State government: small business or disabled veteran business enterprise certification.

Existing law, the Small Business Procurement and Contract Act, encourages the participation of a small business enterprise, including, but not limited to, a microbusiness, or a disabled veteran business enterprise that is certified by the Department of General Services, in state contracts. Existing law requires those business enterprises to submit certain information under penalty of perjury. This bill would, during the process of certifying and determining the eligibility of a small business or a disabled veteran business enterprise, require an applicant or certified firm to submit to the department a written declaration, under penalty of perjury, that all information submitted, including the additional information for disabled veteran business enterprises, is true and correct, and would authorize the department to require, in certain cases, the owner of the enterprise or small business, the applicant, or the certified firm to complete and submit to the department a specified federal tax form requesting a transcript of a tax return. By expanding the definition of the existing crime of perjury, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law defines "disabled veteran business enterprise" for purposes of the California Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise Program to mean a business certified by the administering agency as meeting specified requirements, including, among other things, in the case of a publicly owned business, that at least 51% of its stock be owned by one or more disabled veterans, or in the case of a subsidiary that is wholly owned by a parent corporation, that at least 51% of the voting stock of the parent corporation be owned by one or more disabled veterans. This bill would instead specify that at least 51% of the stock or voting stock be unconditionally owned by one or more disabled veterans. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.