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Bill

A 4721

Requires Department of Treasury to update New Jersey Disparity Study every five years.

2024-2025 Regular Session Introduced by Linda Carter and 7 co-sponsors

Mandates New Jersey Treasury conduct disparity studies every five years to measure barriers facing minority and women-owned businesses in state contracting.

Reported and Referred to Assembly Labor Committee
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Bill Summary · A 4721

Legislative bill overview

Bill A 4721 requires New Jersey's Department of Treasury to conduct and update the state's Disparity Study every five years, rather than on an ad hoc basis. A Disparity Study examines whether minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, and other disadvantaged enterprises face barriers to participating in state contracting and procurement.

Why is this important

Regular disparity studies provide data-driven evidence to support minority and women business enterprise (M/WBE) contracting programs, which can influence billions of dollars in state procurement decisions. Without mandatory updates, disparity findings can become outdated, potentially weakening the justification for these equity-focused programs or allowing barriers to go unaddressed.

Potential points of contention

  • Cost and resource burden: Conducting comprehensive disparity studies is expensive and labor-intensive; mandatory five-year cycles could strain Treasury resources and require dedicated funding
  • Study methodology debates: Disparity studies involve contested methodologies; stakeholders disagree on how to measure discrimination and what constitutes appropriate statistical evidence
  • M/WBE program scope: Results may show less disparity than expected, creating pressure to reduce M/WBE set-asides, or may show persistent gaps requiring more aggressive interventions that some view as preferential treatment

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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