Public Chapter 404

SENATE BILL NO. 964

By Ford, Harper

Substituted for: House Bill No. 513

By John DeBerry, Larry Turner, Lois DeBerry, Brooks, Langster

AN ACT To enact the Tennessee Minority Business Councils Cooperation Act of 1997.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:

SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Tennessee Minority Business Councils Cooperation Act of 1997".

SECTION 2. (a) The General Assembly finds the following:

(1) Minority business councils have been created to serve, support and promote minority business interests and minority-owned business entities in Tennessee urban communities; and

(2) Such councils have enhanced the ability of minority business to procure employment opportunities in each council's respective community; and

(3) At present, each council has independent and often duplicative certification procedures and no reciprocity provisions exist between the various councils.

(b) The purpose of this act is to create one (1) central certification process that would permit reciprocity of certification for minority businesses throughout Tennessee.

SECTION 3. Minority business councils doing business in the State of Tennessee shall promulgate uniform certification procedures for member businesses, shall charge uniform fees for such services, and shall permit reciprocity of certification among the individual minority business councils. Such councils shall bear all costs of implementing the provisions of this act.

SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.