The proposed bill introduces the Minority and Women-Owned Businesses State Contractor Remedies Act, which aims to improve the participation of minority and women-owned businesses in state contracting. It requires state agencies to develop annual plans to encourage these businesses to submit proposals and establishes contract utilization goals based on findings from the New Jersey Disparity Study. Agencies must demonstrate a good faith effort to meet these goals, and if they fail, they are required to submit a remedial action plan, which may be made public if not implemented within a year. The bill also amends the existing Set-Aside Act, increasing the set-aside goal for small businesses from 15% to 25% while removing specific goals for minority and women-owned businesses.

In addition to these changes, the bill shifts responsibilities from the Office of Small Business Assistance to the Chief Diversity Officer and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. It establishes a new goal for state agencies to award at least 30% of contracts to socially and economically disadvantaged businesses and repeals previous laws related to compliance calculations for minority and women-owned businesses and veteran-owned businesses. Overall, the legislation aims to streamline the procurement process while enhancing opportunities for small businesses, particularly those owned by minorities and women, within the state.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 5:10-21.1, 52:32-17, 52:32-18, 52:32-19, 52:32-20, 52:32-21, 52:32-22, 52:32-23, 52:32-24, 52:32-25, 52:32-26, 52:32-27, 52:32-28, 52:32-30, 52:32-31.17