Bill Commons

CA SB 781

in committee

Small business.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · upper

Quick answers

Did CA SB 781 pass?

Not yet. CA SB 781 is in committee as of 2025-08-29 and has not come to a final vote. Latest recorded action (2025-08-29): August 29 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.

What is CA SB 781 about?

Existing law establishes the Office of Small Business Advocate within the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, led by the Small Business Advocate, and sets forth its powers and duties relating to advocacy on behalf of small business and providing small businesses with the information they need to survive in the marketplace. Existing law requires the advocate to, among other duties, collaborate with the Office of Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Services in their activities under the Small Business Procurement and Contract Act, including promoting small business certification. This bill would require the advocate to also collaborate with local agencies on the development and implementation of local strategies to increase small business participation in local procurement opportunities, as specified. In this connection, the bill would authorize a local agency, as defined, to establish a Small Business Utilization Program (SBUP) to increase small businesses' participation in local agency procurement opportunities. This bill would require an SBUP, to facilitate the participation of small businesses in the provision of goods, information technology, and services to the local agency, to establish a small business certification process. As part of this process, the bill would require the SBUP, to the extent feasible, to include all of specified criteria, including, among other things, a minimum goal of 25% procurement participation for small businesses certification. The bill would authorize a local agency that establishes an SBUP to engage in specified activities to facilitate contract awards to small businesses. This bill would authorize a local agency to submit information on its small business procurement participation to the Office of Small Business Advocate, including progress toward meeting utilization goals. The bill would require the Office of Small Business Advocate, subject to funding being available, and upon appropriation by the Legislature for these purposes, to issue its first data call to local agencies by November 15, 2027, and every year thereafter, as specified. The bill would require the Office of Small Business Advocate to prepare an annual report that may contain, among other things, information received from the data call and to post the report on its internet website within 6 months after each data call. The bill would include related legislative findings. Existing law creates the California Small Business Technical Assistance Program within the California Office of the Small Business Advocate, under the direct authority of the Small Business Advocate. Existing law requires the office to administer the program to provide grants to expand the capacity of small business development technical assistance centers in California that are administered by and primarily funded by federal agencies and other nonprofit small business technical assistance centers, as specified. Existing law sets forth the criteria that an applicant must meet to be eligible to participate in the program. Existing law authorizes specified state funding provided pursuant to these provisions to be used for outreach efforts. This bill would remove provisions that require an applicant to provide a plan of action and commitment to fully draw down all specified federal funds available to it, that authorize the office to require an applicant to provide details relating to the source and amount of nonstate funds, and that require an applicant to demonstrate the ability to fully draw down substantially all federal and private funds available to it in order to be eligible to participate in the program. The bill would authorize an applicant to utilize federal and private funding contracts, as specified. The bill would authorize up to 25% of specified state funding awarded pursuant to these provisions to be used for outreach and limit the awarded funds that may be used for direct program administration expenses to 15%.

Who sponsors CA SB 781?

Reyes is the primary sponsor of CA SB 781, joined by 5 cosponsors.

Description

Existing law establishes the Office of Small Business Advocate within the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, led by the Small Business Advocate, and sets forth its powers and duties relating to advocacy on behalf of small business and providing small businesses with the information they need to survive in the marketplace. Existing law requires the advocate to, among other duties, collaborate with the Office of Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Services in their activities under the Small Business Procurement and Contract Act, including promoting small business certification. This bill would require the advocate to also collaborate with local agencies on the development and implementation of local strategies to increase small business participation in local procurement opportunities, as specified. In this connection, the bill would authorize a local agency, as defined, to establish a Small Business Utilization Program (SBUP) to increase small businesses' participation in local agency procurement opportunities. This bill would require an SBUP, to facilitate the participation of small businesses in the provision of goods, information technology, and services to the local agency, to establish a small business certification process. As part of this process, the bill would require the SBUP, to the extent feasible, to include all of specified criteria, including, among other things, a minimum goal of 25% procurement participation for small businesses certification. The bill would authorize a local agency that establishes an SBUP to engage in specified activities to facilitate contract awards to small businesses. This bill would authorize a local agency to submit information on its small business procurement participation to the Office of Small Business Advocate, including progress toward meeting utilization goals. The bill would require the Office of Small Business Advocate, subject to funding being available, and upon appropriation by the Legislature for these purposes, to issue its first data call to local agencies by November 15, 2027, and every year thereafter, as specified. The bill would require the Office of Small Business Advocate to prepare an annual report that may contain, among other things, information received from the data call and to post the report on its internet website within 6 months after each data call. The bill would include related legislative findings. Existing law creates the California Small Business Technical Assistance Program within the California Office of the Small Business Advocate, under the direct authority of the Small Business Advocate. Existing law requires the office to administer the program to provide grants to expand the capacity of small business development technical assistance centers in California that are administered by and primarily funded by federal agencies and other nonprofit small business technical assistance centers, as specified. Existing law sets forth the criteria that an applicant must meet to be eligible to participate in the program. Existing law authorizes specified state funding provided pursuant to these provisions to be used for outreach efforts. This bill would remove provisions that require an applicant to provide a plan of action and commitment to fully draw down all specified federal funds available to it, that authorize the office to require an applicant to provide details relating to the source and amount of nonstate funds, and that require an applicant to demonstrate the ability to fully draw down substantially all federal and private funds available to it in order to be eligible to participate in the program. The bill would authorize an applicant to utilize federal and private funding contracts, as specified. The bill would authorize up to 25% of specified state funding awarded pursuant to these provisions to be used for outreach and limit the awarded funds that may be used for direct program administration expenses to 15%.

Introduced
2025-02-21
Latest action
2025-08-29 — August 29 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Reyesauthor
  • Gipsoncoauthor
  • Nguyencoauthor
  • Patelcoauthor
  • Schiavocoauthor
  • Solachecoauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

  1. 2025-02-21

    Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

    introduction,referral-committee

  2. 2025-02-24

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 24.

  3. 2025-02-24

    Read first time.

    reading-1

  4. 2025-03-12

    Referred to Com. on RLS.

    referral-committee

  5. 2025-03-26

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.

    amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  6. 2025-04-02

    Re-referred to Coms. on B. P. & E.D. and L. GOV.

    referral-committee

  7. 2025-04-03

    Set for hearing April 7.

  8. 2025-04-07

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on L. GOV. (Ayes 10. Noes 0. Page 680.) (April 7). Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  9. 2025-04-07

    Set for hearing April 30.

  10. 2025-04-30

    From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 969.) (April 30).

    amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  11. 2025-05-01

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  12. 2025-05-06

    Set for hearing May 12.

  13. 2025-05-12

    May 12 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.

  14. 2025-05-16

    Set for hearing May 23.

  15. 2025-05-23

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 1213.) (May 23).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  16. 2025-05-23

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  17. 2025-05-27

    Ordered to special consent calendar.

  18. 2025-05-29

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 1329.) Ordered to the Assembly.

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  19. 2025-05-29

    In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

    reading-1

  20. 2025-06-05

    Referred to Coms. on E.D., G., & H.I. and L. GOV.

    referral-committee

  21. 2025-07-10

    Assembly Rule 56 suspended.

  22. 2025-07-10

    From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on L. GOV. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 8).

    amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  23. 2025-07-14

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  24. 2025-07-17

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (July 16). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  25. 2025-08-20

    August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.

  26. 2025-08-29

    August 29 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.

Versions

  • 02/21/25 - Introduced — 2025-02-21Compare
  • 03/26/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-03-26Compare
  • 05/01/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-05-01Compare
  • 07/14/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-07-14Compare
  • SB781Compare
  • (document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Local Government]

    2025-04-07 · pass · 10-0

    Member-level votes (11)
    • Choi: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Niello: yes
    • Strickland: other

  • Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-04-30 · pass · 7-0

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Choi: yes
    • Wiener: yes

  • Placed on suspense file

    2025-05-12 · pass · 7-0

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Wahab: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Caballero: yes

  • Do pass

    2025-05-23 · pass · 6-0

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Caballero: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Dahle: other

  • Special Consent SB781 Reyes et al.

    2025-05-29 · pass · 38-0

    Member-level votes (40)
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Grove: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Rubio: yes
    • Jones: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Stern: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • McNerney: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Blakespear: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Strickland: yes
    • Choi: yes
    • Valladares: yes
    • McGuire: yes
    • Niello: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Hurtado: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Becker: yes
    • Alvarado-Gil: yes
    • Ochoa Bogh: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Limón: other
    • Reyes: other

  • Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Local Government]

    2025-07-08 · pass · 7-0

    Member-level votes (8)
    • Wallis: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Castillo: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Bonta: other

  • Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-07-16 · pass · 10-0

    Member-level votes (10)
    • Hoover: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Wilson: yes

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB781

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z

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