Establishes Division of Minority and Women Business Development and State Chief Disparity Officer to monitor efforts to promote participation by minority-owned and women-owned businesses in State contracting.

S 85 establishes a new Division of Minority and Women Business Development within New Jersey’s Department of the Treasury, led by a State Chief Disparity Officer. This officer will monitor state contracting data to track how many and how much money in state contracts go to minority-owned and women-owned businesses, then report findings to the Governor and Legislature. The bill requires all state agencies to appoint a liaison officer to assist this effort and mandates full implementation of existing certification rules for these businesses (banning self-certification). It also specifies that small business set-aside contracts under $2,000 (the current threshold for public building projects) must be negotiated competitively without public bidding. The bill codifies an existing 2006 executive order, formalizing the division’s structure and duties.