Government Administration and Elections Committee
JOINT FAVORABLE REPORT
Bill No.: SB-1073
AN ACT CONCERNING EQUITY AND OPPORTUNITY IN STATE
Title: GOVERNMENT.
Vote Date: 3/31/2021
Vote Action: Joint Favorable
PH Date: 3/24/2021
File No.:
Disclaimer: The following JOINT FAVORABLE Report is prepared for the benefit of the
members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and
explanation and does not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber
thereof for any purpose.
SPONSORS OF BILL:
The Government Administration and Elections Committee
REASONS FOR BILL:
This bill would require a study of state agency policies and programs to assess the equity of
state government programs and the allocation of state resources. It requires agencies to
assess equity with respect to race, ethnicity, religion, income, geography, gender identity,
sexual orientation and disability. This bill would help ensure that underserved communities
are able to access state services and programs.
RESPONSE FROM ADMINISTRATION/AGENCY:
Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, State of Connecticut: The CHRO
testified that while the State of Connecticut offers many programs and services to its
residents, it needs to assess whether there are barriers that make it difficult for some groups
to access said services. They explain that these possible barriers need to be addressed and
corrected to eliminate the state's history of racism.
Department of Administrative Services: DAS testified that this bill addresses an important
issue and is supportive of having state agencies review and assess their programs and
policies in order to identify system barriers to accessibility. They suggested that DAS work in
coordination with OPM to carry out the study.
NATURE AND SOURCES OF SUPPORT:
Kelly McConney Moore, Interim Senior Policy Counsel, American Civil Liberties Union
of Connecticut: Moore testified that marginalized groups such as BIPOC, women and non-
binary people, LGBTQ, and people with disabilities, are often excluded from the protection
and services offered by the state. They state that this bill could end the exclusion by requiring
study of inequities in state government. They also state that the ideas of the bill could be
strengthened by including people living with criminal records as one of the groups whose
exclusions is studied.
NATURE AND SOURCES OF OPPOSITION:
None Expressed
Reported by: Jenna Schwerdtle Date: 03/31/2021
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