Senate passes bill seeking fairness in Va. procurement
The Senate, on Feb. 6, passed SB 651 on a party line vote of 23 - 17, with all 20 Democrats supporting the bill with the help of three Republicans. It now heads to the House where supporters say they are expecting more of a challenge.
SB 651, the Virginia Public Procurement Act, sponsored by Sen. A. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico County) mandates that the governor of Virginia address the disparities in awarding minority vendors contracts for goods and services. It seeks to rectify the long-standing issue that has banded together a group of civil rights organizations, contractors and other business owners in a quest for fairness.
“Thanks to Lee Brazzell, the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), L. J. McCoy (Chesterfield NAACP), Equipping Businesses For Success, and JIREH Construction Co.,” said Jerry L. Blow, operations manager for JIREH Construction, Co., which is based in Richmond.
“… Thanks to those of you who called, e-mailed, and visited your senators.”
Blow noted that passing the Senate was just the first hurdle.
“Like in the Senate, it may be assigned to a sub-committee before going to full Committee. Even though we took a few hours to pause and celebrate a little, we realize that our hardest work is ahead of us. The makeup of the House is quite different than in the Senate. We will have to win over many more Republicans, who seem opposed to this legislation, if we are going to be successful in our endeavor.”
