Title: An act relating to the office of minority and women's business enterprises.

Brief Description: Authorizing the office of minority and women's business enterprises to receive gifts, grants, or endowments.

Brief Summary of Bill

• Clarifies that the Office of Minority and Women's Business Enterprises has the authority to receive and spend gifts, grants, and endowments from public or private sources.

Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 27 members: Representatives Sommers, Chair; Fromhold, Vice Chair; Sehlin, Ranking Minority Member; Pearson, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Alexander, Boldt, Buck, Clements, Cody, Conway, Cox, DeBolt, Dunshee, Grant, Hunter, Kagi, Kenney, Kessler, Linville, McDonald, McIntire, Miloscia, Pflug, Ruderman, Schual-Berke, Sump and Talcott.

The Office of Minority and Women's Business Enterprises (OMWBE) exists to increase government contracting opportunities to minority- and women-owned businesses. The OMWBE does this through several means, including certifying minority- and women-owned firms, disseminating the certified firm list to state agencies and local governments, assisting state agencies with goal-setting, and providing outreach and technical assistance to firms.

The majority of the OMWBE's funding comes from revolving fund charges made to state agencies. A portion of the agency's funding comes from bills charged to local governments for certification services and fees charged to businesses for certification applications and renewals. The OMWBE also receives interagency reimbursement out of the Department of Transportation’s federal transportation funds for the OMWBE's federal certification program.

Grant funds are available from a variety of federal and private sources for providing technical assistance to businesses. The OMWBE’s enabling statutes do not provide express authority for it to solicit, receive, or spend grants from private sources.

The OMWBE may receive and spend gifts, grants, or endowments from public or private sources. The bill contains an emergency clause and goes into effect immediately.

Effective Date: The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

Testimony For: The Office of Minority and Women's Business Enterprises helps improve the economic benefits of public contracting and procurement for all businesses, including those owned by women, minorities, and socially and economically disadvantaged persons, including the disabled. The services they provide include certification; training in bid estimating, cash flow service, and project management; and capacity building. As we struggle with the budget shortfall, it is important that we provide our smaller agencies with the opportunity to be less dependent on the state's general fund and more self-sufficient. It is important to the minority community that they are allowed to foster and grow their business endeavors and contribute to a more viable state.

Testified: Representative Veloria, prime sponsor; and R. Henry Rose, The Poor Peoples Campaign Project.