NEWS | New Legislation Introduced in House to Revive the White House Conference on Small Business, NSBA Focus Issue
- NSBA
- Dec 23
- 3 min read
NSBA commends Representatives Davis and Finstad for their leadership in bringing momentum back to a White House Conference on Small Business—an overdue and critical priority NSBA has championed with small businesses nationwide since the last conference convened in 1995.
DEC. 23, 2025 | In the last week, as a last-minute present for NSBA members and supporters, a bipartisan coalition in the House took a meaningful step toward elevating the voice of America’s small-business community with the introduction of H.R. 6855, the White House Conference on Small Business Act.
The bill, introduced by Representatives Don Davis (D-N.C.) and Brad Finstad (R-Minn.), would reauthorize and revive the White House Conference on Small Business (WHCSB), a national forum that NSBA was instrumental in first organizing under the Carter Administration, and has continued to push for again since the last was held with President Clinton.
The foundation for NSBA's Washington Presentation, a White House Conference historically brought small-business owners, entrepreneurs, and advocates together with federal policymakers to develop a shared agenda on the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the nation's most important economic community
Past conferences occurred in 1980, 1986, and 1995, and played a key role in shaping federal policy by elevating local perspectives and forging consensus recommendations, but, while NSBA continues to independently host its Washington Presentation as an extension of this important event in its abence, an official Small Business White House Conference has not been convened in nearly 30 years.
According to NSBA’s own analysis, the small business landscape has changed dramatically since the last WHCSB, yet no Administration since 1995 has convened a new conference to assess the state of small business and set a forward-looking policy agenda founded on input from small-business owners nationwide. Convening a modern WHCSB would signal that Congress and the White House view small business long-term economic security as a priority.
Under the proposed legislation for H.R. 6855, Congress would authorize the reestablishment of the White House Conference on Small Business to:
Bring together small-business owners from every state and U.S. territory to share insights on economic conditions, regulatory burdens, workforce challenges, access to capital, and other core issues affecting Main Street.
Provide a structured national forum for policymakers to hear directly from small enterprises about what’s working and what isn’t in federal programs and policy.
Develop actionable recommendations that can inform legislation, executive branch initiatives, and future economic policy decisions that affect small businesses.
After its introduction on December 18, 2025, H.R. 6855 was referred to the House Committee on Small Business for consideration.
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NSBA has long called for a modern White House Conference on Small Business precisely because small-business conditions and challenges have evolved so substantially over the past three decades.
There have been major shifts in technology, workforce dynamics, global competition, capital markets, and regulatory regimes, yet, the nation hasn’t held a comprehensive, small business-focused summit in nearly 30 years.
Reviving the WHCSB would create a historic opportunity for small business owners to:
Shape national policy directly at the highest levels of government.
Ensure that federal discussions on jobs, innovation, trade, and regulation are grounded in the real-world experience of entrepreneurs.
Build bipartisan momentum around practical, Main Street-focused solutions.
NSBA applauds Reps. Davis and Finstad for introducing this legislation and for investing in a process that honors the central role small businesses play in the U.S. economy. We urge lawmakers in both chambers to advance H.R. 6855, authorize a new White House Conference on Small Business, and partner with the small-business community to forge policies that help more than Main Street thrive.
Small business is on EVERY street.
Stay tuned to NSBAadvocate.org for updates as this bill moves across Capitol Hill.
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