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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown
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Lowery Brown bill would help minority-, women-owned businesses
HARRISBURG, Jan. 26 -- State Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown has introduced a bill that would require any government body, school district or public entity -- including colleges and universities -- that receive state money to implement a minority-owned, women-owned and disadvantaged business diversity program.
If no such program exists, the bill would require entity to apply the state's program under the Bureau of Minority and Women Business Opportunities to any contract, grant or project funded with state money.
"Hopefully, my legislation will allow more businesses owned by minorities and women to compete for and receive state contracts and grants," said Lowery Brown, D-Phila.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s Bureau of Minority and Business Opportunities, there were 445 minority-owned and 1,239 women-owned businesses in Pennsylvania in 2009. There were 203 businesses in Pennsylvania owned by minority women. Philadelphia has 75 minority-owned businesses, 81 women-owned businesses, and 51 minority women-owned businesses.
House Bill 2146 also would require all local governments, schools and other public entities to recognize the state Department of General Services' certification that a business is owned by a minority, women or disadvantaged person.
"There are currently more than 2,300 minority- and women-owned businesses registered with the Department of State," Lowery Brown said. "I believe my legislation will help many of those businesses thrive in Pennsylvania."
The bill is part of a package of legislation introduced as the result of a report by the House Select Committee on Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Inclusion. That committee's recommendations included:
- Having all state agencies reserve 10 percent of their procurement and contracting dollars for small businesses with 250 or fewer employees, including but not limited to minority-owned, women-owned and disadvantaged business enterprises.
- Having state agencies, boards and commissions establish an overall aspirational target of 25 percent of procurement and construction dollars going to MWEs, WBEs and DBEs.
- Requiring that prime contractors doing business with the state pay subcontractors within five days.
- Creating greater uniformity and consistency in the state certification process for MWEs, WBEs and DBEs by having the state Department of General Services accept certification from the Pennsylvania Unified Certification Program and having local governments and school districts accept those certifications as sufficient.
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