Bill Text: NY S00872 | 2025-2026 | 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) 2025-01-08 - REFERRED TO FINANCE [S00872 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-S00872-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           872

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 8, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  BAILEY,  FERNANDEZ, PARKER, SANDERS, WEBB -- 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:

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02117-01-5
        S. 872                              2

     1    § 311-b. Minority and women-owned business enterprise  regional  advo-
     2  cates. 1.  Regional advocate. There is hereby established within each of
     3  the  regional  offices  established  pursuant  to  article eleven of the
     4  economic development law an office of the minority and women-owned busi-
     5  ness enterprise regional advocate.
     6    2. Powers and duties. The regional advocates shall:
     7    (a)  provide  technical,  managerial,  financial  and  other  business
     8  assistance to certified minority and women businesses or applicants;
     9    (b) conduct outreach programs for MWBEs on a bi-annual basis;
    10    (c) conduct educational seminars  for  state  agencies  on  an  annual
    11  basis; and
    12    (d)  shall  be  responsible for reporting the number and certification
    13  applications received and processed by its region.
    14    3. The regional advocate shall document reasons  for  any  denials  or
    15  delays  in the certification process. Regional advocates shall report to
    16  the statewide advocate and director by September thirtieth on an  annual
    17  basis  of  recommendations  to the state certification process, outreach
    18  efforts and complaints received or resolved.
    19    § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    20  it shall have become a law; provided, however, that  the  amendments  to
    21  article  15-A of the executive law made by this act shall not affect the
    22  expiration of such article and shall expire therewith.