Sec. 32-9n. Office of Small Business Affairs.
Sec. 32-9n. Office of Small Business Affairs. (a) There is established within the
Department of Economic and Community Development an Office of Small Business
Affairs. Such office shall aid and encourage small business enterprises, particularly
those owned and operated by minorities and other socially or economically disadvantaged individuals in Connecticut. As used in this section, minority means: (1) Black
Americans, including all persons having origins in any of the Black African racial groups
not of Hispanic origin; (2) Hispanic Americans, including all persons of Mexican, Puerto
Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless
of race; (3) all persons having origins in the Iberian Peninsula, including Portugal, regardless of race; (4) women; (5) Asian Pacific Americans and Pacific islanders; or (6)
American Indians and persons having origins in any of the original peoples of North
America and maintaining identifiable tribal affiliations through membership and participation or community identification.
(b) Said Office of Small Business Affairs shall: (1) Administer the small business
development center program run by the Department of Economic and Community Development; (2) coordinate the flow of information within the technical and management
assistance program run by the Department of Economic and Community Development;
(3) encourage the Connecticut Development Authority to grant loans to small businesses, particularly those owned and operated by minorities and other socially or economically disadvantaged individuals; (4) coordinate and serve as a liaison between all
federal, state, regional and municipal agencies and programs affecting small business
affairs; and (5) administer any business management training program established under
section 32-352 or section 32-355 as the Commissioner of Economic and Community
Development may determine.
(P.A. 77-508, S. 1, 2; 77-614, S. 284, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 82-358, S. 4, 10; P.A. 87-577, S. 2; P.A.
94-152, S. 2, 3; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6; P.A. 99-208, S. 7; 99-233, S. 3, 7.)
History: P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 replaced department of commerce with department of economic development,
effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 82-358 defined minority in Subsec. (a) and added reference to specific inclusion of minority
business enterprises in set-aside program in Subsec. (b); P.A. 87-577 amended Subsec. (a)(2) by adding all persons having
origins in the Iberian Peninsula, including Portugal; P.A. 94-152 transferred "all persons having origins in the Iberian
Peninsula, including Portugal" from Subdiv. (2) to new Subdiv. (3) and renumbered former Subdivs. (3), (4) and (5)
accordingly, effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Economic
Development with Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development; P.A. 99-208 added Subsec.
(b)(6) re business management training programs; P.A. 99-233 deleted Subsec. (b)(1) re authority to administer the set-aside program and renumbering the remaining Subdivs. accordingly, effective June 29, 1999.