An act to amend Section 14838 of, and to add Section 11148.5.1 to to, the Government Code, and to amend Section 999.10 of the Military and Veterans Code, relating to small businesses.
Summary
SB 1340 would require every state agency’s small business liaison to submit, on an annual basis, contract information to the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development’s Office of Small Business Advocate. The required reporting would include a list of current contracts with small businesses, a list of contracts that include small-business subcontractors, the total dollar amount of each contract, and the amount paid to small businesses under those contracts or subcontracts. The Office of Small Business Advocate would then be required to post the information on its website.
The bill is aimed at increasing transparency around how state agencies contract with small businesses and how much state contracting work reaches small firms, including through subcontracting relationships. By centralizing and publishing this data, the measure would create a public-facing record of state agency small-business contracting activity and expand the information available to policymakers, advocates, and the public.
Impact
SB 1340 would add Section 11148.5.1 to the Government Code and impose a new annual reporting duty on state agency small business liaisons. It would affect state agencies that already have small business liaison responsibilities by requiring them to compile and transmit contract and payment data, and it would expand the duties of the Office of Small Business Advocate by requiring it to publish that information online. The bill does not create a local program or direct appropriation, but it would likely increase administrative reporting obligations for state agencies and improve visibility into state contracting with small businesses and subcontractors.
Sentiment
The available voting history shows strong support for the bill at each committee stage, with unanimous or near-unanimous votes and no recorded opposition. It was approved 14-0 in one committee, 11-0 in another, and later placed on suspense file before being moved forward again, indicating broad policy agreement but some fiscal or procedural review. Overall, the bill appears to have been received favorably as a transparency and small-business support measure.
Contention
There is little evidence of substantive policy opposition in the available record. The main point of potential concern appears to be administrative burden and fiscal review, reflected in the bill’s referral to Appropriations and placement on the suspense file. Any contention would likely center on the workload for state agency liaisons, the cost of collecting and publishing contract data, and whether the reporting requirements are sufficiently useful to justify the added bureaucracy. No specific stakeholder objections are included in the provided materials.
An act to amend Sections 2301 and 2302 of, and to add Section 2303 to, the Fish and Game Code, to add and repeal Section 515 of the Food and Agricultural Code, to amend Sections 675, 676, and 676.
An act to amend Sections 51178 and 51181 of the Government Code, and to amend Sections 4202 and 4204 of the Public Resources Code, relating to land use.
An act to amend Section 51178 of the Government Code, and to amend Section Sections 4202 and 4204 of the Public Resources Code, relating to fire safety.