Barbara Lee's Small, Minority, Women and Veteran-Owned Businesses Provision Included in Green Facilities Bill

Press Release

A bipartisan vote of 250 to 164, the House passed H.R.3021, the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, which includes a Lee-authored provision mandating reporting requirements related to contracting with small, minority, women and veteran-owned businesses.

The bill provides schools with funding for modernization, renovation and repair projects. Included in this program are graduated green energy standards reaching 90 percent of funds by 2013 as well as separate funds to provide additional aid to Gulf Coast public schools.

Under the Act, each local educational agency receiving a grant must ensure that, if the agency carries out modernization, renovation, or repair through a contract, the process for any such contract ensures the maximum number of qualified bidders, including local, small, minority, and women- and veteran-owned businesses, through full and open competition.

The Lee provision requires that these local educational agencies include in their annual report the total number and amount of contracts awarded to local, small, minority, and women- and veteran-owned businesses.

"As a longtime advocate of green jobs that will be fundamental to America's future economic competitiveness, I believe everyone must have the opportunity to benefit from the green economy supported by this legislation."

"This provision will bring much-needed transparency to the contracting process for these vital school improvement projects and help to ensure equitable economic benefits to local communities."

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