SB 781

  • California Senate Bill
  • 2025-2026 Regular Session
  • Introduced in Senate Feb 21, 2025
  • Passed Senate May 29, 2025
  • Assembly
  • Governor

Small business.

Bill Subjects

Smallbusiness

Abstract

Existing law establishes the Office of Small Business Advocate within the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, led by the Small Business Advocate, and sets forth its powers and duties relating to advocacy on behalf of small business and providing small businesses with the information they need to survive in the marketplace. Existing law requires the advocate to, among other duties, collaborate with the Office of Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Services in their activities under the Small Business Procurement and Contract Act, including promoting small business certification. This bill would require the advocate to also collaborate with local agencies on the development and implementation of local strategies to increase small business participation in local procurement opportunities, as specified. In this connection, the bill would authorize a local agency, as defined, to establish a Small Business Utilization Program (SBUP) to increase small businesses' participation in local agency procurement opportunities. This bill would require an SBUP, to facilitate the participation of small businesses in the provision of goods, information technology, and services to the local agency, to establish a small business certification process. As part of this process, the bill would require the SBUP, to the extent feasible, to include all of specified criteria, including, among other things, a minimum goal of 25% procurement participation for small businesses certification. The bill would authorize a local agency that establishes an SBUP to engage in specified activities to facilitate contract awards to small businesses. This bill would authorize a local agency to submit information on its small business procurement participation to the Office of Small Business Advocate, including progress toward meeting utilization goals. The bill would require the Office of Small Business Advocate, subject to funding being available, and upon appropriation by the Legislature for these purposes, to issue its first data call to local agencies by November 15, 2027, and every year thereafter, as specified. The bill would require the Office of Small Business Advocate to prepare an annual report that may contain, among other things, information received from the data call and to post the report on its internet website within 6 months after each data call. The bill would include related legislative findings. Existing law creates the California Small Business Technical Assistance Program within the California Office of the Small Business Advocate, under the direct authority of the Small Business Advocate. Existing law requires the office to administer the program to provide grants to expand the capacity of small business development technical assistance centers in California that are administered by and primarily funded by federal agencies and other nonprofit small business technical assistance centers, as specified. Existing law sets forth the criteria that an applicant must meet to be eligible to participate in the program. Existing law authorizes specified state funding provided pursuant to these provisions to be used for outreach efforts. This bill would remove provisions that require an applicant to provide a plan of action and commitment to fully draw down all specified federal funds available to it, that authorize the office to require an applicant to provide details relating to the source and amount of nonstate funds, and that require an applicant to demonstrate the ability to fully draw down substantially all federal and private funds available to it in order to be eligible to participate in the program. The bill would authorize an applicant to utilize federal and private funding contracts, as specified. The bill would authorize up to 25% of specified state funding awarded pursuant to these provisions to be used for outreach and limit the awarded funds that may be used for direct program administration expenses to 15%.

Bill Sponsors (6)

Votes


Actions


Aug 29, 2025

Assembly

August 29 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.

Aug 20, 2025

Assembly

August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.

Jul 17, 2025

Assembly

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (July 16). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  • Committee-Passage
  • Committee-Passage-Favorable
  • Referral-Committee
Com. on APPR.

Jul 14, 2025

Assembly

Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.

  • Amendment-Passage
  • Reading-1
  • Reading-2
  • Referral-Committee
Com. on L. GOV.

Jul 10, 2025

Assembly

From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on L. GOV. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 8).

Assembly

Assembly Rule 56 suspended.

Jun 05, 2025

Assembly

Referred to Coms. on E.D., G., & H.I. and L. GOV.

  • Referral-Committee
Coms. on E.D., G., & H.I. and L. GOV.

May 29, 2025

Senate

Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 1329.) Ordered to the Assembly.

Assembly

In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

May 27, 2025

Senate

Ordered to special consent calendar.

May 23, 2025

Senate

Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

Senate

From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 1213.) (May 23).

May 16, 2025

Senate

Set for hearing May 23.

May 12, 2025

Senate

May 12 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.

May 06, 2025

Senate

Set for hearing May 12.

May 01, 2025

Senate

Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  • Amendment-Passage
  • Reading-1
  • Reading-2
  • Referral-Committee
Com. on APPR.

Apr 30, 2025

Senate

From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 969.) (April 30).

Apr 07, 2025

Senate

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on L. GOV. (Ayes 10. Noes 0. Page 680.) (April 7). Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.

  • Committee-Passage
  • Committee-Passage-Favorable
  • Referral-Committee
Com. on L. GOV.

Senate

Set for hearing April 30.

Apr 03, 2025

Senate

Set for hearing April 7.

Apr 02, 2025

Senate

Re-referred to Coms. on B. P. & E.D. and L. GOV.

  • Referral-Committee
Coms. on B. P. & E.D. and L. GOV.

Mar 26, 2025

Senate

From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.

  • Amendment-Passage
  • Committee-Passage
  • Reading-1
  • Reading-2
  • Referral-Committee
Com. on RLS.

Mar 12, 2025

Senate

Referred to Com. on RLS.

  • Referral-Committee
Com. on RLS.

Feb 24, 2025

Senate

From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 24.

Senate

Read first time.

Feb 21, 2025

Senate

Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Bill Text

Bill Text Versions Format
SB781 HTML
02/21/25 - Introduced PDF
03/26/25 - Amended Senate PDF
05/01/25 - Amended Senate PDF
07/14/25 - Amended Assembly PDF

Related Documents

Document Format
04/04/25- Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development PDF
04/25/25- Senate Local Government PDF
05/09/25- Senate Appropriations PDF
05/26/25- Sen. Floor Analyses PDF
07/07/25- Assembly Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact PDF
07/15/25- Assembly Local Government PDF
08/18/25- Assembly Appropriations PDF

Sources

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