U.S. Department of Transportation to strengthen rather than dismantle programs that uplift diverse entrepreneurs.

PHILADELPHIA – Regina A. Hairston, president & CEO of the African-American Chamber of Commerce of PA, NJ & DE (AACC) released the following statement applauding the Shapiro-Davis Administration for its advocacy on behalf of Pennsylvania’s diverse businesses as the Trump Administration seeks to further roll back protections put in place decades ago to put an end to discrimination in government contracting:

“On behalf of the Board of Directors of the African-American Chamber of Commerce of PA, NJ & DE, I want to thank Governor Josh Shapiro and his Administration for their continued advocacy and support of the 75,000 Black-owned businesses across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. On Monday, November 3, Pennsylvania Transportation Secretary Michael B. Carroll sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) urging the department to withdraw its Interim Final Rule (IFR) that orders state transportation departments to discontinue their current DBE procurement programs. As president of the AACC, I was proud to also send the USDOT public comment calling for the withdrawal of this IFR.

“In the letter, Secretary Carroll points out the countless ways the USDOT’s IFR will devastate Pennsylvania’s small and diverse business community. He emphasizes how this rule will negatively impact our Commonwealth’s ability to improve the conditions of our roads and bridges and hinder our efforts to grow our workforce and expand our economy.

“At the AACC, we know that inclusion and uplifting Black-owned businesses is a strength rather than a weakness and we will continue our advocacy on behalf of our region’s small business community. We look forward to our continued partnership with the Shapiro-Davis Administration, the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, and other partners across the nation who remain committed to ensuring that diverse entrepreneurs are able to enter the construction industry, compete against larger corporations, and scale their businesses to grow our economy and transform our communities.”