City Councilman Ritchie Torres has introduced a bill in New York City Council that would require the City's Department of Small Business Services (SBS) to certify LGBT-owned business enterprises (LGBTBEs) the same way it currently certifies minority- and woman-owned business enterprises, and to publish a directory of such businesses.
The legislation does not establish a participatory goal for LGBT businesses in New York City contracting, but does require SBS to solicit support from LGBTBE organizations in order to "increase participation of LGBT owned business enterprises in city procurement" and to provide programming and institutional support "designed to enhance participation of LGBT owned business enterprises in city procurement."
The bill also allows SBS to decide on certification procedures by rule, either performing certification on its own, or relying on the certification activities of third parties. The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) currently performs this function for some agencies and programs around the country.
If passed, the bill would make New York City the largest municipality in the country with such a LGBTBE program. The NGLCC anticipates that with the passage of the bill, thousands of LGBTBEs in New York City would be ready to take advantage of certification procedures.
Read more about the LGBTBE measure at https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3872976&GUID=85219342-5202-4723-A35C-90170D533913
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