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.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9214
IN ASSEMBLY
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:
1 Section 1. The veterans' services law is amended by adding a new
2 section 29-b to read as follows:
3 § 29-b. Veteran-owned business directory. 1. As used in this section
4 the following terms shall have the following meanings:
5 (a) "Business owned and controlled by veterans" means a business (i)
6 not less than fifty-one percent of which is owned by one or more veter-
7 ans, or, in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than
8 fifty-one percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more veter-
9 ans; (ii) the management and daily business operations of which are
10 controlled by one or more veterans; and (iii) authorized to do business
11 in the state and which is independently owned and operated.
12 (b) "Veteran" means a person, as defined in section one of this arti-
13 cle, who served on active duty and has been discharged or released ther-
14 efrom under conditions other than dishonorable, or has a qualifying
15 condition as defined in section one of this article and has received a
16 discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable, or is a discharged
17 LGBT veteran as defined in section one of this article and has received
18 a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable;
19 (c) "Service-disabled veteran" shall have the same meaning as defined
20 in section forty of this chapter;
21 (d) "Certified service-disabled veteran-owned business enterprise"
22 shall have the same meaning as defined in section forty of this chapter;
23 and
24 (e) "Veteran-owned business enterprises" shall mean businesses owned
25 and controlled by veterans, and service-disabled veteran-owned business
26 enterprises.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04584-08-4
A. 9214 2
1 2. The department, with the aid and assistance of the division of
2 small business, the department of labor, the division of service-disa-
3 bled veterans' business development, and the office of general services,
4 shall develop, regularly update, and make available to state agencies
5 and the public a directory of veteran-owned business enterprises which
6 shall, wherever practicable, be divided into categories of labor,
7 services, supplies, equipment, materials and recognized construction
8 trades and which shall indicate areas or locations of the state where
9 such enterprises are available to perform services. Such directory
10 shall use an asterisk or other special mark to denote any veteran-owned
11 business enterprises which are service-disabled veteran-owned business
12 enterprises. Such directory shall be posted on the department's
13 website.
14 3. The office of general services shall also use this information to
15 create and regularly update an internet based, searchable centralized
16 state database to promote veteran-owned business enterprises to the
17 public and shall post such database on the office of general services'
18 website.
19 4. The department with the office of general services shall conduct
20 outreach to notify veteran-owned business enterprises of such directory
21 and database.
22 5. The department shall develop a registration process with the office
23 of general services for veteran-owned business enterprises to complete
24 in order to compile information for inclusion in the directory and data-
25 base. The department shall be responsible for verifying businesses as
26 being a business owned and controlled by veterans as defined in this
27 section including the development of rules and regulations governing the
28 approval, denial, or revocation of a business's status as a business
29 owned and controlled by veterans.
30 § 2. Subdivision 7 of section 4 of the veterans' services law is
31 amended to read as follows:
32 7. To provide in cooperation with the office of general services and
33 the office of the comptroller a series of seminars, that shall be
34 conducted four or more times per year at regional sites located through-
35 out the state of New York for the purpose of advising veteran-owned
36 businesses regarding the opportunities available for obtaining procure-
37 ment contracts from New York state agencies, municipalities, and author-
38 ities. [Furthermore the] The seminars shall provide requirements and
39 training that will enable veteran-owned businesses to successfully
40 participate in the procurement process. Furthermore, the seminars shall
41 provide registration information regarding the veteran-owned business
42 directory and database pursuant to section twenty-nine-b of this arti-
43 cle.
44 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding
45 the date upon which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately,
46 the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces-
47 sary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are
48 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
