Make Your Voice Heard on Capitol Hill
Women Business Owners Hear from Capitol Hill Experts on Wealth Taxes, Other Issues Facing Family Businesses
Women’s Business Owners Group Acts as ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ Advisory Panel to the Congressional Family Business Caucus
Women business owners sat down with legislative insiders from Washington, D.C., here recently to discuss key legislative issues critical to women-owned family businesses, including looming wealth and estate taxes.
The Women’s Business Owners Group (The Group) event was attended by over 20 women business owners and included sessions on legislative insights, new legislation affecting family businesses, and insights from the legislative director from Rep. Young Kim’s (R-CA) office.
The Group is a coalition of women-owned business leaders dedicated to highlighting and addressing the unique challenges faced by women-owned businesses across the country.
The meeting was kicked off by Sherri Bovino, Chief Executive Officer, Global, a 1st Flagship Company, and Pat Soldano, President, Family Enterprise USA. The Women’s Business Owners Group was founded by Family Enterprise USA (FEUSA).
The Group also introduced the new Chief Executive Officer of Family Enterprise USA, Tim Schultz, who succeeds Soldano at Family Enterprise USA at the end of the year.
Women-owned businesses employ over 12.2 million employees nationwide and
represent nearly 40 percent of all U.S. businesses, or over 14 million businesses in total, accounting for $2.7 trillion in revenue, according to the Wells Fargo research.
During the meeting, held at Bistango Restaurant, a summary of the recent and successful “Beyond the Ballot” gathering was shared, an event focused on educating people about the California wealth tax and national wealth tax proposals.
This was followed by economic policy discussion led by special guest Russ Sullivan, a Capitol Hill expert and shareholder at the legal and government affairs firm, Brownstein, based in Washington, D.C.
Key topics Sullivan addressed included the shifting thresholds and implications of proposed California wealth tax, estate taxes, liquidity challenges, and the broader effects of these taxes driving businesses and wealth out of California.
In addition, Rep. Kim’s legislative director gave an update on the Congresswoman’s policy priorities and legislative milestones.
The update highlighted the passage of the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, alongside committee advancements for the Credit Access and Inclusion Act, the REG Act, and a payments fraud prevention act.
Throughout the meeting, the subject of wealth taxes was a major discussion point, with approximately 40 wealth tax bills or proposals at the state level and 15 proposed nationally, including the California wealth tax, which is driving the national wealth tax conversation.
The potential negative “ripple effects” of wealth taxes were explored, including family women-owned businesses needing to sell assets, have capital gains tax liabilities on those forced sales, and the risk of driving wealthy individuals, senior leadership teams, and associated vendors out of California.
The meeting briefly touched upon past legislative successes regarding the estate tax, including bipartisan efforts to repeal it, and subsequent permanent reductions in the estate tax rate alongside increased exemption amounts.
“With so many looming issues affecting women-owned family businesses, and all family businesses, it’s important we understand the importance knowing the critical bills and proposals coming out of our nation’s capital,” said Soldano about The Group’s meeting. “The purpose of The Group is to amplify the voices of women entrepreneurs, foster collaboration, and advocate for policies that promote equity in business.”
The Group was created to further educate and inform Congress on the importance of women-owned businesses and to work with the bipartisan Congressional Family Business Caucus, which has its final 2026 meeting on Sept. 23 on Capitol Hill.
“We excited to see our lawmakers involved in this growing group of women entrepreneurs in all lines of business and industry,” Soldano said.
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The need for fact-based reporting of issues important to family owned businesses and protecting a lifetime of savings has never been greater. Now more than ever, successful families and family owned businesses are under fire. That's why Family Enterprise USA is passionately working to increase the awareness of issues important to family owned businesses built on hard work, while continuing to strengthen our presence on Capitol Hill. The issues we fight for or against with Congress in Washington DC include high income tax rates, possible elimination of valuation discounts, increase in capital gains tax, enactment of a wealth tax, and the continued burden of the gift tax, estate tax and generation skipping tax.
Family Enterprise USA promotes generationally owned family business creation, growth, viability, and sustainability by advocating for family businesses and their lifetime of savings with Congress in Washington DC. Since 2007, Family Enterprise USA has represented and celebrated all sizes, professions and industries of family-owned enterprises and multi-generational employers. It is a bi-partisan 501.c3 organization. Family foundations can donate.