Senate Bill S7581

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S7581

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the executive law, in relation to
minority and women-owned business enterprises in state contracts

 PURPOSE :

Relates to minority and women-owned business enterprises in relation
to state contracts.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section 1. Section 313 of the executive law is amended by adding a new
subdivision 6-a to read as follows:

Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision six of this section,
contracting agencies shall only be required to contract with minority
and women-owned business enterprises on state contracts and
subcontracts at a rate that correlates with the percentage of minority
and women-owned business enterprises in that industry in the economic
development region where the contract is to be performed.

 JUSTIFICATION :

Across the state of New York, businesses are required to contract
services from Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprise(MWBEs) at
              

30% of their total business service. While both minority and
women-owned business enterprises contribute to the economy of the
state, certain areas of New York State are severely underrepresented
in this category. Particularly in the Southern Tier, MWBEs are scarce;
therefore it is very difficult for any existing business owner to be
awarded a contract with the state of New York if they lack the 30%
MWBE subcontracting requirement that is mandated.  In order to qualify
to be awarded a contract, the business would have to bring outside
MWBEs thereby ignoring the local labor talents and contracts that live
and work in the region. This bill would make adjustments for areas
with few MWBEs by correlating the percentage of businesses categorized
as a MWBE in order to avoid the loss of local job opportunities.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

New bill.

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

None.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect immediately, provided, however, that the
amendment to section 313 of the executive law made by section one of
this act shall not affect the expiration of such section and shall be
deemed to expire therewith.