2022 -- H 7735 | |
======== | |
LC004749 | |
======== | |
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2022 | |
____________ | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT | |
| |
Introduced By: Representatives Cassar, Morales, Felix, Alzate, J Lombardi, Kislak, | |
Date Introduced: March 02, 2022 | |
Referred To: House State Government & Elections | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "STATE AFFAIRS AND |
2 | GOVERNMENT" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: |
3 | CHAPTER 162 |
4 | RACE, ETHNICITY, GENDER AND DISABILITY IMPACT STATEMENT ACT |
5 | 42-162-1. Short title. |
6 | This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Disability |
7 | Impact Statement Act." |
8 | 42-162-2. Findings. |
9 | The general assembly hereby finds and declares that: |
10 | (1) Persistent, widespread and unacceptable disparities exist in Rhode Island for |
11 | individuals and families as a result of race, ethnicity, gender and disability which impact quality of |
12 | life, access to services, access to safe and affordable housing, access to capital as well as |
13 | educational and economic attainment. Although awareness is not enough to reverse long-standing |
14 | structural factors that cause these disparities, it must be the starting point. |
15 | (2) Deliberate action is required to reverse policies that have resulted in disadvantages for |
16 | racial and ethnic populations, women and disabled individuals that have resulted in the following: |
17 | (i) Native American, Black and Hispanic children in Rhode Island live in poverty at |
18 | disproportionately high rates, experience food insecurity at disproportionately high rates, and have |
19 | disproportionately low high school graduation rates. |
| |
1 | (ii) Native American, Black and Hispanic Rhode Islanders have lower rates of |
2 | homeownership, have disproportionately lower economic attainment, experience poorer health |
3 | outcomes and are over-represented in lower-wage jobs and in the department of corrections |
4 | population. |
5 | (iii) Rhode Island women, especially Native American, Black and Hispanic women, are |
6 | over-represented in low wage jobs, experience wage disparity, experience high levels of food |
7 | insecurity and poverty, and have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. |
8 | (iv) Disabled Rhode Islanders experience barriers to access to voting, barriers to |
9 | employment and economic opportunity, barriers to accessing housing and barriers to accessing |
10 | public spaces. |
11 | 42-162-3. Legislative purposes. |
12 | (a) The general assembly recognizes that from criminal justice policies and housing |
13 | policies to social welfare and health care policies that state legislation has disproportionally |
14 | impacted Native American, Black, and Hispanic Rhode Islanders as well as women and individuals |
15 | with disabilities. This disproportional impact has led to poor health outcomes, low educational |
16 | attainment and low socioeconomic levels. In turn it has exacerbated increased rates of incarceration, |
17 | increased public health risk and increased involvement with state agencies and monitoring resulting |
18 | in disenfranchisement and distrust of systems and government. |
19 | (b) Beginning in 2007 and 2008, a handful of states, including Connecticut and |
20 | Massachusetts, began implementing racial impact statements to address racial disparities in their |
21 | criminal justice systems. Other states, including Maine, have taken a different approach to |
22 | addressing historic and pervasive racial inequity in legislation. This act aims to build on that |
23 | foundation, proposing the inclusion of a new legislative tool, a combined race, ethnicity, gender |
24 | and disability impact statement, in future legislation. |
25 | (c) Based on the prevention principle, the development of combined race, ethnicity, gender |
26 | and disability impact statement aims to prevent harm, or inform of potential harm or |
27 | disproportionate impact, to specific demographics during the legislative process. |
28 | (d) As there has historically been no process to guide analysis by racial impact as legislation |
29 | is considered in the Rhode Island general assembly, this act will add race, ethnicity, gender and |
30 | disability impact statements into the legislative process to contribute to the development of sound |
31 | and fair policy. Race, ethnicity, gender and disability impact statements will serve as a tool to |
32 | inform legislators of potential consequences of policies that may have a disproportionate impact on |
33 | historically disadvantaged populations prior to enacting new legislation. |
34 | 42-162-4. Parameters for statements. |
| LC004749 - Page 2 of 4 |
1 | (a) A race, ethnicity, gender and disability impact statement must be an impartial, simple |
2 | and understandable statement demonstrating that the bill sponsor has taken into account the impact |
3 | that the legislation will have on underrepresented and historically disadvantaged communities |
4 | throughout the state. The sponsor of the legislation may work in conjunction with state agencies to |
5 | obtain any necessary demographic data to inform the content of the impact statement. The sponsor |
6 | of the legislation shall assure that the bill language contains a section entitled "race, ethnicity, |
7 | gender and disability impact" which contains: |
8 | (1) A description of the way in which the legislation will or will not provide corrective |
9 | action for policies that have previously resulted in disparities by race, ethnicity, gender or disability; |
10 | and |
11 | (2) A reference to historic disparities; existing efforts to address the historic disparities. |
12 | (b) Race, ethnicity, gender and disability impact statements shall be required when |
13 | proposed legislation pertains to expenditures or policy regarding human services, medical, dental |
14 | or behavioral health care, disability services, housing or housing assistance; legislation regarding |
15 | education; legislation regarding employment and labor; legislation regarding land use and |
16 | transportation; legislation that will have economic or environmental impacts on communities; and |
17 | legislation that pertains to the criminal justice system. |
18 | (c) The race, ethnicity, gender and disability impact statement requirement may be waived |
19 | if there are no discernible impacts based on race, ethnicity, gender or disability. |
20 | (d) Race, ethnicity, gender and disability impact statements must be made available to the |
21 | public at the time that bills are posted for hearing in committees to ensure that the public and |
22 | legislators have the information available to inform testimony and hearings. Race, ethnicity, gender |
23 | and disability impact statements shall be deemed public records under the provisions of chapter 2 |
24 | of title 38. |
25 | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
======== | |
LC004749 | |
======== | |
| LC004749 - Page 3 of 4 |
EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT | |
*** | |
1 | This act would require the general assembly to include combined race, ethnicity, gender |
2 | and disability impact statements to any legislation that pertains to human services, medical, dental |
3 | or behavioral health care, disability services, housing or housing assistance; legislation regarding |
4 | education; legislation regarding employment and labor; legislation regarding land use and |
5 | transportation; legislation that will have economic or environmental impacts on communities; and |
6 | legislation that pertains to the criminal justice system. |
7 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
======== | |
LC004749 | |
======== | |
| LC004749 - Page 4 of 4 |