Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has proposed legislation that would set a 5 percent goal in the awarding of state contracts to small businesses owned by military veterans disabled in service.
The bill would create a Division of Service-Disabled Veterans”™ Business Development within the state Office of General Services to administer the program and coordinate with state agencies to help meet the contract goal.
“Supporting small businesses owned by New York”™s service-disabled veterans is just one way that we can honor the tremendous sacrifice that these brave individuals have made for our state and nation,” Cuomo said in a press release.
State Sen. Greg Ball, the Putnam County Republican who chairs the Senate Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee, in a written statement expressed his support of and cooperation with the governor in the effort to secure a share of state contracts for disabled veterans. Ball said 44 other states and the federal government have already successfully implemented the program.
“One in seven veterans are self-employed or small business owners,” Ball said. “The same attributes that make these people so vital to defending our freedom are the same hard-earned intangibles that make them exceptional at running their businesses and creating jobs. This set aside will literally take thousands of veterans off of the unemployment line and will save lives by confronting the real epidemic of veteran suicide by providing meaningful and lasting employment.”
New York is home to more than 900,000 veterans, of whom 72 percent have served during periods of conflict, according to state officials. Approximately 88,000 New Yorkers served in Afghanistan or Iraq. The state is also home to approximately 30,000 active duty military personnel and 30,000 National Guard and Reserve personnel.
