Economics professor Thomas "Danny" Boston has been tapped by U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu's chief of staff to help the Small Business Administration (SBA) re-fashion federal guidelines for purchasing from minority businesses. Boston was asked to join a roundtable discussion convened September 24th by Landrieu who chairs the Senate Small Business Committee.

The roundtable hearing enabled senators and their staff to explore small business policy and seek recommendations for changes from Dr. Boston and other participants. Discussion centered on "Minority Entrepreneurship: Evaluating Small Business Resources and Programs."

Boston's work with the committee centers on the SBA's Small Disadvantaged Businesses(SDB). Program modifications in 1998 established a Personal Net Worth (PNW) ceiling or cap. The $750,000 ceiling was designed to restrict access to federal preferential procurement contracts to disadvantaged business owners. Boston's research shows that, in practice, the ceiling has severely constrained the capacity of participating firms. "Increasing the PNW ceiling is a necessary condition," says Boston, "but it is a very short" run solution to a major regulatory impediment."

This was Boston's third briefing during the past year at the behest of a congressional body relevant to his research on minority entrepreneurship.