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Vowing to do all he can to ensure minorities and women benefit from state and federal economic stimulus dollars, Gov. Jon Corzine Friday signed an executive order requiring that the 109 state agencies, authorities, commission and colleges include underrepresented minorities in the economic recovery effort.
The order also requires all county and municipal governments and school boards and all New Jersey private employers that enter into contracts funded with money from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to require their contractors and subcontractors to post job openings on the state's job bank at least two weeks before hiring is to commence.
"We are here today to make sure all boats are lifted as the tide rises," Corzine said as he signed the order at Drumthwacket, the governor's mansion in Princeton. "I am signing this historic executive order because we must do all we can to make sure public contracts, jobs and job training are shared with those groups hardest hit by the recession."
Among other things, the order does the following:- Establishes goals for state agencies, authorities, colleges and universities and commissions to contract with minority and women-owned businesses.
- Ensures that jobs created through federal and state economic recovery funds are posted on the Department of Labor's web site: http://NJ.gov/JobCentralNJ.
- Encourages the state-related agencies receiving recovery funding to work with contractors and organized labor to ensure diversity among the ranks of the workforce.
- Ensures that minorities and women are afforded training and apprenticeship opportunities for construction trades.
- Ensures that minorities and women are given equal opportunities for employment on work sites funded through state and federal economic stimulus dollars.
"This executive order expands upon our ongoing efforts to increase economic opportunities for minorities and women,'" Corzine said.
In July 2008, Corzine established, under the state Department of Treasury, the Office of Supplier Diversity. The goal was to create a one-stop shopping designation where small, minority and women-owned businesses could receive training, mentoring and information on contracting opportunities in both the public and private sectors.
– TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
