The 2006 budget number for the Small Business Administration has been set at $456.5 million, down $123 million from 2005 and nearly 60 percent from 2001. The SBA budget has made its rounds through the approval process of the House and Senate and is on its way to Bush for final approval.

David Hernandez, CEO-Chairman of Liberty Power, took home the Entrepreneur of the Year Award on November 10 at a gala ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

The devastating late-summer hurricanes continued to have a significant impact on the U.S. labor market in October. The employment report for the month shows a rebound jobs, but still well short of economists' median forecast.

But overall SBA funding still $123 million less than last year. Included in the appropriations conference report that passed the Senate today by a vote of 94-5 were several provisions requested by Senator John Kerry and Senator Olympia Snowe, to increase the SBA's budget beyond Bush's recommendation of $453 million.

Though his mayoral race mustered a turnout of only about 18 percent, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz said on Wednesday that he took great solace in his ethnic trifecta -- he won majorities among Hispanics, white non-Hispanics and blacks.

Between 1997 and 2004, the number of businesses owned by Hispanic women in the U.S. grew 64 percent, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Women's Business Research. One reason, Hispanic women are earning more college degrees, according to HispanTelligence.

The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) today announced several landmark gifts, totaling more than $22 million, which will further propel HSF toward achieving its mission to double the rate of Hispanics earning college degrees.

AIM Tell-A-Vision Group (AIM TV) has announced their "Change The Sample" initiative to convince Nielsen Media Research, Inc. to change its current language stratification method of monitoring U.S. Hispanic viewing.

While the U.S. median age continues to rise, from 35.3 years in 2000, the median age of Hispanics remains the lowest of all groups. Demographers predict faster growth among young Hispanics than among other young ethnic groups for the next decade.

Search the 2005 Hispanic Business 500, a national benchmark of the surging development of U.S. Hispanic-owned companies.

Hispanic-owned PE firms – with help from their political supporters – are aggressively making the case that they deserve more opportunity to deliver returns.