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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1073
January Session, 2021
LCO No. 5579
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT
ADMINISTRATION AND ELECTIONS
Introduced by:
(GAE)
AN ACT CONCERNING EQ UITY AND OPPORTUNITY IN STATE
GOVERNMENT.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) The Commissioner of 1
Administrative Services, in consultation with the Secretary of the Office 2
of Policy and Management, the Commission on Human Rights and 3
Opportunities and department heads, as defined in section 4-5 of the 4
general statutes, shall study methods for assessing whether state agency 5
policies and actions create or exacerbate barriers to full and equal 6
participation by all eligible individuals. Such study shall identify the 7
best methods, consistent with applicable law, to assist state agencies in 8
assessing equity with respect to race, ethnicity, religion, income, 9
geography, gender identity, sexual orientation and disability. 10
(b) As part of such study, the Commissioner of Administrative 11
Services shall consider whether to recommend legislation to create pilot 12
programs to test model assessment tools and assist state agencies in 13
doing so. 14 Raised Bill No. 1073
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Sec. 2. (Effective from passage) (a) Each department head, as defined in 15
section 4-5 of the general statutes, shall, in consultation with the 16
Commissioner of Administrative Services, select certain programs and 17
policies of such department head's state agency for a review to assess 18
whether underserved communities and their members face systemic 19
barriers in accessing benefits and opportunities available pursuant to 20
those policies and programs. Not later than December 1, 2021, each 21
department head shall provide a report to the Commissioner of 22
Administrative Services reflecting findings on the following: 23
(1) Potential barriers that underserved communities and individuals 24
may face to enrollment in and access to benefits and services in state 25
programs; 26
(2) Potential barriers that underserved communities and individuals 27
may face in taking advantage of agency procurement and contracting 28
opportunities, including, but not limited to, the set-aside program for 29
small contractors set forth in section 4a-60g of the general statutes; 30
(3) Whether new policies, regulations or guidance documents may be 31
necessary to advance equity in state agency actions and programs; and 32
(4) The operational status and level of institutional resources 33
available to offices or divisions within the agency that are responsible 34
for advancing civil rights or whose mandates specifically include 35
serving underrepresented or disadvantaged communities. 36
(b) The Commissioner of Administrative Services shall, in 37
consultation with the applicable department heads, study strategies, 38
consistent with applicable law, for allocating state resources in a manner 39
that increases investment in underserved communities, as well as 40
individuals from such communities. 41
(c) In complying with the provisions of this section, department 42
heads shall consult with members of communities that have been 43
historically underrepresented in the state government and underserved 44
by, or subject to discrimination in, state policies and programs. Each 45 Raised Bill No. 1073
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department head shall evaluate opportunities, consistent with 46
applicable law, to increase coordination, communication and 47
engagement with community-based organizations and civil rights 48
organizations. 49
(d) Not later than February 1, 2022, the Commissioner of 50
Administrative Services shall submit a report to the General Assembly, 51
in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, 52
(1) describing the best practices identified by the study conducted under 53
section 1 of this act and, if applicable, recommending legislation or other 54
approaches to expand use of those methods across the state 55
government, and (2) containing a summary of the findings of the 56
reviews conducted by department heads of policies and programs as 57
reported to the commissioner under this section. 58
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
GAE Joint Favorable