Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1432 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1432
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1432
8	8	C8, P2 5lr2523
9	9
10	10	By: Delegate Wilson
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 7, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Appropriations
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Minority Business Enterprises – Coordination of Resources 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of requiring the Governor’s Office of Small, Minority, and Women 3
21	21	Business Affairs to coordinate with the Department of Commerce and the Office of 4
22	22	the Comptroller to promote certain benefits and incentives; requiring the Governor’s 5
23	23	Office of Small, Minority, and Women Business Affairs to include a certain analysis 6
24	24	in a certain annual report for a certain number of years; and generally relating to 7
25	25	the coordination of resources to support minority business enterprises. 8
26	26
27	27	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 9
28	28	Article – State Government 10
29	29	Section 9–305 11
30	30	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
31	31	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13
32	32
33	33	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 14
34	34	Article – State Government 15
35	35	Section 9–306 16
36	36	Annotated Code of Maryland 17
37	37	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 18
38	38
39	39	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 19
40	40	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 20
41	41
42	42	Article – State Government 21
43	43
44	44	9–305. 22
45	45
46	46	(a) This section applies to the following minority business enterprises: 23
47	47	2 HOUSE BILL 1432
48	48
49	49
50	50	(1) a publicly owned business if 1 or more minority persons own at least 1
51	51	51% of the stock of the business; or 2
52	52
53	53	(2) any other business if 1 or more minority persons own at least 50% of 3
54	54	the business. 4
55	55
56	56	(b) Subject to the limitations of any law that governs the activities of other units 5
57	57	of the Executive Branch of the State government, the Special Secretary shall: 6
58	58
59	59	(1) carry out each State or federal program that is created to promote the 7
60	60	growth of or participation in minority business enterprises; 8
61	61
62	62	(2) promote and coordinate training regarding the requirements of the 9
63	63	Minority Business Enterprise Program; 10
64	64
65	65	(3) promote, coordinate, and participate in the plans, programs, and 11
66	66	operations of the State government that promote or otherwise affect the establishment, 12
67	67	preservation, and strengthening of minority business enterprises; 13
68	68
69	69	(4) promote activities and the use of the resources of the State government, 14
70	70	local governments, and private entities for the growth of minority business enterprises, 15
71	71	INCLUDING: 16
72	72
73	73	(I) COORDINATING WITH TH E DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE TO 17
74	74	PROMOTE EXISTING BEN EFITS AND INCENTIVES , INCLUDING TAX INCENT IVES, 18
75	75	GRANTS, AND TECHNICAL ASSIST ANCE, FOR MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES 19
76	76	OPERATING IN ENTERPR ISE ZONES AND TO ENCOURAGE MIN ORITY BUSINESS 20
77	77	ENTERPRISE PARTICIPA TION IN ENTERPRISE Z ONES; AND 21
78	78
79	79	(II) COORDINATING WITH TH E OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER 22
80	80	TO PROMOTE EXISTING BENEFITS AND INCENTI VES, INCLUDING TAX INCENTIVES , 23
81	81	TO SUPPORT THE GROWT H OF MINORITY BUSINE SS ENTERPRISES ; 24
82	82
83	83	(5) coordinate the effort of private entities and public agencies to develop 25
84	84	minority business enterprises; 26
85	85
86	86	(6) establish a system to develop, collect, summarize, and give out 27
87	87	information that would help a person to: 28
88	88
89	89	(i) establish a minority business enterprise; 29
90	90
91	91	(ii) operate a minority business enterprise successfully; or 30
92	92
93	93	(iii) promote the establishment and successful operation of minority 31
94	94	business enterprises; 32
95	95	HOUSE BILL 1432 3
96	96
97	97
98	98	(7) establish a mentoring program: 1
99	99
100	100	(i) in which larger and more established minority businesses can 2
101	101	mentor start–up and small minority businesses; and 3
102	102
103	103	(ii) that incentivizes mentor participation by providing benefits to 4
104	104	mentors, including: 5
105	105
106	106	1. special recognition on the Office website, and in the Office 6
107	107	newsletter and participation updates; 7
108	108
109	109	2. a certificate of participation awarded by the Office; 8
110	110
111	111	3. the opportunity to present highlights of mentor and 9
112	112	protege relationships at an annual appreciation event sponsored by the Office; and 10
113	113
114	114	4. increased networking and educational opportunities; 11
115	115
116	116	(8) conduct a feasibility study for creating a technical assistance program 12
117	117	in the Office that provides one–on–one assistance to minority businesses in submitting 13
118	118	competitive and successful bids and proposals for procurement contracts; 14
119	119
120	120	(9) provide training and educational opportunities for nonminority prime 15
121	121	contractors regarding the duties and responsibilities of a prime contractor with respect to 16
122	122	minority businesses; and 17
123	123
124	124	(10) subject to the limitations of law and the availability of funds: 18
125	125
126	126	(i) provide technical and managerial assistance to minority 19
127	127	business enterprises; 20
128	128
129	129	(ii) provide the managerial and organizational framework for 21
130	130	private entities and units of the State government to plan and carry out joint undertakings 22
131	131	that relate to minority business enterprises; 23
132	132
133	133	(iii) pay, wholly or partly, the costs of a pilot or demonstration project 24
134	134	that is intended to overcome the special problems of minority business enterprises; and 25
135	135
136	136	(iv) establish an annual awards program to recognize localities that 26
137	137	demonstrate the highest excellence in minority business enterprise support. 27
138	138
139	139	9–306. 28
140	140
141	141	(a) On or before the 15th day of each regular session of the General Assembly, the 29
142	142	Special Secretary shall send an annual report on the Office of Small, Minority, and Women 30
143	143	Business Affairs: 31
144	144	4 HOUSE BILL 1432
145	145
146	146
147	147	(1) to the Governor; and 1
148	148
149	149	(2) subject to § 2–1257 of this article, to the General Assembly. 2
150	150
151	151	(b) The annual report may be prepared in conjunction with the report required 3
152	152	under § 14–305(b) of the State Finance and Procurement Article. 4
153	153
154	154	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the Governor’s Office of 5
155	155	Small, Minority, and Women Business Affairs, in consultation with the Department of 6
156	156	Commerce and the Office of the Comptroller, shall include in the annual report submitted 7
157	157	under § 9–306 of the State Government Article in 2026, 2027, and 2028 an analysis of the 8
158	158	coordination efforts required under § 9–305(b)(4) of the State Government Article, as 9
159	159	enacted by Section 1 of this Act, including the impact of these efforts on minority business 10
160	160	enterprises in the State, and any recommended statutory changes to improve coordination 11
161	161	efforts. 12
162	162
163	163	SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 13
164	164	1, 2025. 14