2016 -- S 2688

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LC004699

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2016

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO PUBLIC PROPERTY AND WORKS - MICRO BUSINESSES

     

     Introduced By: Senators Pichardo, Metts, Ciccone, Nesselbush, and Miller

     Date Introduced: March 08, 2016

     Referred To: Senate Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Preamble.

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     WHEREAS, The Small business Administration's (SBA) definition of small businesses

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does not specifically target and address micro business reality (ownership, human capacity,

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financial capacity, micro business culture and context); and

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     WHEREAS, The Small Business Act of July 30, 1953 (15 U.S.C. §631 et seq.) creating

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the Small Business Administration (SBA), generally defines small business by the size of the firm

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and the average annual receipts. These two widely used standards are, on the average five

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hundred (500) employees for most manufacturing and mining industries, and seven million

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dollars ($7,000,000) in average annual receipts for most non-manufacturing industries. While

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there are many exceptions, these two (2) are the primary size standards in the industries; and

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     WHEREAS, The State of Rhode Island currently uses the Federal Small Business

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Administration's (SBA) definition of Small Businesses as a synonym for Micro Enterprises

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(Micro Businesses); and

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     WHEREAS, According to information found on the Census.gov website, micro

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enterprises make up ninety-five percent (95%) of the twenty-eight million (28,000,000) U.S.

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companies tracked by the census; and

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     WHEREAS, The State of Rhode Island does not have a definition for micro businesses;

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and

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     WHEREAS, There is an urgent need for a predictable process or continuum, where

 

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entrepreneurs move from micro businesses, to small businesses, to medium businesses and finally

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to large businesses in the state of Rhode Island; now therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, It is enacted by the general assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 2. Title 37 of the General Laws entitled "PUBLIC PROPERTY AND

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WORKS" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter:

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CHAPTER 14.2

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THE MICRO BUSINESSES ACT

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     37-14.2-1. Short title. -- This chapter shall be known and may be cited as "The Micro

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Businesses Act".

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     37-14.2-2. Purpose -- The purpose of this chapter is to carry out the state's policy of

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supporting the fullest possible participation of micro businesses in the economic activity in the

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state of Rhode Island, including, but not limited to, state directed public construction programs

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and projects and in-state purchases of goods and services. The purpose includes assisting micro

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businesses throughout the life of any contracts with the state of Rhode Island or its agencies.

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     37-14.2-3. Definitions. -- As used in this chapter, the following words and terms shall

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have the following meanings unless the context shall clearly indicate another or different meaning

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or intent:

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     (1) "Compliance" means the condition existing when a contractor has met and

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implemented the requirements of this chapter.

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     (2) "Contract" means a mutually binding legal relationship or any modification thereof

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obligating the seller to furnish supplies or services, including construction, and the buyer to pay

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for them. As used in this chapter, a lease is a contract.

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     (3) "Contractor" means one who participates, through a contract or subcontract, in any

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procurement or program covered by this chapter and includes lessees and material suppliers.

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     (4) "Micro business" means a business entity, regardless of whether it is in the form of a

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corporation, limited liability company, limited partnership, general partnership or sole

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proprietorship, which has a total of ten (10) or fewer members, owners, and employees and has

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assets totaling five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) or less.

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      (5) "MB coordinator" means the official designated to have overall responsibility for

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promoting coordinating, documenting, and implementing efforts related to micro businesses.

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     (6) "Noncompliance" means the condition existing when a recipient or contractor has

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failed to implement the requirements of this chapter. 

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     37-14.2-4. Compilation and reporting of data on micro business enterprises. -- (a)

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The department of administration shall compile and maintain data on the existence of micro

 

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businesses to facilitate the achievement of the purpose of this chapter. Within sixty (60) days of

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the effective date of this statute, the department of administration shall submit a report to the

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governor and general assembly that describes the methodology being used to compile such data.

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The report shall provide details of each category, specify in-state and out-of-state businesses,

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dollar amounts and type of appropriation, code and corresponding definitions that it is using to

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identify, track, and calculate data on micro businesses. The report shall be made public

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contemporaneously with its submission to the governor and general assembly.

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     (b) The department of administration shall review on an annual basis the financial

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documents of micro businesses including, but not limited to, the tax returns, bank statements, and

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financial statements, of the businesses as well as all employment documents relating to the

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number of employees. Those businesses that refuse to comply with the requests of the department

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of administration seeking this information shall be subject to a civil penalty in the amount of one

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thousand dollars ($1,000) per refusal after an opportunity for hearing before the director of the

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department of administration or the director's designee.

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     (c) On or before January 1, 2017, and on or before the first day of January in all years

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thereafter, the department of administration shall submit a report to the governor and general

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assembly consisting of data concerning the existence of micro business enterprises in the state.

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The data shall include, but not be limited to, the number of micro business enterprises, the

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distribution of micro business enterprises among the thirty-nine (39) cities or towns in the state,

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the number of minority business enterprises which are micro business enterprises, the number of

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micro business enterprises owned or controlled by women and the number of minority business

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enterprises which are micro business enterprises, the number of micro business enterprises which

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are owned or controlled by socially disadvantaged people and economically disadvantaged people

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and data on the percentage of micro business enterprises among business enterprises of other

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sizes in the state.

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     (d) At the request of the director of the department of administration, the secretary of

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state and all other general officers of the state, all agencies of the state and all of its cities and

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towns shall make reasonable modifications to their record keeping procedures to facilitate the

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compilation of data concerning the existence of micro business enterprises in Rhode Island.

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     SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO PUBLIC PROPERTY AND WORKS - MICRO BUSINESSES

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     This act would create "The Micro Businesses Act" in order to support participation of

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micro businesses in the economic activity in the state, including state directed public construction

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projects and in-state purchases. It would require the department of administration to compile data

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and to submit an annual report to the governor and general assembly.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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