Governor Andrew M. Cuomo recently delivered his State of the State speech for 2020. The speech was accompanied by a lengthy policy book outlining many initiatives that were not touched on in the speech but which form part of Cuomo's agenda for the year. Of interest to minority- and woman-owned businesses (MWBEs), one of those policy proposals was the creation of a Statewide Integrated Application Portal.
The portal, which Cuomo will direct Empire State Development's Division of Minority and Women's Business Development to create, would allow businesses to apply for any and all MWBE certifications within the state (at the state, city, and county level as well as with various councils) through a single portal and with a standardized common application. The portal will also include the capability for providing assistance from program staff to applicants in complete the application.
Additionally of note to MWBEs, starting in January 2020, the period of certification for the New York State MWBE program will be changed from three years to five years, and the Division of Minority and Women's Business Development will be directed to expend resources on ensuring that the time needed for its application review process will be shortened.
Read the Governor's policy book at https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/2020StateoftheStateBook.pdf.
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