Murder Expanded MWBE program
Continued from Page 1 Women-Owned Business Enterprises.
Caribbean L 6 ife, July 19–25, 2019 BQ
PATIENTS’
CHOICE
RATED & AWARDED BY PATIENTS
SM
began.
Security Minister, Stuart Young said
sustained pressure would have to be
applied as studies show murder rates
drop when police and soldiers dominate
the streets.
“We know what the is sue is here. It
is il le gal firearms. There is a lot more
preva lence of il le gal firearms that is
why we are tack ling it. Gov ern ment is
not look ing at a state of emer gency. It
is al so a fal la cy that you can call lim ited
state of emer gen cies in cer tain ar eas.
You call a state of emer gency coun trywide
and then you can put ap pro pri ate
re sources.”
So far police have tallied 280 murders
in Trinidad for the year compared to
308 for the same period last year. Still
officials are baulking at the frequencies of
murders despite stepped up intelligence
efforts, increased mobility of police and
other measures to curb crime. Before the
latest spike, the island had enjoyed the
luxury of three days without a murder.
Celebrations were abruptly interrupted
by the latest outbreak of violence.
Far north in Jamaica, a debate is
raging between the governing Jamaica
Labor Party (JLP) and the opposition
People’s National Party (PNP)about the
effectiveness of a state of emergency in
some northern and western parishes as
gun murders continue to ravage those
communities.
Jamaican police have so far reported
an astonishing 726 murders so far this
year as the country remains on course
to easily surpass the nearly 1,300 killings
the island experienced last year. In some
of the trouble areas, the prime minister
said the tally was a mere one percent
increase on 2018. Government favors
continuing regional states of emergencies
in some parishes. The opposition says
such measures are not working.
Prime Minister, Andrew Holness said
such measures would remain in place in
some areas including St. James as “this
is a very effective way as we have seen
from last year. They can bring down the
national murder rate.”
She said the changes that have been
incorporated allow for a “more robust
and transparent program” and expand
the reach of qualified businesses with
the program’s increased Personal Net
Worth cap to $15 million.
The changes also, among other
things, increase the state and the city’s
discretionary spending to $500,000,
with a certification extension to five
years.
“This is certainly the right step
forward to our ultimate goal of
economic inclusion and equity in
the state of New York for the MWBE
community,” said the representative
for the 42nd Assembly District in
Brooklyn.
Cuomo said “the extension and
expansion of New York’s nation-leading
MWBE program will help ensure our
economy is reflective of our values and
of our diverse talent pool.
“Diversity is New York’s greatest
asset, and, by signing this measure into
law, we will empower more women and
people of color to participate in state
contracts and continue our aggressive
program to make contracting even
more inclusive,” he added.
Bichotte said the support from
her colleagues, including Senator
James Sanders, Jr. and members from
the MWBE Community, has been
“phenomenal.”
“Collectively, we were able to achieve
these great accomplishments and look
forward to exceptional results over
the course of the next five years,” she
said.
Bichotte said A.8414/S.6575, also
known as the “MWBE Omnibus Bill”,
reauthorized the MWBE program,
Article 15-A, for another five years,
through Dec. 31, 2024.
Other key elements of this
measure include extending the term
of certification from three years to
five years; increasing discretionary
purchasing threshold from $200k to
$500k for agencies and authorities;
increasing the Personal Net Worth
cap from $3.5 million to $15 million;
providing outreach events, training
and educational opportunities by
Division of MWBE; establishing
a Workforce Diversity Program
requiring state agencies overseeing
construction projects to utilize
a diverse workforce; establishing a
mentorship program; decreasing the
response for deficient applications
to 21-days and determination for
completed applications to 45 days.
Bichotte said A.7795/S6301
authorizes the Dormitory Authority
of the Stat of New York (DASNY)
to establish a four-year Procurement
Pilot Program / Mentor Capacity
Program.
Continued from Page 1
Jamaica’s Primer Minister, Andrew
Holness. Associated Press / Collin Reid