B 26-0206 Legislature · 26th Council Period (2025-2026)

Certified Business Enterprise Program Compliance and Enforcement Support Emergency Amendment Act of 2025

This bill amends the District's Certified Business Enterprise (CBE) Program to clarify requirements and improve enforcement. It directly affects businesses seeking CBE certification or participating in government contracts, requiring applicants to be "independently owned and operated" (defined as managing day-to-day operations without control by another entity) and reinstating a local business enterprise test. Key provisions include revised joint venture rules mandating that certified businesses perform work proportional to their ownership stake and standardizing complaint procedures (formal written complaints vs. informal channels like hotlines). These changes aim to strengthen program administration and compliance without altering the core eligibility criteria for CBE certification.

Bill status signed all 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2025

Committee Review

Apr 2025

Council Passage

May 2025

Signed into Law

May 2025

Introduced Mar 26, 2025 Signed May 28, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduction → Enrollment · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was transitioned from a draft introduction version to an enrolled (final) version, with substantive policy changes to the Certified Business Enterprise (CBE) Program. The enrolled version clarifies enforcement procedures, adjusts performance requirements for joint ventures, and updates definitions to ensure businesses meet independence and ownership standards.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include new enforcement procedures for complaints and clarified performance requirements for certified joint ventures, making the CBE Program more rigorous and uniform.

DEFINITION

Updated definitions for 'economically disadvantaged individual' to reference federal Department of Transportation standards, and added new definitions for 'formal complaint,' 'informal complaint,' 'independently owned and operated,' and expanded the definition of 'person' to include various business entities.

ENFORCEMENT

Added requirements for the Department to maintain a hotline for informal complaints and established procedures for dismissing frivolous complaints, including mandatory reporting of dismissed formal complaints.

REQUIREMENT

Modified joint venture performance requirements to require each certified business enterprise in a joint venture to perform work equal to its percentage ownership interest, rather than a flat 50% requirement.

ELIGIBILITY

Added eligibility criteria requiring businesses applying for CBE certification to be independently owned and operated, or meet specific ownership thresholds by District-based enterprises or District residents.

Floor votes · Council May 6, 2025

How they voted

12–0

Passed

Total votes 12

May 6, 2025

D Democratic10

10 Yea

100% Yea

I Independent2

2 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

May 6, 2025

Council · Passed

Council Vote: pass (12-0)

council

Apr 1, 2025

Committee

Retained by the Council with comments from the Committee on Business and Economic Development

legislature

Mar 26, 2025

Introduced

B26-0206 Introduced by Chairman Mendelson at Office of the Secretary

legislature

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors