The New York State Supplier Diversity Act - which is legislation recently introduced by New York State Senator Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) - is designed to bring contracting and procurement opportunities to businesses owned by people with disabilities, by veterans and by those in the LGBT community across the Empire State.

“New York State currently has more than 50,000 contracts worth nearly $240 billion a year. The success of our state’s Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise program has demonstrated that our state has an opportunity and responsibility to leverage those tremendous resources to ensure a seat at the table for those who remain underrepresented in state contracting or the business world. The Supplier Diversity Act will make New York a true engine of economic development, creating jobs and opportunities for the LGBT, disability and veteran communities,” notes Senator Hoylman.

The announcement of this legislation was made by the NYS senator in conjunction with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC).

“Nothing says ‘Ever Upward’ like New York leading the way in equality by creating greater access to the American Dream. By offering New Yorkers who are LGBT or with disabilities an equal seat at the table, the New York State Supplier Diversity Act has the power to economically advance diverse communities,” says NGLCC Co-Founder and CEO Chance Mitchell.

NGLCC, which is named as an officially recognized certification provider in this bill, serves as the exclusive third-party certification body for LGBT-owned businesses in the U.S. The legislation also named U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN) for its certifying role in the disability business community.

The USBLN says this is exciting news considering the following 2013 statistics, according to Erickson, W., Lee, C., and von Schrader, S. (2014) and 2013 Disability Status Report: New York. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Employment and Disability Institute (EDI):

• 1,044,300 of the 11,641,100 individuals between the ages of 21 and 64 in New York reported one or more disabilities.

• 114,000 businesses in New York State are owned by people with disabilities.

• The gap between the employment rates of working age people with and without disabilities was 43.3 percent.

• 357,300 working-age civilian veterans in New York, 59,400 of who had a VA service-connected disability.

“We’re happy to see New York lead the way for including people with disabilities in their state supply chain. There are an estimated 57 million Americans with disabilities and around 15 percent of persons with disabilities who are working [and] are self-employed. Our certification process is a critical tool to assist disability-owned and service-disabled, veteran-owned businesses [for] gain[ing] access to supply-chain contracting opportunities,” says Jill Houghton, executive director, USBLN.

“This advocacy will pave the way to create economic growth and business viability for men and women with disabilities across New York State. Our partnership with NGLCC is a great example of diverse communities working together to strengthen both corporate and governmental supply chains. We hope this New York legislation will become a shining example for other states across the nation,” she notes.

Within the bill the Division of Supplier Diversity would be responsible for the following:

• Establishing a directory of certified, contract-ready small businesses.

• Developing a statewide plan to promote disability-, veteran- and LGBT-owned small businesses.

• Coordinating the training of personnel across state agencies to ensure greater awareness of the unique challenges and barriers to entry that these businesses and their owners face.

“Our disability-owned business enterprises and service-disabled veteran-owned business certification processes will help many businesses into the supplier diversity pipeline,” adds Houghton.