HB 221 2022
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to the Office of Diversity, Equity, 2
and Inclusion; creating s. 14.2031, F.S.; providing 3
legislative intent; defining terms; establishing the 4
Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within the 5
Executive Office of the Governor; providing for the 6
appointment of a Chief Diversity Officer; prescribing 7
minimum qualifications for the Chief Diversity 8
Officer; providing the duties of the Chief Divers ity 9
Officer, including creation of a strategic plan that 10
must be periodically updated and the review of certain 11
agency programs and policies; providing an effective 12
date. 13
14
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 15
16
Section 1. Section 14.2031, Florida Statutes, is created 17
to read: 18
14.2031 Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. — 19
(1) It is the intent of the Legislature that the office 20
established under this act will work to end systemic racism; to 21
fully realize equal opportun ity as the bedrock of American 22
society; to recognize diversity as one of this state's greatest 23
strengths; to promote equity, racial justice, and civil rights; 24
to advance inclusivity and ensure fairness in executive 25
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
decisionmaking processes; to identify and work to redress racial 26
inequities in agency policies and programs which serve as 27
barriers to equal opportunity; and to assist Floridians in 28
reaching their full potential by advancing the principles of 29
diversity, equity, and inclusion. 30
(2) As used in this section, the term: 31
(a) "Equity" means the consistent and systematic fair, 32
just, and impartial treatment of all individuals who belong to 33
underserved communities that have been denied such treatment, 34
including Black, Latino, indigenous and Native Americ an persons, 35
Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and other persons of color; 36
members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, 37
transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with 38
disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons 39
otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or 40
inequality. 41
(b) "Office" means the Office of Diversity, Equity, and 42
Inclusion. 43
(c) "Underserved communities" means populations that share 44
a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities, 45
which have been systematically denied the opportunity to fully 46
participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life and 47
which include those communities identified in paragraph (a). 48
(3) The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is 49
established within the Executive Office of the Governor. The 50
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office shall be headed by a Chief Diversity Officer, who shall 51
be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Governor. At 52
the time of appointment, the Chief Diversity Officer must have, 53
at a minimum, a master's degree with a concentration in human 54
resource management, social justice, postsecondary education, 55
sociology, social anthropology, public administration, or any 56
other related field and 3 years of professional experience 57
involving the advancement of diversi ty, equity, and inclusion in 58
the private or public sectors. Staff assigned to the office 59
shall assist the Chief Diversity Officer in carrying out the 60
duties prescribed in this section. 61
(4) The Chief Diversity Officer shall: 62
(a) In coordination with age ncy heads or their designees 63
and no later than October 1, 2022, create a strategic plan to 64
guide the office and the agencies in their efforts to ensure the 65
enactment of principles, policies, and approaches aimed at 66
establishing equity across state governme nt, including, but not 67
limited to, efforts to remove systemic barriers and provide 68
equal access to opportunities and benefits and to identify 69
underserved communities and policies designed to advance their 70
standing. The strategic plan must be updated every 4 years. 71
(b) Partner with agency heads or their designees to study 72
methods for assessing whether agency policies and actions create 73
or exacerbate barriers to full and equal participation by all 74
eligible individuals and identify the best methods, consiste nt 75
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with applicable law, to assist agencies in assessing equity with 76
respect to race, ethnicity, religion, income, geography, gender 77
identity, sexual orientation, and disability. 78
(c) No later than January 31, 2023, in consultation with 79
heads of state agencies or their designees, use the methods 80
identified pursuant to paragraph (b) to select for review 81
specific agency programs and policies to assess whether 82
underserved communities and their members face systemic barriers 83
in accessing benefits and opportunities associated with those 84
policies and programs. 85
(d) Identify opportunities to promote the principles of 86
diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Governor's recommended 87
budget, with the objective of increasing the state's investment, 88
through the appropriations process, in underserved communities. 89
(e) Advise the Governor on matters relating to existing 90
economic, health, educational, and environmental inequities 91
within underserved communities and assist in the formulation of 92
policies and legislation that advance equal opportunity and 93
prosperity. 94
(f) Coordinate with the Attorney General to review the 95
Laws of Florida and the Florida Statutes to identify existing 96
laws that were intended to promote or enable racial 97
discrimination or inequit y or that include racist language and 98
to make recommendations to the Legislature for repealing any 99
such laws. 100
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(g) Contract with a third -party organization to conduct 101
implicit bias training for employees of state agencies. 102
Section 2. This act shall ta ke effect July 1, 2022. 103