What the bill does:
Expands disadvantaged enterprise certification to service-disabled veteran-owned businesses.
Changes name of Office for Minority, Women and Emerging Small Business within the Oregon
Business Development Department to Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity.
Changes name of Advocate for Minority, Women and Emerging Small Business to
Governor’s Advisor for Economic and Business Equity. Declares emergency, effective on passage.
BACKGROUND:
The Oregon Business Development Department, also known as Business Oregon, certifies
businesses that meet the criteria for the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), Minority/Women
Business Enterprise (MWBE) and Emerging Small Business (ESB) certifications. In order to qualify, a
firm must be an independently owned and operated for-profit business which is properly licensed and
registered with the Secretary of State and at least 51 percent owned and controlled by a socially and
economically disadvantaged individual who manages the day-today operations. Businesses meeting
these criteria are eligible for certain contracting opportunities with federal, state, county and city
governments and special jurisdictions.
House Bill 3303-B expands the certification program to include service-disabled veteran-owned
businesses in the categories of disadvantaged business enterprises eligible for certain preferences in
public contracting. The bill also changes the name of the office within the Oregon Business
Development Department that certifies disadvantaged businesses to the Certification Office for
Business Inclusion and Diversity and changes the name of the position reporting to the Governor on
related matters to the Governor’s Advisor for Economic and Business Equity.