Minutes Exhibit A
Port Commission Regular Meeting of March 28. 2017


MEMORANDUM

TO:          Port of Seattle Commissioners

FROM:      Ralph B. lbarra, President I DiverseAmerica Network

DATE:       March 28, 2017

RE:           Veteran Business Enterprises

For the record, my name is Ralph lbarra and my company is DiverseAmerica Network, and l
have been an advocate and activist for small and diverse business enterprises for nearly 30
yea rs.  I commend the Commissioners and the staff of the Port for their steadfast commitment
to implementing Resolution No. 3618 since its inception as the rst phase in providing fair and
equitable access to procurement and contracting opportunities for small rms.
Although RESOLUTION No. 3618 makes references to "veterans" as a socio-economic group in a
number of spots, Veteran Business Enterprises WEB) a/k/a Veteran-owned Small Business
(VOSB) and Service-disabled Veteran-Owned Business (SDVOSB), were not included in "Section
6. DEFINITIONS" As such, I respectfully request that all you place VBEs on par with MBEs,
WBEs, DBEs, and the other socio-economic groups highlighted in RESOLUTION No. 3618 for the
reason I asserted in my January 5, 2010 memo to the Port Commissioners.
'Otlfter all, veterans of military service and theirfamilies have sacrificed to protect the United
States ofAmerica and the Greatest Economy in the world; as such, shouldn't they be afforded
due consideration in Section 6?"

To underscore the imperative of acknowledging the sacrifices and supreme commitment to our
Nation that uniformed service members, veterans and military families are providing, I offer

you examples of how Federal and State statutes bolster the growth and prosperity of VBEs.

Federal References:

#1 Public Law 106-50 "Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act of
1999, enacted on January 6, 1999.
#2 Public Law 108-183 "Veterans Benets Act of 2003", enacted on December 16, 2003

#3 Executive Order 13360Providing Opportunities for Service-Disabled Veteran Businesses To
Increase Their Federal Contracting and Subcontracting, signed October 26, 2004
#4 Public Law 109-461 "Veterans Benets, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of
2006", enacted December 22, 2006
#5 Public Law 110186 "Military Reservist and Veteran Small Business Reauthorization and
Opportunity Act of 2008", enacted February 14, 2008.
State References:

#1 The Veteran/Service Member Owned Business Registry was established by SB 5253 during
the 2007 Legislative Session. Your Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs is
committed to promoting Veteran/Servicemember Owned Businesses. This Registry is one way

DIVERSEAMERICA
)\ N E T W O R K
826 Algono Blvd. North Algonu, WA 98001 USA
C: (253) 653-4645 I E: Ralph@MBEWorld.com
W: DiverseAmericaNet

that our state and its citizens can honor you by promoting your business and its products and
sen/ices statewide.

#2 The Washington State Veteran Linked Deposit Program improves access to capital for
certied Veteran and Servicemember owned business enterprises by decreasing interest rates
on small business loans up to 2%! Any firm currently certified by the Washington State
Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) as a Veteran or Servicemember Owned Business is
entitled to the Linked Deposit benet.
#3 RCW 43.60A.010 | Department of Veterans Affairs
Denitions.
(7) "Veteran-owned business" means a business that is certied by the department to be at
least fty-one percent owned and controlled by:
(a) A veteran as dened in RCW 41.04.007; or
(b) An active or reserve member in any branch of the armed forces of the United States,
including the national guard, coast guard, and armed forces reserves.
Effective date2010 lst sp.s. c 26; 2010 lst sp.s. c 7: See note following RCW
43.03.027.
Purpose2010 c 5: ''The legislature recognizes the unique sacrices made by veterans
and the substantial challenges that returning veterans face after a period of military duty away
from home. The legislature further recognizes that veterans who own private businesses may
face particular hardships as a direct result of their military service. The purpose of this act is to
mitigate economic damage to veteran-owned businesses as a result of military service, and to
provide opportunities to them in recognition of the outstanding service they have given to their
country." [ 2010 c 5  1.]
RCW 43.60A.190 | Certified veteran-owned businesses.
(1) The department shall:
(a) Maintain a current list of certied veteran-owned businesses; and
(b) Make the list of certified veteran-owned businesses available on the department's public
web site.
(2) To qualify as a certied veteran-owned business, the business must:
(a) Be at least fifty-one percent owned and controlled by:
(i) A veteran as dened as every person who at the time he or she seeks certication has
received a discharge with an honorable characterization or received a discharge for medical
reasons with an honorable record, where applicable, and who has served in at least one of the
capacities listed in RCW 41.04.007; or
(ii) An active or reserve member in any branch of the armed forces of the United States,
including the national guard, coast guard, and armed forces reserves; and
(b) Be either an enterprise which is incorporated in the state of Washington as a
Washington domestic corporation, or an enterprise whose principal place of business is located
within the state of Washington for enterprises which are not incorporated.
(3) To participate in the linked deposit program under chapter 43.86A RCW, a veteran-
owned business qualied under this section must be certied by the department as a business:

DIVERSEAMERICA
)\ N E T W O R K
826 Algona Blvd. North Algonu. WA 98001 USA
C: (253} 6534645 '. E RuinhQMBEWorldxom
W: DiveneAmecmNet

(a) In which the veteran owner possesses and exercises sufcient expertise specically in
the business's eld of operation to make decisions governing the long-term direction and the
day-to-day operations of the business;
(b) That is organized for prot and performing a commercially useful function; and
(c) That meets the criteria for a small business concern as established under chapter 39.19
RCW.
(4) The department shall create a logo for the purpose of identifying veteran-owned
businesses to the public. The department shall put the logo on an adhesive sticker or decal
suitable for display in a business window and distribute the stickers or decals to veteran-owned
businesses listed with the department.
(5)(a) Businesses may submit an application on a form prescribed by the department to
apply for certification under this section.
(b) The department must notify the state treasurer of veteran-owned businesses who have
participated in the linked deposit program and are no longer certified under this section. The
written notication to the state treasurer must contain information regarding the reasons for
the decertification and information on nancing provided to the veteran-owned business under
RCW 43.86A.060.
(6) The department may adopt rules necessary to implement this section.
[2014 c 182  1; 2008 c 187  1; 2007 c 11 1.]
RCW 43.60A.200 | Awards of procurement contracts by state agencies to veteran-owned
businesses.
(1) State agencies are encouraged to award three percent of all procurement contracts that
are exempt from competitive bidding requirements under *RCW 43.19.1906(2) to veteran-
owned businesses certied by the department under RCW 43.60A.195.
(2) State agencies shall:
(a) Perform outreach to veteran-owned businesses in collaboration with the department to
increase opportunities for veteran-owned businesses to sell goods and services to the state;
and
(b) Work to match agency procurement records with the department's database of certied
veteran-owned businesses to establish how many procurement contracts are being awarded to
those businesses.
[ 2010 c 5  4.]
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration and I am available to the Commissioners for any
questions you may have about this memorandum.




DIVERSEAMERICA
)\
N  E  T W  O  R  K
826 Algona Blvd. North Algona, WA 9mm USA
C: (253) 653-4645 I E: RulphMBEWorld.com
W: DiveneAmecaNet