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.