Pennsylvania legislators have recently introduced two bills aimed at assisting minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses in state contracting, under its Small Diverse Business (SDB) cert. 

Senate Bill 900 (SB 900) comes after a disparity study in 2018 and the establishment of the Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion, and Small Business Opportunities (BDISBO). The purpose of SB 900 is to establish a minimum SDB participation level on state contracts.  The bill will require a disparity study to be conducted every five years to reevaluate the impact and effectiveness of the BDISBO. Firms with more than 100 employees will now also be eligible for being considered SDB, as size and revenue caps will be set specifically by industry now. 

Ultimately, SB 900 and House Bill 1887 (HB 1887) will ensure that all firms can be considered by the commonwealth, regardless of the size of the company or who the owner is. Minority-, women-, and veteran-owned small businesses have experienced discrimination in the contracting process which has hindered their ability to compete fairly for state contracts.