Representatives Shelia Stubbs, David Crowley, Lakeshia Myers, Kalan Haywood, David Bowen, Jason
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TO: Legislative Colleagues FROM: Representatives Shelia Stubbs, David Crowley, LaKeshia Myers, Kalan Haywood, David Bowen, Jason Fields, JoCasta Zamarripa, Marisabel Cabrera, Jimmy Anderson Senators Lena Taylor and LaTonya Johnson DATE: Tuesday, November 12, 2019 RE: Co-Sponsor LRB 4063, relating to: creating the Council for Equity and Inclusion and the Office for Equity and Inclusion and making an appropriation. Deadline: November 26, 2019 Wisconsin has the most extreme racial disparities in our nation. Individual and systematic racism, discrimination, and bias perpetuate and exacerbates disparities in access to economic opportunities, employment, education, housing, and health care. The racial disparities in Wisconsin are evident in any stage of life, from birth, schooling, employment, voting, and the criminal justice system, there are concrete statistics that show us how profound racism is in our state. For example, according to the American Community Survey in 2017 in Wisconsin, Black babies are three times more likely to die than white babies and that Black children are living in poverty at a rate that is 3.5 times high than that of white children. Stemming from these inequalities, Black residents account for 9% of Wisconsin adults seeking work but without a job compared to 3.3% of white residents. Black Wisconsinites were nearly three times more likely to be unemployed than white Wisconsinites which is the worst unemployment disparity in the nation. This bill provides the framework to tackle these profound injustices. Under the bill, the Council for Equity and Inclusion and the Office for Equity and Inclusion will both be attached to the Department of Administration and must establish and annually update a statewide plan for equity and inclusion and designate individuals to coordinate with the Office for Equity and Inclusion to implement and enforce the plan established by the council, as well as submit annual reports of activities and updates to the statewide plan to the governor and the legislature. Furthermore, this bill will create five full time positions for the Office for Equity and Inclusion and one full time position for each of the executive departments represented on the Council for Equity and Inclusion. This will provide and promote excellence in public service through the development of an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable state government and help Wisconsin maintain an equitable and inclusive organizational structure through hiring, contracting, and service delivery. Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau This bill creates the Council for Equity and Inclusion and the Office for Equity and Inclusion, both attached to the Department of Administration. Under the bill, the council must do all of the following: establish and annually update a statewide plan for equity and inclusion in this state; designate individuals to coordinate with the Office for Equity and Inclusion to implement and enforce the plan established by the council; review individual agency plans for equity and inclusion; and submit annual reports of activities and updates to the statewide plan for equity and inclusion to the governor and legislature. Under the bill, the Office for Equity and Inclusion must establish programs to implement and enforce the plan established by the Council for Equity and Inclusion. Also under the bill, the head of each executive branch entity represented on the Council for Equity and Inclusion must appoint an officer for equity and inclusion, and each such officer must develop and implement an annual plan for equity and inclusion that must be submitted to the council for review and approval. The bill also authorizes five full-time equivalent GPR positions for the Office for Equity and Inclusion and one full-time equivalent position for each of the executive branch entities represented on the Council for Equity and Inclusion. For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill. .