Rhode Island House Bill H6287

Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 4/30/25
• Refer: 4/30/25

Caption

Requires statements as to whether a bill is likely to increase equity, decrease equity or have no impact on equity to be included on up to 20 pieces of legislation.

Impact

The implementation of H6287 would require the integration of equity impact statements into the legislative process. These statements will assess how new laws may affect different population groups based on race, gender, disability, and other categories. Such a measure is expected to increase legislative awareness of potential inequities that may arise from proposed policies, addressing the need for more equitable governance. This is intended to improve the legislative decision-making process by ensuring that it considers historical and current disparities.

Summary

House Bill H6287 seeks to introduce the Equity Impact Statement and Budget Equity Impact Act in Rhode Island. The primary aim of this legislation is to require that statements be included with legislation to measure whether proposed bills are likely to increase equity, decrease equity, or have no effect on equity for historically marginalized groups. This initiative comes as a response to persistent disparities in economic, health, and educational outcomes among different demographic communities, particularly communities of color.

Contention

Notable points of contention surrounding H6287 include concerns from lawmakers regarding the practicality and effectiveness of implementing such impact assessments. Proponents argue that equity impact statements will foster greater accountability and consideration for diverse communities during the legislative process. Conversely, skeptics worry that the evaluation process may be overly burdensome and could slow down legislative progress. Additionally, there may be debates on the reliability of the data used in these assessments and how it will be interpreted.

Effective_date

If approved, H6287 is set to come into effect on July 1, 2025. The equity assessments would apply to a select number of bills each legislation session, focusing on those identified as having potential impacts on equity, thus integrating equity considerations into the state's policy framework.