New York A 10802: Enacts the "MWBE equality act"

Bill Text

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A10802 Summary:

BILL NOA10802 

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SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORBlumencranz

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COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

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Amd §310, Exec L; amd §2879, Pub Auth L; amd §210, Ec Dev L; amd §52-0113, En Con L; amd §428, Transp L

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Enacts the "MWBE equality act" to add ethno-religious groups as minority group members for the purposes of MWBE; defines ethno-religious persons as unified by a common religious and ethnic background.

Go to top A10802 Actions:

BILL NOA10802 

&nbsp

04/01/2026referred to governmental operations

Go to topA10802 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA10802 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topA10802 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 10802

 IN ASSEMBLY

 April 1, 2026
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. BLUMENCRANZ -- read once and referred to the
 Committee on Governmental Operations

 AN ACT to amend the executive law, the public authorities law, the
 economic development law, the environmental conservation law and the
 transportation law, in relation to adding ethno-religious groups as
 minority group members

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
 2 the "MWBE Equality Act".
 3 § 2. Paragraphs (c) and (d) of subdivision 8 of section 310 of the
 4 executive law, as added by chapter 261 of the laws of 1988, are amended
 5 and a new paragraph (e) is added to read as follows:
 6 (c) Native American or Alaskan native persons having origins in any of
 7 the original peoples of North America[.];
 8 (d) Asian and Pacific Islander persons having origins in any of the
 9 Far East countries, South East Asia, the Indian subcontinent or the
 10 Pacific Islands[.]; or
 11 (e) Ethno-religious persons unified by a common religious and ethnic
 12 background.
 13 § 3. Subparagraphs (iii) and (iv) of paragraph (d) of subdivision 3 of
 14 section 2879 of the public authorities law, as amended by chapter 669 of
 15 the laws of 2022, are amended and a new subparagraph (v) is added to
 16 read as follows:
 17 (iii) Asian and Pacific Islander persons having origins in any of the
 18 Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian sub-continent or the Pacific
 19 Islands; [or]
 20 (iv) Native American persons having origins in any of the original
 21 peoples of North America[.]; or
 22 (v) Ethno-religious persons unified by a common religious and ethnic
 23 background.
 24 § 4. Subdivisions 3 and 4 of section 210 of the economic development
 25 law, as amended by chapter 669 of the laws of 2022, are amended to read
 26 as follows:

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD08717-01-5

 A. 10802 2

 1 3. "Minority business enterprise" shall mean any business enterprise
 2 which is at least fifty-one per centum owned by, or in the case of a
 3 publicly owned business at least fifty-one per centum of the stock of
 4 which is owned by, citizens or permanent resident noncitizens who are
 5 Black, Hispanic, Asian or American Indian, Pacific Islander [or], Alas-
 6 kan Native, or ethno-religious where such ownership interest is real,
 7 substantial and continuing and where such persons have the authority to
 8 independently control the day-to-day business decisions of the entity.
 9 4. "Minority group member" shall mean a United States citizen or
 10 permanent resident noncitizen who is and can demonstrate membership in
 11 one of the following groups:
 12 (a) Black persons having origins in any of the Black African racial
 13 groups not of Hispanic origin;
 14 (b) Hispanic persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban,
 15 Central or South American descent of either Indian or Hispanic origin,
 16 regardless of race;
 17 (c) Asian and Pacific Islander persons having origins in the Far East,
 18 Southeast Asia, the Indian sub-continent or the Pacific Islands; [or]
 19 (d) American Indian or Alaskan Native persons having origins in any of
 20 the original peoples of North America[.]; or
 21 (e) Ethno-religious persons unified by a common religious and ethnic
 22 background.
 23 § 5. The opening paragraph of paragraph (a) of subdiv