Bill Text: NY S01236 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Creates minority and women-owned business enterprise regional advocates; provides that the advocates will help ensure that municipal agencies comply with the provisions of law relating to minority and women-owned business enterprises.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO FINANCE [S01236 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S01236-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          1236

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 10, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens. BAILEY, SANDERS -- read twice and ordered printed,
          and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance

        AN ACT to amend the executive law,  in  relation  to  creating  regional
          minority and women-owned business enterprise advocate

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Section 310 of the executive law is amended by adding a new
     2  subdivision 24 to read as follows:
     3    24.  "Regional advocate" shall mean the person appointed by the state-
     4  wide advocate to serve in the capacity of minority and women-owned busi-
     5  ness enterprise regional advocate.
     6    § 2. Subdivision 2 of section 311-a of the executive law,  as  amended
     7  by chapter 96 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
     8    2.  The  advocate  shall act as a liaison for minority and women-owned
     9  business enterprises (MWBEs) to  assist  them  in  obtaining  technical,
    10  managerial,  financial and other business assistance for certified busi-
    11  nesses and  applicants.  The  advocate  shall  receive  and  investigate
    12  complaints  brought  by  or  on behalf of MWBEs concerning certification
    13  delays and instances of violations of the requirements of  this  article
    14  by  contractors and by state agencies. The statewide advocate may assist
    15  certified businesses and applicants in the certification process, direct
    16  regional local advocates in developing educational outreach programs and
    17  create awareness of competitive grant programs. Other functions  of  the
    18  statewide  advocate  shall be directed by the commissioner. The advocate
    19  may request and the director may appoint  staff  and  employees  of  the
    20  division  of  minority  and  women  business  development to support the
    21  administration of the office of the statewide advocate.
    22    § 3. The executive law is amended by adding a  new  section  311-b  to
    23  read as follows:
    24    §  311-b.  Minority and women-owned business enterprise regional advo-
    25  cates. 1.  Regional advocate. There is hereby established within each of

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04406-01-3
        S. 1236                             2

     1  the regional offices established  pursuant  to  article  eleven  of  the
     2  economic development law an office of the minority and women-owned busi-
     3  ness enterprise regional advocate.
     4    2. Powers and duties. The regional advocates shall:
     5    (a)  provide  technical,  managerial,  financial  and  other  business
     6  assistance to certified minority and women businesses or applicants;
     7    (b) conduct outreach programs for MWBEs on a bi-annual basis;
     8    (c) conduct educational seminars  for  state  agencies  on  an  annual
     9  basis; and
    10    (d)  shall  be  responsible for reporting the number and certification
    11  applications received and processed by its region.
    12    3. The regional advocate shall document reasons  for  any  denials  or
    13  delays  in the certification process. Regional advocates shall report to
    14  the statewide advocate and director by September thirtieth on an  annual
    15  basis  of  recommendations  to the state certification process, outreach
    16  efforts and complaints received or resolved.
    17    § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    18  it shall have become a law; provided, however, that  the  amendments  to
    19  article  15-A of the executive law made by this act shall not affect the
    20  expiration of such article and shall expire therewith.