Senate Bill sb2338c2

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    Florida Senate - 2002                    CS for CS for SB 2338

    By the Committees on Commerce and Economic Opportunities;
    Governmental Oversight and Productivity; and Senator
    Villalobos



    310-2319-02

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the Florida Minority

  3         Business Loan Mobilization Program; creating s.

  4         288.706, F.S.; providing legislative findings

  5         and intent; creating the Florida Minority

  6         Business Loan Mobilization Program for certain

  7         purposes; providing for program administration

  8         by the Department of Management Services;

  9         authorizing state agencies to disburse a

10         specified amount of a contract award to assist

11         certain minority business enterprise vendors in

12         obtaining working capital financing;

13         authorizing professional services vendors to

14         apply for a specified percentage of a base

15         contract amount; specifying procedures for the

16         Florida Minority Business Loan Mobilization

17         Program; providing for working capital

18         agreements and lines of credit; providing

19         requirements and limitations; providing

20         requirements for prime contract vendors;

21         providing requirements for subcontract vendors;

22         providing contracting state agency

23         requirements; authorizing the Department of

24         Management Services to adopt rules; authorizing

25         the Department of Management Services to

26         maintain a listing of participating financial

27         institutions; providing an effective date.

28  

29  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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    Florida Senate - 2002                    CS for CS for SB 2338
    310-2319-02




  1         Section 1.  Section 288.706, Florida Statutes, is

  2  created to read:

  3         288.706  Florida Minority Business Loan Mobilization

  4  Program.--

  5         (1)  The Legislature finds that it is in the interest

  6  of the public welfare to meaningfully assist minority business

  7  enterprises that are vital to the overall economy of the

  8  state. It is the intent of the Legislature to promote

  9  diversity in state contracting by eliminating barriers to

10  minority business enterprises providing goods and services to

11  the state.  Finally, the Legislature recognizes the

12  contribution of minority business enterprises to employment

13  opportunities in this state.

14         (2)  The Florida Minority Business Loan Mobilization

15  Program is created to promote the development of minority

16  business enterprises, as defined in s. 288.703(2); to increase

17  the ability of minority business enterprises to compete for

18  state contracts; and to sustain the economic growth of

19  minority business enterprises in this state.  The goal of the

20  program is to assist minority business enterprises by

21  facilitating working capital loans to minority business

22  enterprises that are vendors on state agency contracts. The

23  Department of Management Services shall administer the

24  program.

25         (3)  Notwithstanding ss. 215.422(14) and 216.181(16),

26  and pursuant to s. 216.351, under the Florida Minority

27  Business Loan Mobilization Program a state agency is

28  authorized to disburse up to 10 percent of the base contract

29  award amount to assist a minority business enterprise vendor

30  that is awarded a state agency contract for goods or services

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    Florida Senate - 2002                    CS for CS for SB 2338
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  1  in obtaining working capital financing as provided in

  2  subsection (5).

  3         (4)  Notwithstanding ss. 215.422(14) and 216.181(16),

  4  and pursuant to s. 216.351, in lieu of applying for

  5  participation in the Florida Minority Business Loan

  6  Mobilization Program, a minority business enterprise vendor

  7  awarded a state-agency contract for the performance of

  8  professional services may apply with that contracting state

  9  agency for up to 5 percent of the base contract award amount.

10  The contracting state agency may award such advance in order

11  to facilitate the performance of that contract.

12         (5)  The following Florida Minority Business Loan

13  Mobilization Program procedures apply to minority business

14  enterprise vendors for contracts awarded by a state agency for

15  construction or professional services or for the provision of

16  goods or services:

17         (a)  Upon receipt of an award of a prime contract or

18  subcontract, a minority business enterprise vendor may seek to

19  obtain working-capital financing from a participating

20  financial institution. The minority business enterprise vendor

21  must complete all the necessary requirements of the

22  participating financial institution in order to obtain a

23  working-capital agreement.  A minority business enterprise

24  vendor shall be entitled to participate in the program only if

25  a working-capital agreement is established with a

26  participating financial institution.

27         (b)  The working-capital agreement may provide for a

28  line of credit that is no less than 125 percent and no more

29  than 200 percent of the designated loan mobilization payment

30  described in paragraph (c).

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    Florida Senate - 2002                    CS for CS for SB 2338
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  1         (c)  The designated loan mobilization payment is that

  2  portion of the base contact award amount that is to be

  3  disbursed by the agency under this section.  The actual amount

  4  of the designated loan mobilization payment shall be no less

  5  than $5,000 and no greater than $250,000.  The amount of the

  6  designated loan mobilization payment shall be:

  7         1.  No less than 5 percent and no more than 10 percent

  8  of the base contract award amount between the prime minority

  9  business enterprise contract vendor and the contracting state

10  agency; or

11         2.  No less than 5 percent and no more than 10 percent

12  of the base contract award amount between a subcontract

13  minority business enterprise vendor and a minority business

14  enterprise or nonminority business enterprise prime contract

15  vendor.

16         (d)  The designated loan mobilization payment shall be

17  disbursed pursuant to the working-capital agreement and this

18  subsection, and shall be made payable by the contracting state

19  agency to the minority business enterprise prime contract

20  vendor and the participating financial institution using the

21  tax identification number of the minority business enterprise

22  vendor that is the debtor under the working-capital agreement.

23         (e)  The following procedures shall apply when the

24  minority business enterprise is the prime contract vendor to

25  the contracting state agency:

26         1.  Pursuant to s. 216.351, the provisions of ss.

27  215.422(14) and 216.181(16) do not apply to this paragraph.

28         2.  For construction contracts, the designated loan

29  mobilization payment shall be disbursed when:

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    Florida Senate - 2002                    CS for CS for SB 2338
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  1         a.  The minority business enterprise prime contract

  2  vendor requests disbursement in the first application for

  3  payment; and

  4         b.  The contracting state agency has issued a notice to

  5  proceed and has approved the first application for payment.

  6         3.  For contracts other than construction contracts,

  7  the designated loan mobilization payment shall be disbursed

  8  when:

  9         a.  The minority business enterprise prime contract

10  vendor requests disbursement by letter delivered to the

11  contracting state agency after the execution of the contract

12  but prior to the commencement of work; and

13         b.  The contracting state agency has approved the

14  minority business enterprise prime contract vendor's letter of

15  request.

16         4.  The designated loan mobilization payment may be

17  paid by the contracting state agency prior to the commencement

18  of work. In order to ensure that the contract time provisions

19  do not commence until the minority business enterprise prime

20  contract vendor has adequate working capital, the contract

21  documents may provide that the contract shall commence at such

22  time as the contracting state agency releases the designated

23  loan mobilization payment to the minority business enterprise

24  prime contract vendor and participating financial institution

25  pursuant to the working-capital agreement.

26         (f)  The following procedures shall apply when the

27  minority business enterprise is the subcontract vendor:

28         1.  For purposes of this paragraph, the term

29  "subcontract minority business enterprise vendor" is limited

30  to subcontractors and suppliers to prime contract vendors that

31  contract with a state agency.

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    Florida Senate - 2002                    CS for CS for SB 2338
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  1         2.  A designated loan mobilization payment for a

  2  subcontract minority business enterprise vendor shall be made:

  3         a.  Upon approval by the contracting state agency of a

  4  letter from the subcontract minority business enterprise

  5  vendor and prime contract vendor that requests the designated

  6  loan mobilization payment and that indicates that the prime

  7  contract vendor is on notice of the request.

  8         b.  Payable to the prime contract vendor and the

  9  participating financial institution, which shall pay these

10  funds to the subcontract minority business enterprise vendor

11  within 10 business days after the receipt of the funds from

12  the state.

13         3.  No prime contract vendor shall retain more than 5

14  percent of the amount earned by a subcontract minority

15  business enterprise vendor participating in this program,

16  except that, if the prime contract vendor is also

17  participating in this program, the amount the prime contract

18  vendor retains shall be subject to the provisions governing

19  prime contract vendors.

20         (6)  All prime contract vendors shall be required to

21  incorporate the designated loan mobilization payment

22  procedures in subcontract agreements or purchase orders with

23  minority business enterprise vendors participating in this

24  program and to cooperate in the release of designated loan

25  mobilization payments to achieve the objective of providing

26  working capital for subcontract minority business enterprise

27  vendors.

28         (7)  The contracting state agency shall encourage prime

29  contract vendors to make weekly or biweekly payments to

30  subcontract minority business enterprise vendors participating

31  in this program.

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    Florida Senate - 2002                    CS for CS for SB 2338
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  1         (8)  The contracting state agency shall monitor

  2  compliance with this section. Nothing contained in this

  3  section shall be construed to limit the contracting state

  4  agency's right to insist upon strict compliance with the

  5  requirements of the contract documents.

  6         (9)  The contracting state agency shall not be a party

  7  to a working-capital agreement between a participating

  8  financial institution and a participating minority business

  9  enterprise vendor. The participating financial institution

10  shall notify the contracting state-agency head of vendor

11  program applications received by such institution.

12         (10)  The Department of Management Services may adopt

13  rules to administer this section.

14         (11)  The Department of Management Services shall

15  maintain a listing of financial institutions willing to

16  participate in the Florida Minority Business Loan Program.

17  This list of financial institutions shall not be exclusive.  A

18  minority business enterprise vendor who has a working

19  relationship with a financial institution is encouraged to

20  request that the financial institution apply to participate as

21  a financial institution for the program.

22         Section 2.  This act shall take effect October 1, 2002.

23  

24          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
25                            CS/SB 2338

26                                 

27  The committee substitute makes clarifying and conforming
    changes to the bill. Provisions are added to provide that laws
28  generally prohibiting advance payments are waived and that
    designated loan mobilization payments for the benefit of
29  subcontractors are made to the prime contractor and a
    participating financial institution.
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