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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 6662
January Session, 2021
LCO No. 5542
Referred to Committee on APPROPRIATIONS
Introduced by:
(APP)
AN ACT DECLARING RAC ISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS AND
ESTABLISHING THE COMMISSION ON RACIAL EQUITY IN PUBLIC
HEALTH.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) It is hereby declared that 1
racism constitutes a public health crisis in this state and will continue to 2
constitute a public health crisis until the goals set forth in section 2 of 3
this act are attained, and the Commission on Racial Equity in Public 4
Health is terminated pursuant to said section. 5
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a 6
Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health, to document and make 7
recommendations to decrease the effect of racism on public health. The 8
commission shall be part of the Executive Department. 9
(b) The commission shall consist of the following members: 10
(1) The Commissioner of Public Health, or the commissioner's 11 Raised Bill No. 6662
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designee; 12
(2) The Commissioner of Children and Families, or the 13
commissioner's designee; 14
(3) The Commissioner of Early Childhood, or the commissioner's 15
designee; 16
(4) The Commissioner of Housing, or the commissioner's designee; 17
(5) The Commissioner of Social Services, or the commissioner's 18
designee; 19
(6) The Commissioner of Agriculture, or the commissioner's 20
designee; 21
(7) The Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, 22
or the commissioner's designee; 23
(8) The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee; 24
(9) The chief executive officer of the Connecticut Health Insurance 25
Exchange, or a designee; 26
(10) The executive director of the Commission on Women, Children, 27
Seniors, Equity and Opportunity, or a designee; 28
(11) The executive director of the Office of Health Strategy, or a 29
designee; 30
(12) The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or the 31
secretary's designee; 32
(13) The Commissioner of A dministrative Services, or the 33
commissioner's designee; 34
(14) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, or 35
the commissioner's designee; 36
(15) The Commissioner of Correction, or the commissioner's 37 Raised Bill No. 6662
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designee; 38
(16) At least one person appointed by the Governor who has 39
experience with community organizations actively working to address 40
racism and related health disparities and inequities; 41
(17) At least one person appointed by the Governor who has 42
experience with community organizations actively working to address 43
the needs of people of color who also identify as LGBTQ+ or as having 44
a disability; and 45
(18) At least one person appointed by the Governor who has 46
experience with community-based nongovernmental organizations. 47
(c) All initial appointments to the commission made under 48
subdivisions (14) to (18), inclusive, of subsection (b) of this section shall 49
be made not later than sixty days after the effective day of this section. 50
Appointed members shall serve a term that is coterminous with the 51
appointing official and appointed members may serve more than one 52
term. 53
(d) The executive director of the Office of Health Strategy, or the 54
executive director's designee, shall serve as chairperson of the 55
commission. Such chairperson shall schedule the first meeting of the 56
commission, which shall be held not later than sixty days after the 57
effective date of this section. 58
(e) The commission, by majority vote, shall hire an executive director 59
to serve as administrative staff of the commission, who shall serve at the 60
pleasure of the commission. 61
(f) Members shall continue to serve until their successors are 62
appointed. Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority. Any 63
vacancy occurring other than by expiration of term shall be filled for the 64
balance of the unexpired term. 65
(g) A majority of the membership shall constitute a quorum for the 66
transaction of any business and any decision shall be by a majority vote 67 Raised Bill No. 6662
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of those present at a meeting. The commission may adopt rules of 68
procedure. 69
(h) The members of the commission shall serve without 70
compensation, but shall, within the limits of available funds, be 71
reimbursed for expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of 72
their duties. 73
(i) The commission shall have the following powers and duties: (1) 74
Support collaboration by bringing together partners from many 75
different sectors to recognize the links between health and other issue 76
and policy areas and build new partnerships to promote health and 77
equity and increase government efficiency; (2) create the comprehensive 78
strategic plan to eliminate health disparities and inequities across 79
sectors, in accordance with section 3 of this act; (3) obtain from any 80
executive department, board, commission or other agency of the state 81
or any organization or other entity such assistance as necessary and 82
available to carry out the purposes of this section; (4) accept any gift, 83
donation or bequest for the purpose of performing the duties described 84
in this section; (5) establish bylaws to govern its procedures; and (6) 85
perform such other acts as may be necessary and appropriate to carry 86
out the duties described in this section. 87
(j) The commission shall engage with a diverse range of community 88
members, including people of color who identify as members of diverse 89
groups of the state population, including on the basis of race, ethnicity, 90
sexual orientation, gender identity and disability, who experience 91
inequities in health, to make recommendations to the relevant state 92
agencies or other entities on an ongoing basis concerning the following: 93
(1) Institutional racism in the state's laws and regulations impacting 94
public health; (2) racial disparity in the state's criminal justice system 95
and its impact on the health and well-being of individuals and families, 96
including overall health outcomes and rates of depression, suicide, 97
substance use disorder and chronic disease; (3) racial disparities in 98
access to the resources necessary for healthy living, including, but not 99
limited to, access to adequate fresh food and physical activity, public 100 Raised Bill No. 6662
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safety and the decrease of pollution in communities; (4) racial disparities 101
in health outcomes; (5) the impact of zoning restrictions on the creation 102
of housing disparities and such disparities' impact on public health; and 103
(6) racial disparities in state hiring and contracting processes. 104
(k) The commission shall not terminate until the state has attained the 105
goal of at least seventy per cent reduction in disparities, as determined 106
by the commission using available scientifically-based measurements, 107
in the following areas: (1) Kindergarten readiness, third grade reading 108
proficiency, scores on the mastery examination, administered pursuant 109
to section 10-14n of the general statutes, rates of school-based discipline, 110
high school graduation rates and retention rates after the first year of 111
study for institutions of higher education in the state, as defined in 112
section 3-22a of the general statutes; (2) health insurance coverage rates, 113
pregnancy and infant health outcomes, emergency room visits and 114
deaths related to conditions associated with exposure to environmental 115
pollutants, including respiratory ailments, quality of life, life 116
expectancy, and self-reported well-being surveys; (3) rates of 117
involvement with the justice system; and (4) rates of poverty, income, 118
housing insecurity, lead poisoning and access to adequate healthy 119
nutrition. 120
(l) Not later than January 1, 2022, and annually thereafter, the 121
commission shall submit a report to the Secretary of the Office of Policy 122
and Management and the joint standing committees of the General 123
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health and 124
appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, in accordance with the 125
provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, concerning (1) the 126
activities of the commission during the prior year; (2) any progress 127
made in attaining the goal described in subsection (k) of this section; (3) 128
any recommended changes to such goal based on the research 129
conducted by the commission, any disparity study performed by any 130
state agency or entity, or any community input received; and (4) any 131
recommendations for policy changes or amendments to state law. 132
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) The Commission on Racial 133 Raised Bill No. 6662
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Equity in Public Health, established under section 2 of this act, shall 134
develop and periodically update a comprehensive strategic plan to 135
eliminate health disparities and inequities across sectors, including 136
consideration of the following: Air and water quality, natural resources 137
and agricultural land, affordable housing, infrastructure systems, public 138
health, access to quality health care, social services, sustainable 139
communities and the impact of climate change. 140
(b) Such plan shall address the incorporation of health and equity into 141
specific policies, programs and government decision-making processes 142
including, but not limited to, the following: (1) Disparities in laws and 143
regulations impacting public health; (2) disparities in the criminal justice 144
system; (3) disparities in access to resources, including, but not limited 145
to, healthy food, safe housing, public safety and environments free of 146
excess pollution; and (4) disparities in access to quality health care. 147
Sec. 4. Subsection (a) of section 4-9a of the general statutes is repealed 148
and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 149
(a) The Governor shall appoint the chairperson and executive 150
director, if any, of all boards and commissions within the Executive 151
Department, except the State Properties Review Board, the State 152
Elections Enforcement Commission, the Commission on Human Rights 153
and Opportunities, the Commission on Fire Prevention and Control, the 154
Citizen's Ethics Advisory Board, [and] the Transportation Policy 155
Advisory Council and the Commission on Racial Equity in Public 156
Health. 157
Sec. 5. (Effective from passage) The Commissioner of Public Health shall 158
study the development and implementation of a recruitment and 159
retention program for health care workers in the state who are people of 160
color. Not later than January 1, 2022, the commissioner shall report the 161
results of such study, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a 162
of the general statutes, to the joint standing committee of the General 163
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health. Such 164
report shall include any legislative recommendations to improve the 165 Raised Bill No. 6662
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recruitment and retention of people of color in the health care sector, 166
including, but not limited to, recommendations for the implementation 167
of such recruitment and retention program. 168
Sec. 6. (Effective from passage) The Department of Energy and 169
Environmental Protection shall perform an assessment of racial equity 170
within environmental health quality programs administered by said 171
department. Not later than January 1, 2022, the department shall submit 172
a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general 173
statutes, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly 174
having cognizance of matters relating to the environment. Such report 175
shall include the results of such assessment and any legislative 176
recommendations to improve racial equity within such programs. 177
Sec. 7. (Effective from passage) (a) As used in this section, "cultural 178
humility" means a continuing commitment to (1) self-evaluation and 179
critique of one's own worldview with regard to differences in cultural 180
traditions and belief systems, and (2) awareness of, and active 181
mitigation of, power imbalances between cultures. 182
(b) The Office of Higher Education, in collaboration with the Board 183
of Regents for Higher Education and the Board of Trustees of The 184
University of Connecticut, shall evaluate the recruitment and retention 185
of people of color in health care preparation programs offered by the 186
constituent units of the state system of higher education and the 187
inclusion of cultural humility education in such programs. Not later 188
than January 1, 2022, the office shall submit a report, in accordance with 189
the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint 190
standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of 191
matters relating to higher education. Such report shall include the 192
results of such evaluation and any legislative recommendations to 193
improve the recruitment and retention of people of color in such 194
programs and include additional cultural humility education in such 195
programs. 196
Sec. 8. Subsection (b) of section 2-128 of the general statutes is 197 Raised Bill No. 6662
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repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 198
passage): 199
(b) Not later than January first, annually, the executive director of the 200
commission shall submit a status report, organized by subcommission, 201
concerning its efforts in promoting the desired results listed in 202
subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this section to the joint standing 203
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 204
relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies in 205
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a. On and after January 1, 206
2022, such report shall include the status of amendments to the joint 207
rules of the House of Representatives and the Senate concerning the 208
preparation of racial and ethnic impact statements pursuant to section 209
2-24b. 210
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Sec. 2 from passage New section
Sec. 3 from passage New section
Sec. 4 from passage 4-9a(a)
Sec. 5 from passage New section
Sec. 6 from passage New section
Sec. 7 from passage New section
Sec. 8 from passage 2-128(b)
Statement of Purpose:
To declare racism as a public health crisis, establish the Commission on
Racial Equity in Public Health and require studies concerning the racial
equity of various state programs related to such crisis.
[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.]