LCO No. 4897 1 of 2 General Assembly Raised Bill No. 7237 January Session, 2019 LCO No. 4897 Referred to Committee on LABOR AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES Introduced by: (LAB) AN ACT CONCERNING A DISPARITY STUDY. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) The Commission on Human 1 Rights and Opportunities shall, within available appropriations and in 2 consultation with the Department of Administrative Services, conduct 3 a disparity study. The study shall provide an analysis of existing 4 statistical data concerning the state's current set-aside program, 5 established under section 4a-60g of the general statutes, to determine 6 whether its current form achieves the goal of facilitating the 7 participation in state contracts of small contractors and minority 8 business enterprises. The study shall include, but shall not be limited 9 to, a review of Connecticut's current set-aside program practices and 10 the best practices of other states or governmental entities. The program 11 shall examine: 12 (1) Whether, based on available data and analysis, there is 13 significant statistical evidence of past or continuing discrimination in 14 the awarding of state contracts; 15 Raised Bill No. 7237 LCO No. 4897 2 of 2 (2) The number of small contractors or minority business 16 enterprises, based on available data and analysis, that are qualified for 17 eligibility for state contracts under the set-aside program established 18 pursuant to section 4a-60g of the general statutes, and a determination 19 of whether such businesses are legitimate small contractors or 20 legitimately owned by members of a minority; and 21 (3) The state's contracting processes, to determine if there are any 22 contracting practices or unintentional but existing barriers in the 23 process that prevent small contractors and minority business 24 enterprises from fully participating in such contracting process. 25 (b) Not later than January 1, 2021, the executive director of the 26 Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities shall submit the 27 findings of such study and any recommendations for legislative action 28 concerning such study, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-29 4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committees of the 30 General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to 31 government administration and labor. 32 This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: Section 1 from passage New section Statement of Purpose: To require the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities to conduct a disparity study. [Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]