Bill Text: NY A04168 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Relates to minority and women-owned business enterprise programs; evaluates the effective implementation of such programs; extends the effectiveness of provisions of law relating to participation by minority and women-owned business enterprises in state contracts.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 28-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2010-03-23 - REFERRED TO FINANCE [A04168 Detail]

Download: New_York-2009-A04168-Amended.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                        4168--A
                                                               Cal. No. 313
                              2009-2010 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                   January 30, 2009
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  M. of A. COOK, TOWNS, DESTITO, MILLMAN, JACOBS, BOYLAND,
         CLARK, MAGNARELLI, BRODSKY, SCHROEDER -- Multi-Sponsored by --  M.  of
         A.  CAHILL,  ESPAILLAT,  FARRELL,  GALEF,  GLICK,  GOTTFRIED, GUNTHER,
         HEASTIE, HEVESI, HOOPER, JOHN, MORELLE, NOLAN,  PEOPLES-STOKES,  PHEF-
         FER,  RAMOS, STIRPE, WRIGHT -- read once and referred to the Committee
         on Governmental Operations -- reported from committee, advanced  to  a
         third  reading,  amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place on
         the order of third reading
       AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to  minority  and  women-
         owned business enterprises
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Subdivision 3 of section 311 of the executive law, as added
    2  by chapter 261 of the laws of 1988, paragraphs (d) and (e) as amended by
    3  chapter 55 of the laws of 1992, paragraphs (g) and (h)  as  amended  and
    4  paragraph (i) as added by section 1 of part BB of chapter 59 of the laws
    5  of 2006, is amended to read as follows:
    6    3. The director shall have the following powers and duties:
    7    (a)  to  encourage and assist contracting agencies in their efforts to
    8  increase participation by minority and women-owned business  enterprises
    9  on  state  contracts and subcontracts so as to facilitate the award of a
   10  fair share of such contracts to them;
   11    (b) to develop standardized forms and reporting documents necessary to
   12  implement this article;
   13    (c) to conduct educational programs consistent with  the  purposes  of
   14  this article;
   15    (d)  to  review  periodically  the  practices  and  procedures of each
   16  contracting agency with respect to compliance  with  the  provisions  of
   17  this article, and to require them to file [periodic] ANNUAL reports with
   18  the  division  of  minority  and  women's business development as to the
   19  level of minority and women-owned business enterprises participation  in
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD01222-02-0
       A. 4168--A                          2
    1  the  awarding  of  agency contracts for goods and services INCLUDING BUT
    2  NOT LIMITED TO THE NUMBER OF STATE CONTRACTS AWARDED TO CERTIFIED MINOR-
    3  ITY-OWNED OR WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES, THE MAXIMUM DOLLAR AMOUNT
    4  OBLIGATED  PURSUANT  TO  ALL THOSE CONTRACTS, AND THE TOTAL EXPENDITURES
    5  MADE PURSUANT TO ALL SUCH CONTRACTS;
    6    (e) on January first of each year  report  to  the  governor  and  the
    7  chairpersons  of  the senate finance and assembly ways and means commit-
    8  tees on the [level] ACTUAL  VERSUS  PROJECTED  LEVELS  of  minority  and
    9  women-owned   business   enterprises   participating  in  each  agency's
   10  contracts for goods [and], services AND CONSTRUCTION, INCLUDING BUT  NOT
   11  LIMITED  TO THE NUMBER OF STATE CONTRACTS AWARDED TO CERTIFIED MINORITY-
   12  OWNED OR WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES,  THE  MAXIMUM  DOLLAR  AMOUNT
   13  OBLIGATED  PURSUANT  TO  ALL THOSE CONTRACTS, AND THE TOTAL EXPENDITURES
   14  MADE PURSUANT TO ALL SUCH CONTRACTS, and on activities of the office and
   15  effort by each contracting agency  to  promote  employment  of  minority
   16  group  members  and  women, and to promote and increase participation by
   17  certified businesses with respect to state contracts and subcontracts so
   18  as to facilitate the award of a fair share of state  contracts  to  such
   19  businesses.  The  comptroller  shall  assist  the division in collecting
   20  information  on  the  participation  of  certified  business  for   each
   21  contracting  agency.    Such  report  may  recommend  new activities and
   22  programs to effectuate the purposes of this article;
   23    (f) to prepare and update periodically a directory of certified minor-
   24  ity and women-owned business enterprises which shall, wherever practica-
   25  ble, be divided into categories of labor, services, supplies, equipment,
   26  materials and recognized construction trades and  which  shall  indicate
   27  areas  or locations of the state where such enterprises are available to
   28  perform services, AND TO USE THIS INFORMATION TO CREATE A STATE REGISTRY
   29  TO ENABLE APPROPRIATE STATE CERTIFIED MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED  BUSINESS
   30  ENTERPRISES TO BE NOTIFIED OF CONTRACT AND SUBCONTRACT OPPORTUNITIES;
   31    (g)  to  appoint independent hearing officers who by contract or terms
   32  of employment shall  preside  over  adjudicatory  hearings  pursuant  to
   33  section  three  hundred  fourteen of this article for the office and who
   34  are assigned no other work by the office;
   35    (h) notwithstanding the provisions of section two  hundred  ninety-six
   36  of  this  chapter,  to  file  a  complaint pursuant to the provisions of
   37  section two hundred ninety-seven of this chapter where the director  has
   38  knowledge  that  a  contractor may have violated the provisions of para-
   39  graph (a), (b) or (c) of subdivision one of section two hundred  ninety-
   40  six  of  this  chapter  where  such  violation is unrelated, separate or
   41  distinct from the state contract as expressed by its terms; and
   42    (i) to streamline the state certification process  to  accept  federal
   43  and municipal corporation certifications.
   44    S  2.  Subdivision  1 of section 313 of the executive law, as added by
   45  chapter 261 of the laws of 1988, is amended to read as follows:
   46    1. The director shall promulgate rules and  regulations  that  provide
   47  measures  and  procedures  to  ensure that certified businesses shall be
   48  given the opportunity for meaningful participation in the performance of
   49  state contracts and to identify those state contracts for  which  certi-
   50  fied  businesses  may best bid to actively and affirmatively promote and
   51  assist their participation in the performance of state contracts  so  as
   52  to facilitate the award of a fair share of state contracts to such busi-
   53  nesses  AND  ENCOURAGE  JOINT  VENTURES, PARTNERSHIPS AND MENTOR-PROTEGE
   54  RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PRIME CONTRACTORS  AND  MINORITY  AND  WOMEN-OWNED
   55  BUSINESS ENTERPRISES.  Such rules and regulations as they pertain to any
   56  particular  agency  shall  be  developed  after  consultation  with  the
       A. 4168--A                          3
    1  contracting agency. Nothing in the provisions of this article  shall  be
    2  construed  to  limit the ability of any certified business to bid on any
    3  contract.
    4    S  3.  Paragraph  (a) of subdivision 4 of section 313 of the executive
    5  law, as amended by chapter 429 of the laws of 2009, is amended  to  read
    6  as follows:
    7    (a)  Contracting  agencies  shall administer the rules and regulations
    8  promulgated by the director to ensure compliance with the provisions  of
    9  this  section. Such rules and regulations: shall require a contractor to
   10  submit a utilization plan after bids are opened, when bids are required,
   11  but prior to the award of a state contract; shall require the  contract-
   12  ing  agency  to  review the utilization plan submitted by the contractor
   13  and to post the utilization plan and any waivers  of  compliance  issued
   14  pursuant  to  subdivision  five  of  this  section on the website of the
   15  contracting agency within a reasonable period of time as established  by
   16  the  director;  shall  require  the  contracting  agency  to  notify the
   17  contractor in writing within a period of time specified by the  director
   18  as  to  any deficiencies contained in the contractor's utilization plan;
   19  shall require remedy thereof within a period of time  specified  by  the
   20  director;  shall  require  the  contractor to submit periodic compliance
   21  reports relating to the operation and implementation of any  utilization
   22  plan;  shall NOT ALLOW ANY AUTOMATIC WAIVERS, BUT SHALL allow a contrac-
   23  tor to apply for a partial or total waiver of the  minority  and  women-
   24  owned  business enterprise participation requirements pursuant to subdi-
   25  visions five and six of this section; shall allow a contractor to file a
   26  complaint with the  director  pursuant  to  subdivision  seven  of  this
   27  section in the event a contracting agency has failed or refused to issue
   28  a  waiver  of  the  minority and women-owned business enterprise partic-
   29  ipation requirements or has denied such request for a waiver; and  shall
   30  allow  a contracting agency to file a complaint with the director pursu-
   31  ant to subdivision eight of this section in the event  a  contractor  is
   32  failing  or has failed to comply with the minority and women-owned busi-
   33  ness enterprise  participation  requirements  set  forth  in  the  state
   34  contract where no waiver has been granted.
   35    S  4.  Subdivision  3 of section 314 of the executive law, as added by
   36  chapter 261 of the laws of 1988, is amended to read as follows:
   37    3. Following application for certification pursuant to  this  section,
   38  the  director  shall  provide  the  applicant with written notice of the
   39  status of the application, including notice of any outstanding deficien-
   40  cies, within thirty days. Within sixty days of  submission  of  a  final
   41  completed  application,  the  director  shall provide the applicant with
   42  written notice of a determination by the  office  approving  or  denying
   43  such  certification  and,  in  the event of a denial a statement setting
   44  forth the reasons for such  denial.  Upon  a  determination  denying  or
   45  revoking  certification, the business enterprise for which certification
   46  has been so denied or revoked shall, upon written  request  made  within
   47  thirty days from receipt of notice of such determination, be entitled to
   48  a  hearing  before  an  independent  hearing officer designated for such
   49  purpose by the director. In the event that a request for  a  hearing  is
   50  not  made  within  such  thirty  day period, such determination shall be
   51  deemed to be final. The independent  hearing  officer  shall  conduct  a
   52  hearing  and upon the conclusion of such hearing, issue a written recom-
   53  mendation to the director to affirm, reverse  or  modify  such  determi-
   54  nation  of  the director. Such written recommendation shall be issued to
   55  the parties. The director, within thirty days, by  order,  must  accept,
   56  reject  or  modify  such  recommendation  of the hearing officer and set
       A. 4168--A                          4
    1  forth in writing the reasons therefor. The director shall serve  a  copy
    2  of  such  order  and  reasons  therefor  upon the business enterprise by
    3  personal service or by certified  mail  return  receipt  requested.  The
    4  order  of  the  director  shall be subject to review pursuant to article
    5  seventy-eight of the civil practice  law  and  rules.    RECERTIFICATION
    6  SHALL BE REQUIRED EVERY THREE YEARS.
    7    S  5.  This  act shall take effect immediately, provided, however that
    8  the amendments to article 15-A of the executive law made by sections one
    9  through four of this act shall not affect the expiration of such article
   10  and shall expire therewith.
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