11148.5. (a) A state agency that significantly regulates small business or that significantly impacts small business shall designate at least one person who shall serve as a small business liaison. The agency shall utilize existing personnel and resources to perform the duties of small business liaison.
(b) A state agency that significantly regulates small business or that significantly impacts small business shall widely publicize the position of small business liaison in appropriate agency publications and by prominently displaying the name and contact information of the small business liaison on the agency’s website if the agency has a website.
(c) The small business liaison shall be responsible for all of the following:
(1) Receiving and responding to complaints received by the agency from small businesses.
(2) Providing technical advice and assisting small businesses in resolving problems and questions regarding compliance with the agency’s regulations and relevant statutes.
(3) Reporting small business concerns and, if appropriate, reporting recommendations to the agency secretary or to the agency head, as defined in Section 11405.40.
(4) Reviewing and updating, on a semiannual basis, content on the agency website that is accessible through the small business link provided on the State of California Internet portal pursuant to Section 11541.5.
(5) Assisting the agency secretary, department director, or executive officer, as applicable, in ensuring that the procurement and contracting processes of the applicable entity are administered in order to meet or exceed the 25 percent small business participation goal, and developing and sharing innovative procurement and contracting practices from the public and private sectors to increase opportunities for small businesses.
(6) Developing an “economic equity first” action plan and policy for the agency, which will provide, among other things, direction, recommendations, and strategies as to how best ensure that small businesses pursuant to Section 14837, including women-owned, minority-owned, and LGBTQ-owned businesses, are effectively involved in, and benefiting from, the procurement process of the agency. The action plan and policy shall be adopted by January 1, 2024. The action plan shall include, as part of a general outreach effort to all small businesses, education, outreach, and stakeholder engagement with representative business organizations and business enterprises owned by women, minorities, and members of the LGBTQ community.
(d) The small business liaison shall not advocate for or against the adoption, amendment, or repeal of any regulation or intervene in any pending investigation or enforcement action.
(e) A state agency that significantly regulates small business or that significantly impacts small business shall notify the Office of Small Business Advocate within the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development and the Department of General Services of each of the following:
(1) The name and contact information of the person or persons who have been designated as the agency’s small business liaison, on or before March 1, 2018.
(2) An occurrence of a vacancy in the position of small business liaison, within 15 working days of the occurrence of the vacancy. The state agency shall designate a small business liaison within three months after providing notice of the vacancy.
(f) For purposes of this section, “small business” has the same meaning as set forth in Section 11342.610.
(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 730, Sec. 2. (AB 2019) Effective January 1, 2023.)