HB 6579 Summary

• Establishes separate prequalification application fees for subcontractors ranging from $600 to $1,500 based on aggregate work capacity rating, with lower maximum fees than contractor rates.

• Exempts subcontractors from submitting financial condition statements prepared by certified public accountants and bonding company letters during prequalification.

• Removes municipal exemption from state set-aside program requirements, making municipalities subject to the same 25% contract set-aside obligations for small contractors and minority business enterprises as other state agencies.

• Modifies minority business enterprise set-aside requirements to reserve at least 50% of reserved contracts for minority business enterprises that are members of a recognized minority group, and explicitly includes women as a separate category alongside minority status.

• Adds formal definition of "minority" to include Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Iberian Peninsula origins, Asian Pacific Americans/Pacific Islanders, and American Indians.

• All provisions effective October 1, 2013.