2023 -- H 5763
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LC001833
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S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
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A N A C T
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT
ACT
Introduced By: Representatives Kislak, Henries, Alzate, Stewart, Hull, Morales, Cotter,
Sanchez, Felix, and Speakman
Date Introduced: February 21, 2023
Referred To: House State Government & Elections
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "STATE AFFAIRS AND 1
GOVERNMENT" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 2
CHAPTER 165 3
EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT ACT 4
42-165-1. Short title. 5
This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Equity Impact Statement Act." 6
42-165-2. Findings. 7
The general assembly hereby finds and declares that: 8
(1) Persistent, widespread and unacceptable disparities exist in Rhode Island for 9
individuals and families as a result of structural inequities and past discrimination. 10
(2) Rhode Island has passed legislation prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, 11
ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, or country 12
of ancestral origin, including in employment and housing matters. 13
(3) Past legislation in Rhode Island has been implemented without attention to equity. 14
Some of this legislation has had disparate impacts on some of our communities. It is therefore the 15
desire of the general assembly to address the impacts of our legislation moving forward, and to do 16
so with attention to equity and the impact our legislation will have on our diverse and various 17
communities. 18
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(4) Discrimination and inequities based on these protected classifications is inconsistent 1
with the protections outlined in the state constitution as well as in Rhode Island legislation. These 2
inequities affect the quality of life, access to services, access to safe and affordable housing, access 3
to capital as well as educational and economic attainment for some Rhode Island populations 4
differently than for others. 5
(5) While awareness is not enough to reverse long-standing structural factors that cause 6
these disparities, it must be the starting point. 7
(6) Beginning in 2007, some states, including Connecticut and Massachusetts, began 8
implementing racial impact statements to address racial disparities in their criminal justice systems. 9
In 2019, Maine created a permanent commission to address historic and pervasive racial inequity 10
in legislation. This act aims to build on that foundation here in Rhode Island, proposing the 11
inclusion of a new legislative tool, a broad equity impact statement accounting for race, color, 12
ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, or country 13
of ancestral origin. 14
(7) As there has historically been no process to guide analysis of equity impacts as 15
legislation is considered in the Rhode Island general assembly, this act will add the expectation of 16
an equity impact statement in the legislative process for the purpose of contributing to the 17
development of sound and fair policy. Equity impact statements will serve as a tool to inform 18
legislators of potential consequences of policies that may have a disproportionate impact on 19
historically disadvantaged populations prior to enacting new legislation, thus assuring that the 20
general assembly takes each opportunity available to increase equity and decrease disparities. 21
42-165-3. Equity impact statements. 22
(a) An equity impact statement shall be a simple and understandable statement 23
demonstrating that the bill sponsor has taken into account the impact, positive or negative, that the 24
legislation will likely have on Rhode Islanders based on their race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, 25
sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age or country of ancestral origin. 26
The sponsor of legislations shall ensure that bills are submitted with an equity impact 27
statement which shall be appended to the bill summary and contain: 28
(1) A description of the way in which the legislation will or will not impact different 29
populations differently based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex sexual orientation, gender 30
expression, disability, age or country of ancestral origin; and 31
(2) A reference to historic disparities and existing efforts to address the historic disparities. 32
(b) The equity impact statement requirement may be met with a statement that there are no 33
discernable impacts based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity 34
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or expression, disability, age, or country of ancestral origin, if applicable. 1
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 2
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT
ACT
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This act would create the "equity impact statement act", requiring that all legislation 1
submitted in the general assembly include an equity impact statement to address what impact the 2
legislation will have on Rhode Island residents based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual 3
orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age or country of ancestral origin. 4
This act would take effect upon passage. 5
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