NEWS | White House Conference on Small Business, NSBA Focus Issue Gains Momentum in Congress

NSBA is grateful for the leaders from Congress to the White House pushing to revive this important conference convening small-business leaders to discuss the realities of policy and their effects on the nation's most important economic community.

APRIL 16, 2026 | A bipartisan push to revive the long-dormant White House Conference on Small Business (WHCSB) took a significant step forward this week, with lawmakers on Capitol Hill formally advancing efforts to reestablish the national forum for the first time in more than three decades.

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Originally proposed through bipartisan legislation introduced in late 2025 by Congressmen Finstad (R-Minn.) and Davis (D-N.C.), the proposal (H.R. 6855) would convene small-business owners, policymakers, and federal agencies to develop a comprehensive, forward-looking policy agenda addressing the most pressing challenges facing Main Street. The announcement underscores growing bipartisan recognition that the small-business landscape has evolved dramatically since the last official conference was held in 1995.

This week, the NSBA team joined the authors of H.R. 6855 at an announcement of the campaign to make efficacious this bill on the steps of the Capitol building, accompanied by small-business owners and agency leaders from across Washington.

NSBA's Todd McCracken joins Members of Congress in support of revival of a WHCSB discussion on Capitol Hill.

The WHCSB has historically served as a critical mechanism for elevating the voices of entrepreneurs nationwide, bringing together stakeholders from every state and territory to provide direct input on issues such as access to capital, regulatory burdens, workforce development, and economic competitiveness. Past conferences held in 1980, 1986, and 1995 played a meaningful role in shaping federal small-business policy by generating consensus-driven recommendations for Congress and the Administration.

Supporters of the renewed effort argue that reconvening the conference is long overdue, particularly given the rapid changes in technology, global competition, and capital markets. The modernized conference would aim to produce actionable policy recommendations while strengthening coordination between federal decision-makers and the small-business community.

The latest movement on Capitol Hill signals increasing momentum behind the initiative, positioning the White House Conference on Small Business as a potentially central platform for shaping the next generation of small-business policy.

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