Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed the important House Bill 128 last month. The aim is to help the state advance its reputation as among one of the best locations to conduct business. 

House Bill 128 is directed at streamlining and expanding state certifications for disadvantaged businesses, such as minority, women, and veteran-owned ones, as they determine the contract procurement process. The initiative is based on an executive order issued by Kemp himself last July. 

Brian Kemp stated, “The shared goal of that executive order and of House Bill 128 is straightforward — to cut red tape and support small businesses, and this bill certainly does that. It will also help increase competition within the procurement process, so state contracts are delivered at the lowest cost and the best value to the taxpayer.”

To eliminate redundancy, the bill amends the current law, under which DAS (Department of Administrative Services) oversaw minority business certification in particular, to create a general class of "classified subcontractors" and expand it to include women-owned and veteran-owned businesses. The bill also authorizes DAS to accept certifications from other certifying agencies. 

The Governor also signed two other bills.

The second bill, Senate Bill 213, enables propertied individuals in the state to replace a current manufactured house with a newly built one without bureaucratic limitations. 

The third and last bill, House Bill 230, allows Augusta voters to determine whether or not to enforce a sales tax for funding proposed renovations to Augusta’s James Brown Arena. 

All three bills are expected to boost Georgia’s reputation as the best American state for opportunity.