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TO AMEND SECTION 11-35-5010, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS IN CONNECTION WITH MINORITY BUSINESS ASSISTANCE, SO AS TO DEFINE "SECTION 3 RESIDENTS"; AND TO AMEND TITLE 11, CHAPTER 35, ARTICLE 21, SUBARTICLE 3, RELATING TO ASSISTANCE TO MINORITY BUSINESSES, SO AS TO CHANGE REFERENCES FROM "THE STATE" TO "A GOVERNMENTAL BODY", WHICH INCLUDES THE STATE AND ITS AGENCIES AS WELL AS LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL BODIES, AND TO PROVIDE THAT A MINORITY BUSINESS UTILIZATION PLAN DEVELOPED BY A GOVERNMENTAL BODY MUST INCLUDE A GOAL OF TEN PERCENT OF EXPENDED MONIES BEING SPENT WITH MINORITY BUSINESSES UNLESS A LESSER GOAL IS JUSTIFIED BY STATED CRITERIA.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Section 11-35-5010 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 153 of 1997, is further amended by adding at the end:
"(3) 'Section 3 residents' has the same meaning as defined in Section 3 of the HUD Act of 1968, and includes:
(a) residents of public housing and other subsidized housing;
(b) persons living in close proximity to a HUD-assisted project;
(c) participants in Youthbuild programs; and
(d) homeless persons."
SECTION 2. Subarticle 3, Article 21, Chapter 35 of Title 11 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 11-35-5210. (1) Statement of Policy. The South Carolina General Assembly declares that business firms owned and operated by minority persons have been restricted historically restricted from full participation in our free enterprise system to a degree disproportionate to other businesses. The General Assembly believes that it is in the state's best interest to assist minority-owned businesses to develop fully as a part of the state's policies and programs which are designed to promote balanced economic and community growth throughout the State. The General Assembly, therefore, wishes to ensure that those businesses owned and operated by minorities are afforded the opportunity to fully participate participate fully in the overall procurement process of the State governmental bodies of this State, as defined in Section 11-35-310(18). The General Assembly, therefore, takes this leadership role in setting procedures that will result in awarding contracts and subcontracts to minority business firms in order to enhance minority capital ownership, and overall state economic development, create opportunities for Section 3 residents, and reduce dependency on the part of minorities. A minority firm is a firm that secures that designation from a governmental body of this State.
(2) Implementation. Chief procurement officers shall implement the policy set forth in subsection (1) of this section in accordance with the provisions of Section 11-35-5220.
Section 11-35-5220. (1) Assistance from the Chief Procurement Officers. The chief procurement officers shall provide appropriate staffs to assist minority businesses with the procurement procedures developed pursuant to this code.
(2) Special Publications. The chief procurement officers in cooperation with other appropriate private and state agencies entities and governmental bodies may issue supplementary instructions designed to assist minority businesses with the state procurement procedures.
(3) Source Lists. Chief procurement officers shall maintain special source lists of minority business firms detailing the products and services which that they provide. These lists shall must be made available to agency purchasing personnel.
(4) Solicitation Mailing Lists. The chief procurement officers shall include and identify minority business on the state's bidders' list and shall ensure that these firms are solicited on an equal basis within with nonminority firms. Local governmental bodies must produce a list of local certified MBE's as identified by local governmental bodies and must reference the state mailing list.
(5) Training Programs. The chief procurement officers shall work with appropriate state offices and minority groups in conducting seminars to assist minority business owners in learning how to do business with the governmental bodies of the State.
Section 11-35-5230. (A) The board shall promulgate regulations that designate such establish a goal of ten percent minority participation in all procurement contracts as it may deem considers appropriate for negotiation with certified, South Carolina-based minority firms, as defined by this subarticle. Among the criteria that shall must be used to determine such those designations are:
(1) The the total dollar value of procurement in South Carolina.;
(2) The the availability of South Carolina-based minority firms.;
(3) The the potential for breaking the contracts into smaller units, where necessary, to accommodate such those firms.;
(4) Insuring ensuring that the State shall governmental body is not be required to sacrifice quality of goods or services.;
(5) Insuring ensuring that the price shall have been is determined to be fair and reasonable, and competitive both to the State governmental body and to the contractor, and results in no loss to the State governmental body.
(B)(1) Firms A firm with state contracts a contract with a governmental body that subcontract subcontracts with minority firms shall be is eligible for an income tax credit equal to four percent of the payments to minority subcontractors for work pursuant to a state governmental contract. Such Those subcontractors must be certified as to the criteria of a minority firm as defined in Section 11-35-5010 of this code and any regulations which that may be promulgated thereunder under it.
(2) The tax credit is limited to a maximum of twenty-five thousand dollars annually. A firm shall be is eligible to claim a tax credit for a period of five years from the date the first income tax credit is claimed.
(3) Any A firm desiring to be certified as a minority firm shall make application must apply to the Small and Minority Business Assistance Office (SMBAO) as defined by Section 11-35-5270, on such forms as may be prescribed by that office.
(4) Firms A firm claiming the income tax credit shall must maintain evidence of work performed for a state governmental contract by a minority subcontractors subcontractor and shall must present such the evidence on a form and in a manner prescribed by the Department of Revenue at the time of filing its state income tax return and claim such the credit at the time of filing. All records shall must be available for audit by the Department of Revenue in accordance with prevailing tax statutes.
Section 11-35-5240. (1) In order to To emphasize the use of minority small businesses, each agency director governmental body shall develop a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Utilization Plan. The MBE Utilization Plan shall include, including a Section 3 Residents component, must contain, but not be limited to:
(a) The the name of the governmental body;
(b) A a policy statement expressing a commitment by the governmental body to use MBE's in all aspects of procurement;
(c) The the name of the coordinator responsible for monitoring the MBE Utilization Plan;
(d) Goals goals that include a reasonable percentage expending with certified MBE's an amount equal to at least ten percent of each governmental body's total procurements directed toward minority vendors amount of funds expended;
(e) goals to promote opportunities for Section 3 residents and strategies to increase the use of Section 3 residents in the awarding of contracts with all vendors;
(e) (f) Solicitation solicitation of qualified certified minority vendors, a current list of which shall must be supplied by the Office of General Services SMBAO, in each commodity category for which such minority vendor is qualified certified. The current listing of qualified minority vendors shall must be made available by the Office of General Services SMBAO on a timely basis;
(f) (g) Procedures procedures to be used when it is necessary to divide total project requirements into smaller tasks which will permit, permiting increased MBE participation;
(g) (h) Procedures procedures to be used when the governmental body subcontracts the scope of service to another governmental body; the responsible governmental body may set goals for the subcontractor in accordance with the MBE goal and the responsible governmental body may allow the subcontractor to present a MBE Utilization Plan detailing its procedure to obtain minority business enterprise participation.
(2) MBE utilization plans shall must be submitted to the SMBAO for approval not later than July thirtieth, annually. Upon petition by the governmental body, SMBAO may authorize an MBE utilization plan that establishes a goal of less than ten percent of the governmental body's total dollar amount of funds expended. Justifications for a lesser goal must include:
(a) the lack of South Carolina-based minority firms that are reasonably able to respond to the form and location of the anticipated services;
(b) the lack of potential for breaking the contract into smaller units to accommodate state-based minority firms;
(c) demonstration that the ten percent requirement sacrifices quality of goods or services; and
(d) demonstration that failure to meet the goal is anticipated based on historic bidding practices.
(3) Progress reports shall must be submitted to the SMBAO not later than ten thirty days after the end of each fiscal quarter., containing the:
(a) Number number of minority firms solicited;
(b) Number number of minority bids received;
(c) Dollar total dollar amount of minority bids awarded. funds expended on contracts awarded to a certified minority firm; and
(d) total amount of dollars expended.
(4) The executive director of the board shall establish a definition for 'total dollar amount of funds expended' for purposes of this section, notwithstanding another provision.
Section 11-35-5250. (1) Progress Payments. The chief procurement officers may make special provisions for progress payments and letters of credit, as deemed considered reasonable to assist minority businesses to carry out the terms of a state contract pursuant to regulations which that may be promulgated by the board.
(2) Letter of Contract Award. When a minority business firm certified by the Department of Revenue receives a contract with the State a governmental body, the appropriate chief procurement officer shall furnish a letter, upon request, stating the dollar value and duration of, and other information about, the contract, which may be used by the minority firm in negotiating lines of credit with lending institutions.
Section 11-35-5260. Each governmental body The SMBAO shall report annually in writing to the board concerning the number and dollar value of contracts awarded for each governmental body to eligible minority businesses a certified MBE during the preceding fiscal year. These records shall must be maintained to evaluate the progress of this program.
Section 11-35-5270. A Small and Minority Business Assistance Office (SMBAO) shall be is established to assist the board and the Department of Revenue in carrying out the intent of this article. The responsibilities of the office shall include, but is not be limited to, the following:
(1) Assist assist the chief procurement officers and governmental bodies in developing policies and procedures which will facilitate awarding contracts to small and minority firms;
(2) Assist assist the chief procurement officers in aiding small and minority-owned firms and community-based businesses in developing organizations to provide technical assistance to minority firms;
(3) Assist assist with the procurement and management training for small and minority firm owners;
(4) Assist assist in the identification of responsive small and minority firms;
(5) Receive receive and process applications to be registered as a minority firm in accordance with Section 11-35-5230(B);
(6) The SMBAO may revoke the certification of any a firm which has been that is found to have engaged in any of the following:
(a) fraud or deceit in obtaining the certification;
(b) furnishing of substantially inaccurate or incomplete information concerning ownership or financial status;
(c) failure to report changes which that affect the requirements for certification;
(d) gross negligence, incompetence, financial irresponsibility, or misconduct in the practice of his business; or
(e) wilful violation of any a provision of this article.;
(7) After reissue, after a period of one year, the SMBAO may reissue a certificate of eligibility provided if acceptable evidence has been is presented to the commission that the conditions which caused causing the revocation have been are corrected.
The Governor shall evaluate the role of this office within two years from the date of its creation and shall request recommendations of the State Reorganization Commission. The Governor may propose a more appropriate location of the office should the findings warrant change."
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
This web page was last updated on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 at 2:44 P.M.