Crisco votes for bill to support veteran-owned businesses

HARTFORD - After standing side-by-side with military veterans who are also small-business owners, state Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr., D-Woodbridge, and a bipartisan group of state senators voted unanimously today for a bill that gives veteran-owned small businesses additional bidding preferences under state contracting laws.

State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr.

“My opinion is we can never do enough for our veterans, so if they own a small business in Connecticut, we should give them a preference when bidding on state contracts. It’s one more way we can give back for all of their sacrifices and their commitment to us,” Crisco said.

“The Connecticut Veterans Chamber of Commerce is grateful to Senate leadership for its support of this initiative, which is vital to our members,” said Andrew S. DiSilvestro Jr., executive vice president of the Chamber and owner/founder of Grade A Home Improvement LLC. 
“We represent a number of members, and we give a voice to the more than 40,000 veteran-owned businesses in the state that are working hard every day to grow their businesses and contribute to the state’s economy.”

The bill amends state law to allow the state Department of Administrative Services to give a 15 percent price preference to veteran-owned micro-businesses bidding on state contracts. Currently, DAS is only authorized to give up to a 10 percent preference.

If the bill passes the House and is signed into law by the governor, Connecticut will become the 12th state in the country to provide a set-aside for veteran-owned businesses when it comes to state contracting.

Today’s bill passage is the continuation of a multi-year focus by Crisco and the General Assembly - led by the Senate Democrats - to improve the lives of our veterans.

In 2011, the legislature enacted the groundbreaking “STEP-UP Employment Program for Veterans” administered by the State Department of Labor, which has helped over 400 veterans find high-quality employment.

In 2015, the General Assembly enacted several pro-veteran measures, including:

• The Veterans for Agriculture Program, which requires the state Department of Agriculture to assist vets who want to start an agricultural business.
• The Veteran’s Opportunity Pilot Program to help homeless vets find jobs, which as of August 2015 had already helped 75 homeless veterans from across Connecticut find quality employment.
• An Act Establishing the Women’s Veteran’s Program, which requires the state Department of Veteran’s Affairs to establish a program focusing exclusively on the unique needs of our returning female veterans.
• An Act Concerning Services Available to Veterans on State College and University Campuses, which improves on-campus services offered at OASIS Centers for returning vets to visit.
• Senate Bill 520, which provided significant income tax relief to veterans by fully exempting their retirement pay from taxation.

This is a press release from Crisco's office.