Below is a summary of selected legislation from 2021 related to the informational hearing, Economic Recovery of Women- and Minority-Owned Businesses. These include bills related to small business development, access to capital, workforce training, and targeted procurement programs.
AB 915 (Chiu and Holden) Minority Procurement Participation: This bill codifies a 25% small business goal for state procurement and proposes a number of actions to enhance the ability and commitment of state agencies to include small businesses, disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs), and disabled veteran business enterprises (DVBEs) in state contracting. Status: Pending in Senate Committee on Appropriations.
AB 1072 (Reyes) Small Business Technical Assistance Expansion Program: This bill reinforces the ability of the Office of Small Business and DVBE Services to work with awarding departments on certification of small businesses and DVBEs and targeted outreach for upcoming disaster-related contracts. The bill also creates a more decisive programmatic relationship between the state's small business procurement advocates and the statewide network of 80+ small business technical assistance centers, which participate in the Small Business Technical Assistance Expansion Program (SB TAEP). Status: Pending in the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
AB 1106 (Cervantes and Reyes) Training for Rapid Re-Hiring: This bill establishes a pilot project, administered through the Employment Training Panel, to leverage the expertise of the state's regionally-focused statewide network of Community College Contract Education Centers to provide training to new and incumbent workers. Status: Pending in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 1146 (Cervantes) Commercial Rent Forgiveness: This bill authorizes the establishment of the California Rent Forgiveness and Tax Relief Program for the purpose of providing grants to qualified counties to implement local rent forgiveness and tax relief programs. Status: Pending in the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee.
AB 1571 (JEDE) Ration Regulations: This bill delivers regulatory relief to small businesses during a state of disaster by either exempting them from compliance until after the state of emergency or, in the case the regulation is necessary to address the emergency or a serious and immediate health and safety issue, providing small businesses with sufficient time to learn about and implement the new regulation. Status: Held in the Assembly Committee on Appropriations, May 2021.
AB 1572 (JEDE) New Market Tax Credit: This bill establishes the California New Market Tax Credit (NMTC) Program and authorizes the awarding of $100 million in tax credits annually for five years, beginning in the 2023 tax year. The purpose of the California NMTC Program is to attract new private capital to small businesses located in very low-income neighborhoods in California. In general, the new state credit parallels the federal NMTC Program. Status: Pending in the Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation.
AB 1573 (JEDE) Business Retention Program: This bill establishes a supplemental grant program, within Small Business Technical Assistance Expansion Program, for the purpose of providing matching funds for local small business retention programs being administered by local governments, chambers of commerce, economic development corporations, federal small business technical assistance centers, and other nonprofits that serve small businesses. Implementation of the program is contingent upon a supplemental appropriation. Status: Pending in the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
AB 1574 (JEDE) Small Business and DVBE Procurement Participation: This bill, which is the product of input from stakeholders and recommendations from the 2019 State Audit of the DVBE Procurement Program, enhances the ability to prosecute fraudulent contracting activity, increases collaboration among small business and DVBE advocates, and provides more targeted support to awarding departments in achieving small business and DVBE procurement participation goals. Status: Pending on the Senate Floor.
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