S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9214
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 16, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A. HUNTER, BUTTENSCHON, PHEFFER AMATO, RAJKUMAR,
   JEAN-PIERRE, EACHUS, OTIS -- read once and referred to  the  Committee
   on Veterans' Affairs
 
 AN  ACT to amend the veterans' services law, in relation to establishing
   a searchable database of veteran-owned businesses
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The  veterans'  services  law  is amended by adding a new
 section 29-b to read as follows:
   § 29-B. VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS DIRECTORY. 1. AS USED IN  THIS  SECTION
 THE FOLLOWING TERMS SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
   (A)  "BUSINESS  OWNED AND CONTROLLED BY VETERANS" MEANS A BUSINESS (I)
 NOT LESS THAN FIFTY-ONE PERCENT OF WHICH IS OWNED BY ONE OR MORE  VETER-
 ANS,  OR,  IN  THE  CASE  OF  ANY PUBLICLY OWNED BUSINESS, NOT LESS THAN
 FIFTY-ONE PERCENT OF THE STOCK OF WHICH IS OWNED BY ONE OR  MORE  VETER-
 ANS;  (II)  THE  MANAGEMENT  AND  DAILY BUSINESS OPERATIONS OF WHICH ARE
 CONTROLLED BY ONE OR MORE VETERANS; AND (III) AUTHORIZED TO DO  BUSINESS
 IN THE STATE AND WHICH IS INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED.
   (B)  "VETERAN" MEANS A PERSON, AS DEFINED IN SECTION ONE OF THIS ARTI-
 CLE, WHO SERVED ON ACTIVE DUTY AND HAS BEEN DISCHARGED OR RELEASED THER-
 EFROM UNDER CONDITIONS OTHER THAN  DISHONORABLE,  OR  HAS  A  QUALIFYING
 CONDITION  AS  DEFINED IN SECTION ONE OF THIS ARTICLE AND HAS RECEIVED A
 DISCHARGE OTHER THAN BAD CONDUCT OR DISHONORABLE,  OR  IS  A  DISCHARGED
 LGBT  VETERAN AS DEFINED IN SECTION ONE OF THIS ARTICLE AND HAS RECEIVED
 A DISCHARGE OTHER THAN BAD CONDUCT OR DISHONORABLE;
   (C) "SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN" SHALL HAVE THE SAME MEANING AS  DEFINED
 IN SECTION FORTY OF THIS CHAPTER;
   (D)  "CERTIFIED  SERVICE-DISABLED  VETERAN-OWNED  BUSINESS ENTERPRISE"
 SHALL HAVE THE SAME MEANING AS DEFINED IN SECTION FORTY OF THIS CHAPTER;
 AND
   (E) "VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES" SHALL MEAN  BUSINESSES  OWNED
 AND  CONTROLLED BY VETERANS, AND SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS
 ENTERPRISES.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04584-08-4
              

 A. 9214                             2
 
   2. THE DEPARTMENT, WITH THE AID AND  ASSISTANCE  OF  THE  DIVISION  OF
 SMALL  BUSINESS,  THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, THE DIVISION OF SERVICE-DISA-
 BLED VETERANS' BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, AND THE OFFICE OF GENERAL SERVICES,
 SHALL DEVELOP, REGULARLY UPDATE, AND MAKE AVAILABLE  TO  STATE  AGENCIES
 AND  THE  PUBLIC A DIRECTORY OF VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES WHICH
 SHALL, WHEREVER  PRACTICABLE,  BE  DIVIDED  INTO  CATEGORIES  OF  LABOR,
 SERVICES,  SUPPLIES,  EQUIPMENT,  MATERIALS  AND RECOGNIZED CONSTRUCTION
 TRADES AND WHICH SHALL INDICATE AREAS OR LOCATIONS OF  THE  STATE  WHERE
 SUCH  ENTERPRISES  ARE  AVAILABLE  TO PERFORM SERVICES.   SUCH DIRECTORY
 SHALL USE AN ASTERISK OR OTHER SPECIAL MARK TO DENOTE ANY  VETERAN-OWNED
 BUSINESS  ENTERPRISES  WHICH ARE SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS
 ENTERPRISES.   SUCH  DIRECTORY  SHALL  BE  POSTED  ON  THE  DEPARTMENT'S
 WEBSITE.
   3.  THE  OFFICE OF GENERAL SERVICES SHALL ALSO USE THIS INFORMATION TO
 CREATE AND REGULARLY UPDATE AN INTERNET  BASED,  SEARCHABLE  CENTRALIZED
 STATE  DATABASE  TO  PROMOTE  VETERAN-OWNED  BUSINESS ENTERPRISES TO THE
 PUBLIC AND SHALL POST SUCH DATABASE ON THE OFFICE OF  GENERAL  SERVICES'
 WEBSITE.
   4.  THE  DEPARTMENT  WITH THE OFFICE OF GENERAL SERVICES SHALL CONDUCT
 OUTREACH TO NOTIFY VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES OF SUCH  DIRECTORY
 AND DATABASE.
   5. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL DEVELOP A REGISTRATION PROCESS WITH THE OFFICE
 OF  GENERAL  SERVICES FOR VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES TO COMPLETE
 IN ORDER TO COMPILE INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN THE DIRECTORY AND DATA-
 BASE.  THE DEPARTMENT SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR VERIFYING  BUSINESSES  AS
 BEING  A  BUSINESS  OWNED  AND CONTROLLED BY VETERANS AS DEFINED IN THIS
 SECTION INCLUDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE
 APPROVAL, DENIAL, OR REVOCATION OF A BUSINESS'S  STATUS  AS  A  BUSINESS
 OWNED AND CONTROLLED BY VETERANS.
   §  2.  Subdivision  7  of  section  4 of the veterans' services law is
 amended to read as follows:
   7. To provide in cooperation with the office of general  services  and
 the  office  of  the  comptroller  a  series  of seminars, that shall be
 conducted four or more times per year at regional sites located through-
 out the state of New York for  the  purpose  of  advising  veteran-owned
 businesses  regarding the opportunities available for obtaining procure-
 ment contracts from New York state agencies, municipalities, and author-
 ities.  [Furthermore the] THE seminars shall  provide  requirements  and
 training  that  will  enable  veteran-owned  businesses  to successfully
 participate in the procurement process. FURTHERMORE, THE SEMINARS  SHALL
 PROVIDE  REGISTRATION  INFORMATION  REGARDING THE VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS
 DIRECTORY AND DATABASE PURSUANT TO SECTION TWENTY-NINE-B OF  THIS  ARTI-
 CLE.
   §  3. This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding
 the date upon which it shall have become a law.  Effective  immediately,
 the  addition,  amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces-
 sary for the implementation of  this  act  on  its  effective  date  are
 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.