(a) The Department of Economic Development shall develop and maintain a Vermont Business Registry. The Registry shall develop a comprehensive database of information on Vermont businesses, including information on industrial classification, size (including employment size and annual revenues), ownership characteristics (including type of business entity, gender, race, nationality, incidence of low- and moderate-income ownership, and percent of the ownership with such characteristics), location, and export data. In developing the Registry, the Department shall affirmatively conduct outreach and request, but not require, information from all Vermont businesses.

(b) The Department shall design the Registry so that it is easily accessible to persons seeking information about Vermont businesses and to instrumentalities involved in Vermont's economic development efforts, including the Vermont Economic Development Authority, Job Start, Vermont's financial institutions, the regional development corporations, and the small business development centers. Such instrumentalities may use the Registry to ensure that they are providing a fair share of technical and financial assistance to the Vermont businesses that comprise their target market. Such instrumentalities may use the Registry's demographic information to evaluate the appropriate types and distribution of public and private economic development services to Vermont businesses. (Added 1993, No. 89, § 19.)