S 872: Creates minority and women-owned business enterprise regional advocates; provides that the advocates will help ensure that municipal agencies comply with the provisions of law relating to minority and women-owned business enterprises.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 872 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. BAILEY, FERNANDEZ, PARKER, SANDERS, WEBB -- 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 creating regional minority and women-owned business enterprise advocate The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 310 of the executive law is amended by adding a new 2 subdivision 24 to read as follows: 3 24. "Regional advocate" shall mean the person appointed by the state- 4 wide advocate to serve in the capacity of minority and women-owned busi- 5 ness enterprise regional advocate. 6 § 2. Subdivision 2 of section 311-a of the executive law, as amended 7 by chapter 96 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows: 8 2. The advocate shall act as a liaison for minority and women-owned 9 business enterprises (MWBEs) to assist them in obtaining technical, 10 managerial, financial and other business assistance for certified busi- 11 nesses and applicants. The advocate shall receive and investigate 12 complaints brought by or on behalf of MWBEs concerning certification 13 delays and instances of violations of the requirements of this article 14 by contractors and by state agencies. The statewide advocate may assist 15 certified businesses and applicants in the certification process, direct 16 regional local advocates in developing educational outreach programs and 17 create awareness of competitive grant programs. Other functions of the 18 statewide advocate shall be directed by the commissioner. The advocate 19 may request and the director may appoint staff and employees of the 20 division of minority and women business development to support the 21 administration of the office of the statewide advocate. 22 § 3. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 311-b to 23 read as follows: EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02117-01-5 
 S. 872 2 1 § 311-b. Minority and women-owned business enterprise regional advo- 2 cates. 1. Regional advocate. There is hereby established within each of 3 the regional offices established pursuant to article eleven of the 4 economic development law an office of the minority and women-owned busi- 5 ness enterprise regional advocate. 6 2. Powers and duties. The regional advocates shall: 7 (a) provide technical, managerial, financial and other business 8 assistance to certified minority and women businesses or applicants; 9 (b) conduct outreach programs for MWBEs on a bi-annual basis; 10 (c) conduct educational seminars for state agencies on an annual 11 basis; and 12 (d) shall be responsible for reporting the number and certification 13 applications received and processed by its region. 14 3. The regional advocate shall document reasons for any denials or 15 delays in the certification process. Regional advocates shall report to 16 the statewide advocate and director by September thirtieth on an annual 17 basis of recommendations to the state certification process, outreach 18 efforts and complaints received or resolved. 19 § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 20 it shall have become a law; provided, however, that the amendments to 21 article 15-A of the executive law made by this act shall not affect the 22 expiration of such article and shall expire therewith.