NY State Senate Bill 2023-S8444

Senate Bill S8444

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Directs the division of veterans' services to establish a searchable database of veteran-owned businesses

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Veterans, Homeland Security And Military Affairs Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 30, 2024	referred to veterans, homeland security and military affairs

2023-S8444 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A9214
Current Committee:: Senate Veterans, Homeland Security And Military Affairs
Law Section:: Veterans' Service Law
Laws Affected:: Add §29-b, amd §4, Veterans' Services L

2023-S8444 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Directs the division of veterans' services to establish a searchable database of veteran-owned businesses; requires the use of a special mark to indicate service-disabled veteran-owned businesses.

2023-S8444 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8444

SPONSOR: RAMOS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the veterans' services law, in relation to establishing
a searchable database of veteran-owned businesses

 
PURPOSE:

To support veteran-owned businesses, including service-disabled veter-
an-owned businesses, in New York State.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Amends the executive law to direct the Office of General
Services to assist Veteran Services in creating a searchable database of
veteran-owned businesses, including service-disabled veteran-owned busi-
nesses, to be published on the Office of General Services website.

Section 2. Amends the veterans' services law to require the Department
of Labor and the Office of General Services to include a searchable

centralized state registry on their website that would promote veteran-
owned businesses, including service-disabled veteran-owned businesses,
to the public and state agencies.

Section 3. Effective Date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

New York State's small business owners have taken the most significant
hit through the economic collapse we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic
and are still struggling to recover. With veterans facing unique social
and economic challenges, this legislation creates a centralized location
to promote their information to the public.  Registering will give
enterprises visibility to prospective buyers, including government agen-
cies and private contractors seeking to purchase goods and services.
Small businesses across the board have faced closures, alongside a
decrease in employment in the fields of restaurant, retail and recre-
ational business since the pandemic.

With a projected number of over 15,000 veteran business owners (VBOs) in
New York City alone, New York State's veteran business enterprises
represent 5.2% of the nation's veteran-owned businesses. To better
support our state's VBOs to thrive in the business industry, this legis-
lation aims to serve this community of business owners through economic
recovery and development.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Legislation

 
FISCAL IMPACT:

None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately, provided, however, that the
amendments to section 353 of the executive law made by section one of
this act shall be subject to the repeal of such section pursuant to
section I of part PP of chapter 56 of the laws of 2022, as amended when
upon such date the provisions of section two of this act shall take
effect.

2023-S8444 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8444
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 30, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  RAMOS  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Securi-
   ty and Military 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

 S. 8444                             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.

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