In the near future, I will be introducing legislation to strengthen accountability and transparency for entities that seek to do business with or receive financial benefits from the Commonwealth.

Each year, Pennsylvania awards billions of dollars in contracts, grants, and tax incentives. These public resources should support entities that demonstrate a genuine commitment to equal opportunity in employment, contracting, and service delivery. However, current statutes do not provide a systematic framework to evaluate whether recipients of taxpayer dollars are upholding these principles.

This legislation establishes an Equal Opportunity Audit program to ensure that contractors, grant recipients, and beneficiaries of tax incentives operate with fairness in a manner that passes constitutional muster.

Under this program, entities will be required to:

• Certify and enforce non-discrimination policies covering all protected classes;
• Publicly disclose the merit criteria they use for hiring, contracting, and subcontracting decisions;
• Collect and retain demographic data on applicants and outcomes across employment and contracting processes;
• Undergo independent audits at least every three years, with biennial reviews of overall program effectiveness; and
• Prepare and implement corrective action plans if disparities or barriers to equal opportunity are identified.

The Department of General Services, in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, will oversee the program, issue public audit reports, and enforce compliance. 

Sanctions for material non-compliance may include suspension of contracts, recovery of grant funds, denial of tax incentives, or temporary debarment.

This legislation ensures that public funds are used to advance social equity and transparency. 

By requiring regular Equal Opportunity Audits, we help guarantee that Pennsylvania’s investments in contractors and partners reflect the values of inclusion and public accountability.

Our commonwealth can only commit itself to the promise of meritocracy when we identify what a level playing field looks like and invest in the means to define it toward achieving this worthy goal.