(2) The Legislative Assembly finds:
(a) The opportunity for full participation in our free enterprise system by minorities, women and emerging small businesses is essential;
(b) Greater economic opportunity for minorities, women and emerging small businesses is essential;
(c) Review of public programs to remedy historical patterns of exclusion of and discrimination against racial or ethnic groups and women is needed;
(d) Public policies and programs to eliminate the effects of long-term, open and pervasive exclusion of and discrimination against minorities and women from the business sector, including increased opportunities to integrate minorities and women into the full economic life of the community should be reviewed; and
(e) In cooperation with the private sector, the affected populations, interested groups and appropriate governmental entities, a program of review should be established to recommend remedies for the unfortunate effects of social, political and economic inequity that still exist.
(3) Women and minorities are rebuttably presumed to be:
(a) Economically disadvantaged.
(b) Socially disadvantaged. [1987 c.893 §3; 1989 c.1043 §2]