Posted: | March 4, 2019 03:25 PM |
---|---|
From: | Representative Jake Wheatley, Jr. |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Participation in State Procurement Legislation |
The fact is, small and minority owned businesses are the backbone of stability and growth in the Commonwealth. Although women and minorities help drive the local economy, far too many minority and women business owners have encountered roadblocks on their path to opportunity. This has undermined fair competition and held them back from reaching their full economic potential. Such roadblocks include: reduced access to capital, loans and lines of credit, marketplace discrimination and well-documented barriers. In order to advocate fair and equitable opportunities for the participation of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises, I am introducing language designed to encourage minority, women and other disadvantaged business owners to bid for and compete in state and local government bidding opportunities. It addresses impediments that small and minority-owned business owners and would require state agencies and state-affiliated agencies, including state-owned universities, to significantly increase contracting opportunities for disadvantaged businesses. I hope you’ll join me in sponsoring this important legislation. |
Introduced as HB1761