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Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20170&cosponId=23550
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House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: April 7, 2017 03:00 PM
From: Representative Jason Dawkins
To: All House members
Subject: Amending the Procurement Code- Disadvantaged Businesses (Former HB 2166)
 
In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation that would amend the Procurement Code (Title 62) by adding a new chapter to address disadvantaged businesses. The goal of this legislation is to not only advocate for minority and women-owned businesses, but also to provide accurate and current data on participation in state contracts by these disadvantaged businesses.

My proposed legislation is modeled after Maryland’s statute, which has allowed minority and women-owned business participation in state contracts to increase from around 13.9 percent in 2004 (when Maryland started to implement new laws to assist minority business enterprises), to 27.3 percent in 2014.

Pennsylvania owes much of its economic vigor to its entrepreneurs and small business owners who are willing to take the risks associated with starting and growing a business. My legislation would help to level the playing field in state government for participation by disadvantaged businesses, many of which are small start-ups. Additionally, it would address the unemployment rate among Pennsylvania’s minority populations, which is reported to be twice the unemployment rate among non-minorities.

In 2015, Governor Tom Wolf issued an executive order (2015-11) calling for diversity, inclusion and small business opportunities in Commonwealth Procurement and in Pennsylvania’s economy. My legislation would put that goal into practice, allowing the Commonwealth to create a real-time, comprehensive and accurate snapshot of disadvantaged business participation, as well as creating real and achievable goals that will create a more vibrant and strong economy for the future.

Please join me in sponsoring this legislation.



Introduced as HB1167