§ 37-14.2-4. Compilation and reporting of data on micro businesses. (a) The department of administration shall compile and maintain data on the existence of registered micro businesses to facilitate the achievement of the purpose of this chapter. Within sixty (60) days of the effective date of this statute [July 20, 2016], the department of administration shall submit a report to the governor and general assembly that describes the methodology being used to compile such data and to report annual utilization of registered, micro businesses in state-directed public construction programs and projects and in-state purchases of goods and services. The report shall be made public contemporaneously with its submission to the governor and general assembly.

(b) The department of administration shall maintain a micro business registration database that shall include the business name, address, owner-contact information, number of employees, and annual gross sales. Such registration of micro businesses with the department of administration shall be on a voluntary basis, and does not supersede any mandated, business-registration requirements with the secretary of state or other general offices, as well as with any city or town as applicable.

(c) On or before January 1, 2017, and on or before the first day of January in all years thereafter, the department of administration shall submit a report to the governor and general assembly consisting of data concerning the registration of micro businesses in the state. The data shall include, but not be limited to: the number of registered micro businesses; the distribution of registered, micro businesses among the thirty-nine (39) cities or towns in the state; the number of registered, micro businesses that are also Rhode Island-certified minority business enterprises; and the number of registered, micro businesses that are also Rhode Island-certified women business enterprises.

(d) At the request of the director of the department of administration, the secretary of state, or all other general officers of the state, all agencies of the state and all cities and towns shall make reasonable modifications to their record keeping procedures to facilitate the compilation of data concerning the existence of micro businesses in Rhode Island.

History of Section. (P.L. 2016, ch. 500, § 2.)