State contracts: participation goals.

Existing law establishes participation goals for certain state contracts with minority business enterprises, women business enterprises, and disabled veteran business enterprises. These provisions, with respect to minority and women business enterprises, were held unconstitutional on the basis of not meeting equal protection requirements. This bill would revise the requirements imposed on disabled veteran business enterprises to, among other changes, require a disabled veteran to have at least a 10% service-connected disability and require a disabled veteran business enterprise to submit specified income tax information to the Office of Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Services. Existing law further requires an awarding state department for contracts for materials, supplies, or equipment to accept the submission by a bidder of a minority, women, or disabled veteran business enterprise utilization plan that has been approved prior to the solicitation due date by the Department of General Services, in accordance with certain criteria. This bill would revise the minimum criteria for a business utilization plan to be approved by the Department of General Services, as specified. The bill would also expand the types of contracts to which these provisions apply to include contracts for commodities, property, goods, professional services, construction work, or equipment, including information technology goods and services.