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Women's Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act of 2018

Public Law 115-428 · S. 3247 · 115th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Jan 9, 2019 · International Affairs

Sponsor: Sen. John Boozman (R-AR)

Cosponsors (12): Sen. Benjamin Cardin,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 352 yea, 18 nay352–18
  • SenateVoice vote
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Women's Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act of 2018

This bill modifies U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) programs to provide targeted assistance for women.

USAID strategies and projects shall be shaped by analysis to address gender differences, including how results may be different for men and women due to issues such as gender roles and structural barriers.

The President is authorized to provide programs in developing countries for micro, small, and medium-sized businesses, particularly those owned, managed, and controlled by women. Previously, authorization for such programs was largely limited to microenterprises. The President is also authorized to provide targeted assistance programs that promote economic empowerment of women, including through increased access to financial resources, improving property and inheritance rights, and other legal protections.

For sustainable poverty-focused programs, half of resources targeting micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises shall be for activities that reach the very poor. Half of resources for programs for small and medium-sized enterprises shall be for activities targeting enterprises owned, managed, or controlled by women.

The bill directs USAID to modify its system for monitoring its programs to include outcomes broken down by gender, when feasible.

The President is authorized to expand the micro and small business development credit program to provide such assistance to medium-sized businesses as well.

The bill also directs USAID to break down various information in its annual report by gender and income level. USAID shall also report to Congress on the implementation of this bill. The Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress an assessment of the effect of development assistance for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries, and the extent to which such aid benefits women and the very poor.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 115th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 352 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

352 yea18 nay62 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(174)

Republicans who voted yea(178)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 1199 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 5480Related bill

    Women's Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act of 2018

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 19 actions.

  1. Jan 9, 2019Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 115-428.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Jan 2, 2019FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 21, 2018FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 352 - 18 (Roll no. 492).House roll call 492
  6. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  7. FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  8. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 3247.
  9. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  10. FloorFloor · Mr. Royce (CA) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  11. Dec 19, 2018FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
  12. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  13. FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  14. FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
  15. Nov 28, 2018CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 683.
  16. CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Corker with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
  17. CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
  18. Jul 19, 2018CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
  19. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.