§2176. Certification of businesses by Department of Economic Development; listing of veteran and service-connected disabled veteran-owned small entrepreneurships; reporting

A. The secretary of the Department of Economic Development, hereinafter referred to in this Section as the "department", shall certify businesses as veteran and service-connected disabled veteran-owned small entrepreneurships for the purposes of this Chapter. "Veteran-owned small entrepreneurship" and "service-connected disabled veteran-owned small entrepreneurship" means any corporation, partnership, individual, sole proprietorship, joint stock company, joint venture, or any other legal entity which meets all of the following criteria:

(1) Independently owned and operated.

(2) Not dominant in its field of operations, which shall be determined by consideration of the business's number of employees, volume of business, financial resources, competitive status, and ownership or control of materials, processes, patents, license agreements, facilities, and sales territory.

(3) Is owned by and has officers who are citizens or legal residents of the United States, all of whom are domiciled in Louisiana, and who maintain the principal business office in Louisiana.

(4) Together with any of its affiliate entities, has fewer than fifty full-time employees with average annual gross receipts not exceeding ten million dollars per year for construction operations and six million dollars per year for nonconstruction operations, for each of the previous three tax years.

B. The department shall develop an application process for entities seeking certification, which process shall be established through promulgation of rules and regulations pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act. The department shall notify each applicant in writing relative to the outcome of their application. The department shall maintain a listing of all veteran and service-connected disabled veteran-owned small entrepreneurships which shall be updated monthly. This listing shall be available on the Internet and shall also be available in written form upon written request.

C. The certification of veteran and service-connected disabled veteran-owned small entrepreneurships as provided herein shall supersede all other rules and regulations promulgated by any agency specifically related to certification or designation of a business which is small or in some other way noteworthy for purposes of procurement and public contracts; however, this preeminence shall not apply to any programs or activities required by the federal government.

D. The department shall consult with the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs and any other state agency as is necessary to carry out the provisions of this Chapter. The department shall rely on data to be furnished by the Louisiana Workforce Commission with respect to certification criteria related to numbers of employees.

Acts 2009, No. 167, §1; Acts 2010, No. 1034, §3; Acts 2012, No. 498, §1, eff. June 5, 2012; Acts 2018, No. 585, §1, eff. May 28, 2018.