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Public hearing reaffirms calls for stronger enforcement, staffing and funding of St. Louis MWBE program
Summary
A public hearing drew contractors, trade groups and civil-rights advocates who urged the city to fund and staff stronger enforcement of St. Louis’s Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) program and to protect race-conscious remedies backed by the city’s disparity study.
Members of the public, contractors and advocacy groups used a committee hearing and listening session to press the city to strengthen enforcement, staffing and funding of St. Louis’s Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) program.
Witnesses representing MOCAN, the NAACP, trade contractors and local advocacy groups told the Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee the program — in place for more than 30 years — still faces enforcement and capacity problems that limit minority and female firms’ ability to compete for public and incentivized projects.
"We've asked for $10,000,000 to be put into the city's diversity program," Yacette Elamine, executive director of MOCAN Construction and Contractors Assistance Center, told the committee. Elamine recommended using one-time federal funds to invest in compliance staff, monitoring and capacity-building for minority and female firms, and she urged the city to rely on its disparity study when shaping any reforms.
Several speakers…
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