HSC §1339.89: (a) The department may, upon appropriation by the Legislature for this purpose, establish and operate a clearinghouse to maintain a database, and verify the statuses, of minority, women, LGBT, and dis

(a) The department may, upon appropriation by the Legislature for this purpose, establish and operate a clearinghouse to maintain a database, and verify the statuses, of minority, women, LGBT, and disabled veteran businesses enterprises that are prime suppliers or subcontract suppliers to hospitals or other entities in the procurement ecosystem of hospital goods and services. (b) Subdivision (a) shall not be construed to require a hospital or other entity to utilize the clearinghouse. A hospital, in order to increase procurement from minority, women, LGBT, and disabled veteran business enterprises as reported by the hospital to the department pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (d) of Section 1339.87, or any other entity in the procurement ecosystem of hospital goods and services for purposes of procurement that it elects to pursue, may choose business enterprises that are included in the clearinghouse described in subdivision (a), or may choose other minority, women, LGBT, and disabled veteran business enterprises not included in the clearinghouse and that are prime suppliers and subcontract suppliers of hospital goods and services.