Administration (established under section 8(a) of the Small Business Act ( 15 U.S.C. 637 )), discrimination and related barriers continue to pose significant obstacles for minority- and women-owned businesses seeking to do business in federally assisted transportation markets across the United States and through procurement contracts of Federal agencies. (2) The continuing barriers described in paragraph (1) merit the continuation of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program, the ACDBE program, and the Section 8(a) Business Development Program. (3) Congress has received and reviewed testimony and documentation of race and gender discrimination from numerous sources, including congressional hearings and roundtables, scientific reports, reports issued by public and private agencies, news stories, reports of discrimination by organizations and individuals, and discrimination lawsuits, which show that race- and gender-neutral efforts alone are insufficient to address the problem. (4) Some examples of the sources described in paragraph (3) include the following: (A) The hearing of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives held on September 23, 2020, titled Driving Equity: The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program . (B) The hearing of the Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure of the Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives held on March 2, 2022, titled The 8(a) Program: Overview and Next Steps to Promote Small Business Success . (C) The 2017 Disparity Study of the Illinois Department of Transportation. (D) The 2018 Disparity Study of the City of Denver. (5) The testimony and documentation described in paragraphs (3) and (4) demonstrate that discrimination across the United States poses a barrier to full and fair participation of women business owners and minority business owners in federally assisted transportation markets and through procurement contracts of Federal agencies and has impacted the