NY State Senate Bill 2011-S6753

Senate Bill S6753

2011-2012 Legislative Session

Provides for the awarding of state contracts for professional services under the minority and women-owned business enterprise program

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance 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
Mar 16, 2012	referred to finance

2011-S6753 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A10139
Current Committee:: Senate Finance
Law Section:: Executive Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§310, 311, 312-a, 313 & 313-a, Exec L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2013-2014: S118, A4454
2015-2016: S1115, A6987
2017-2018: S324, A2168
2019-2020: S1468

2011-S6753 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides for the awarding of state contracts for professional services under the minority and women-owned business enterprise program.

2011-S6753 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                BILL NUMBER:S6753

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the executive law, in relation to including the provision of
professional services in the minority and women-owned business
enterprise program

PURPOSE:
Provides for the awarding of state contracts for professional services
under the minority and women-owned business enterprise program.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends the executive law to include a definition of
professional services contract and adds a new subdivision 23 defining
professional services.

Section 2 amends the executive law to include professional services in
the annual report on state MWBE contracts.

Section 3 requires professional services be considered in future
disparity studies.

Section 4 establishes agency goals for MWBE professional services
expenditures.

Section 5 establishes that professional services be considered in
relevant future rules and regulations.

Section 6 establishes an effective date.

JUSTIFICATION:
Historically, businesses owned by women and minorities have been
subjected to a pattern of systematic discrimination that has stunted
their growth and left fledgling enterprises without an adequate
network of established support. While New York has taken great
strides to remedy this historic disparity, there is much work left to
do.

In 1988, Article 15-A of the Executive Law created what is now the
Division of Minority and Women's Business Development (the
"Division"). The goal was to promote equality of economic
opportunities for minority and/or women owned business enterprises
("MWBEs") and to eliminate barriers to their participation in state
contracts.

While the Division's work helped foster a marked improvement, the
State was compelled to redouble its efforts in the wake of a 2006
study demonstrating a still significant disparity in the awarding of
public contracts. By the 2009-2010 fiscal year, this renewed effort
helped bring New York's discretionary spending total on contracts
with MWBEs to more than $9 Billion.

However, this incredible progress has been largely achieved through
procurement and construction service contracts without sufficient
attention to contracts for professional services such as


architecture, accounting, legal services and financial planning.
Diversification of contracts for professional services, which are
among the most well-compensated, prestigious and stable fields, must
be a cornerstone of a truly effective MWBE Program.

In spite of widespread commitment to the advancement of diversity
initiatives, both publicly and in the private sector, white women and
employees of color continue to be under-represented in the
professions. For instance, less than 10% of all licensed attorneys in
the U.S. are people of color. One possible explanation for this
under-representation is the "pipeline theory," which posits that
stagnation is partially attributable to the limited availability of
similarly situated role models and dearth of access to professional
development opportunities. This legislation would help ensure that
the state plays a vital role in the encouragement of burgeoning women
and minority owned professional service enterprises.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is a new bill.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become a law; provided that the
amendments to article 15-A of the executive law made by sections one,
two, three, four and five of this act, shall not affect the
expiration of such article and shall expire therewith. Provided,
further, that, effective immediately, any rules and regulations
necessary to implement the provisions of this act on its effective
date are authorized and directed to be completed on or before such
date.

2011-S6753 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  6753

                            I N  S E N A T E

                             March 16, 2012
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen. PERALTA -- 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  including  the
  provision  of  professional  services  in the minority and women-owned
  business enterprise program

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.  Subdivision  13  of  section 310 of the executive law, as
amended by chapter 506 of the laws of 2009, is amended and a new  subdi-
vision 23 is added to read as follows:
  13.  "State  contract" shall mean: (a) a written agreement or purchase
order instrument, providing for a total expenditure in excess  of  twen-
ty-five  thousand  dollars, whereby a contracting agency is committed to
expend or does expend funds in return for labor, services including  but
not  limited  to  legal,  financial  and  other  professional  services,
supplies, equipment, materials or any combination of the  foregoing,  to
be  performed  for,  or rendered or furnished to the contracting agency;
(b) A WRITTEN AGREEMENT, PROVIDING FOR A TOTAL EXPENDITURE IN EXCESS  OF
FIVE  THOUSAND  DOLLARS,  WHEREBY  A  CONTRACTING AGENCY IS COMMITTED TO
EXPEND OR DOES EXPEND FUNDS IN RETURN FOR PROFESSIONAL  SERVICES  TO  BE
PERFORMED FOR, OR RENDERED OR FURNISHED TO THE CONTRACTING AGENCY; (C) a
written  agreement  in  excess of one hundred thousand dollars whereby a
contracting agency is committed to expend or does expend funds  for  the
acquisition,  construction,  demolition,  replacement,  major  repair or
renovation of real property and improvements thereon; and  [(c)]  (D)  a
written  agreement in excess of one hundred thousand dollars whereby the
owner of a state assisted housing project is committed to expend or does
expend funds for the acquisition, construction, demolition, replacement,
major repair or renovation of real property and improvements thereon for
such project.
  23. "PROFESSIONAL SERVICES" SHALL MEAN THE PROVISION  OF  SERVICE  FOR
WHICH  THE PROVIDER OF SUCH SERVICE IS REQUIRED TO HOLD A LICENSE ISSUED
PURSUANT TO TITLE EIGHT OF THE EDUCATION LAW OR ARTICLE FIFTEEN  OF  THE
JUDICIARY LAW.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                           LBD14848-01-2

S. 6753                             2

  S  2.   Paragraphs (d), (e) and (f) of subdivision 3 of section 311 of
the executive law, paragraphs (d) and (e) as amended by  chapter  55  of
the  laws  of 1992 and paragraph (f) as added by chapter 261 of the laws
of 1988, are amended to read as follows:
  (d)  to  review  periodically  the  practices  and  procedures of each
contracting agency with respect to compliance  with  the  provisions  of
this  article,  and  to  require  them to file periodic reports with the
division of minority and women's business development as to the level of
minority and  women-owned  business  enterprises  participation  in  the
awarding  of agency contracts for goods [and], services AND PROFESSIONAL
SERVICES;
  (e) on January first of each year  report  to  the  governor  and  the
chairpersons  of  the senate finance and assembly ways and means commit-
tees on the level  of  minority  and  women-owned  business  enterprises
participating  in  each agency's contracts for goods [and], services AND
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES and on activities of the office and effort by each
contracting agency to promote employment of minority group  members  and
women, and to promote and increase participation by certified businesses
with respect to state contracts and subcontracts so as to facilitate the
award  of  a fair share of state contracts to such businesses. The comp-
troller shall assist the  division  in  collecting  information  on  the
participation  of  certified  business for each contracting agency. Such
report may recommend new  activities  and  programs  to  effectuate  the
purposes of this article;
  (f) to prepare and update periodically a directory of certified minor-
ity and women-owned business enterprises which shall, wherever practica-
ble,  be  divided  into  categories  of  labor,  services,  PROFESSIONAL
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;
  S 3. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 312-a of the  executive
law,  as  amended by chapter 175 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read
as follows:
  (a) to determine whether there is a disparity between  the  number  of
qualified minority and women-owned businesses ready, willing and able to
perform state contracts for commodities, services, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
and construction, and the number of such contractors actually engaged to
perform such contracts, and to determine what changes, if any, should be
made  to  state  policies  affecting  minority  and women-owned business
enterprises; and
  S 4. Paragraphs (j) and (k) of subdivision 1 of  section  313  of  the
executive  law, as added by chapter 175 of the laws of 2010, are amended
and two new paragraphs (l) and (m) are added to read as follows:
  (j) overall agency total dollar value  of  procurement  for  certified
women-owned  business  enterprises:  twelve  and  thirty-nine hundredths
percent; [and]
  (k) overall agency total dollar value  of  procurement  for  certified
minority,  women-owned business enterprises: twenty-eight and ninety-two
hundredths percent[.];
  (L) PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FOR CERTIFIED MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESS ENTER-
PRISES: FIFTEEN PERCENT; AND
  (M) PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FOR CERTIFIED  WOMEN-OWNED  BUSINESS  ENTER-
PRISES: FIFTEEN PERCENT.
  S  5.  Section  313-a of the executive law, as added by chapter 175 of
the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:

S. 6753                             3

  S 313-a. Diversity practices of state contractors. The director  shall
promulgate  rules  and regulations setting forth measures and procedures
to require all contracting agencies,  where  practicable,  feasible  and
appropriate, to assess the diversity practices of contractors submitting
bids or proposals in connection with the award of a state contract. Such
rules  and regulations shall take into account: the nature of the labor,
services, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, supplies, equipment or materials  being
procured  by  the state agency; the method of procurement required to be
used by a state agency to award the contract  and  minority  and  women-
owned  business  utilization  plans required to be submitted pursuant to
sections three hundred twelve and three hundred thirteen of  this  arti-
cle;  and such other factors as the director deems appropriate or neces-
sary to promote the award of state contracts to contractors having sound
diversity practices. Such assessment shall not in  any  way  permit  the
automatic  rejection  of a bid or procurement contract proposal based on
lack of adherence to diversity practices. Each bid or proposal shall  be
analyzed  on  an  individual  per  bid  or  per  proposal basis with the
contractor's diversity practices considered as only a part  of  a  wider
consideration  of  several  factors when deciding to award or decline to
award a bid or proposal. The director shall develop the rules and  regu-
lations  required  hereunder  only  after  consultation  with  the state
procurement council established by section one hundred sixty-one of  the
state finance law.
  S  6. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
ing the date on which it shall have become  a  law;  provided  that  the
amendments  to  article  15-A of the executive law made by sections one,
two, three, four and five of this act, shall not affect  the  expiration
of  such  article  and  shall expire therewith. Provided, further, that,
effective immediately, any rules and regulations necessary to  implement
the  provisions  of  this  act  on its effective date are authorized and
directed to be completed on or before such date.

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