What's happening
This bill prohibits discrimination based on personal or business characteristics in New York government contracting and procurement.
Why it matters
Expands anti-discrimination protections. to include not just individuals but also businesses and their associates (like partners, suppliers, and customers), making it harder for agencies to exclude companies based on personal or business characteristics.
Strengthens legal grounds for challenging unfair government contracting decisions. , giving affected individuals and businesses clearer recourse if they believe a contract was denied due to discrimination.
Explicitly protects efforts to boost diversity in contracting. , ensuring that the law won’t block affirmative action or similar programs aimed at increasing participation from historically underrepresented groups.
Could influence how public contracts are awarded. , potentially increasing competition and access for minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses, thereby affecting economic opportunities and the makeup of government contractors.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Ban Bias in State Contracts
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
3 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to governmental operations
- Referred to governmental operations
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Ban Bias in State Contracts
In Senate Committee · Investigations And Government Operations · Sponsor Brad Hoylman-Sigal
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2724
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 25, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. BICHOTTE, BARRON, MOSLEY, ORTIZ -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to prohibiting discrimination in government procurement
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 3 of section 290 of the executive law, as amended by chapter 173 of the laws of 1974, is amended to read as follows:
3. The legislature hereby finds and declares that the state has the responsibility to act to assure that every individual within this state is afforded an equal opportunity to enjoy a full and productive life and that the failure to provide such equal opportunity, whether because of discrimination, prejudice, intolerance or inadequate education, training, housing or health care not only threatens the rights and proper privileges of its inhabitants but menaces the institutions and foundation of a free democratic state and threatens the peace, order, health, safety and general welfare of the state and its inhabitants. A division in the executive department is hereby created to encourage programs designed to insure that every individual shall have an equal opportunity to participate fully in the economic, cultural and intellectual life of the state; to encourage and promote the development and execution by all persons within the state of such state programs; to eliminate and prevent discrimination in employment, in places of public accommodation, resort or amusement, in educational institutions, in public services, in government procurement, in housing accommodations, in commercial space and in credit transactions and to take other actions against discrimination as herein provided; and the division established hereunder is hereby given general jurisdiction and power for such purposes.
§ 2. Section 296 of the executive law is amended by adding a new subdivision 20 to read as follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00185-01-9
A. 2724 2
20. It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for any agency or bureau of the state and any political subdivision thereof to deny a government contracting or procurement opportunity to any person, because of the actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, military status, sex, age, disability, marital status, or familial status of such person, or of such person's business associates or partners, members, stockholders, directors, officers, managers, superintendents, agents, employees, suppliers or customers. Nothing in this subdivision shall prohibit the state or any political subdivision thereof from establishing policies to increase participation by a group traditionally underrepresented in government contracting or procurement.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.