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2019 House Bill 1783: Creating the Washington state office of equity
Introduced by Rep. Mia Gregerson (SeaTac) (D) on January 30, 2019
Referred to the House State Government & Tribal Relations Committee on January 30, 2019
Substitute offered in the House on February 13, 2019
Creates the Washington State Office of Equity (Equity Office).
Referred to the House Appropriations Committee on February 15, 2019
Referred to the House Rules Committee on March 4, 2019
Substitute offered in the House on January 20, 2020
Creates the Washington State Office of Equity (Equity Office). Establishes a task force to develop the initial operations plan for the Equity Office. Requires all state agencies to: provide appropriate and reasonable assistance to the Equity Office as needed, work to meet performance measures, and implement equity assessment tools as appropriate.
Amendment offered by Rep. Mia Gregerson (SeaTac) (D) on January 20, 2020
Defines principles that must guide the work of the Office of Equity (Office) and the administration of programs by the Office Director; (2) Requires the Office to ensure agencies follow standards developed by the Office through reporting requirements, and to adopt rules related to testing agency performance and developing accountability and enforcement mechanisms; (3) Creates the Community Advisory Board to advise the Office on its priorities and timelines; (4) Requires the Office to file a report to the Legislature and Governor every two years; (5) Requires agencies to designate a diversity, equity, and inclusion liaison to serve as liaison between the agency and Office; (6) Requires agencies to apply an "equity lens," as defined in the amended bill and developed by the Office, to existing policies, practices, and services delivery; (7) Requires agencies to develop plans for diversity, equity, and inclusion and for language access, establish performance measures in collaboration with the Office, and submit a response to the Office's report on agency performance.
The amendment passed by voice vote in the House on January 20, 2020
Amendment offered by Rep. Jeremie Dufault (Yakima) (R) on January 20, 2020
Changes the establishment date of the Office of Equity from July 1, 2020, to July 1, 2021.
The amendment failed by voice vote in the House on January 20, 2020
Amendment offered by Rep. Jeremie Dufault (Yakima) (R) on January 20, 2020
The amendment failed by voice vote in the House on January 20, 2020
Amendment offered by Rep. Keith Goehner (Chelan) (R) on January 20, 2020
Terminates the Office of Equity and Community Advisory Board 10 years after their creation. Eliminates the entire Act on June 30, 2031.
The amendment failed by voice vote in the House on January 20, 2020
Amendment offered by Rep. Jenny Graham (Spokane) (R) on January 20, 2020
Requires that the Director of the Office of Equity be jointly selected by the Speaker of the House, the Majority Leader of the Senate, and the Minority Leaders of the House and Senate.
The amendment failed by voice vote in the House on January 20, 2020
Amendment offered by Rep. Norma Smith (Clinton) (R) on January 20, 2020
Requires the Office of Equity (Office) to coordinate with the Office of Privacy and Data Protection regarding data collected by the Office. Prohibits the Office from requesting personally identifiable information other than specified information related to race and ethnicity.
The amendment failed by voice vote in the House on January 20, 2020
Amendment offered by Rep. Jim Walsh (Aberdeen) (R) on January 20, 2020
Removes statement in intent section that the Office of Equity (Office) will assist agencies to apply an equity lens in staffing decisions; (2) Removes requirements to collaborate with the Office of Financial Management on developing policies and providing assistance and training to maintain a diverse, inclusive, and culturally sensitive workforce, and identifying subcategories of workforce data to track disparities in public employment.
The amendment failed by voice vote in the House on January 20, 2020
Amendment offered by Rep. Jesse Young (Gig Harbor) (R) on January 20, 2020
Removes the requirement that the race and ethnicity data for which the Office of Equity must establish standards be disaggregated. Removes the requirement that the Office of Equity work with the Office of Financial Management to identify subcategories of workforce data for disaggregation to track disparities in public employment.
The amendment failed by voice vote in the House on January 20, 2020
Received in the Senate on January 23, 2020
Referred to the Senate State Government, Tribal Relations & Elections Committee on January 23, 2020
Referred to the Senate Ways & Means Committee on February 26, 2020
Referred to the Senate Rules Committee on March 3, 2020
Amendment offered by Sen. Sharon Brown (Kennewick) (R) on March 5, 2020
Changes the establishment date of the office of equity from July 1, 2020, to July 1, 2021.
The amendment failed by voice vote in the Senate on March 5, 2020
Amendment offered by Sen. Mike Padden (Spokane Valley) (R) on March 5, 2020
Prohibits the Office and agencies from developing policies and mechanisms that result in hiring preferences based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin.
The amendment failed by voice vote in the Senate on March 5, 2020
Amendment offered by Sen. Rebecca SaldaƱa (Seattle) (D) on March 5, 2020
(1) Adds intent language to consider social ramifications from emerging technologies used by agencies. (2) Adds intent language to indicate it is not the intent of the legislature to eliminate commissions or reduce funding to the commissions by creating the Office of Equity (Office). (3) Adds a definition for disaggregated data. (4) Requires the Office to complement the work of statutory commissions. (5) Makes the appointment of the director subject to consent of the Senate. (6) Removes the requirement that the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) plan and accountability procedures be established by rule, and instead requires the Office to develop procedures. (7) Allows the Office to contract with commissions or other entities in order to identify policy and system barriers to meaningful engagement with communities in all aspects of agency decision making. (8) Requires the Office to collaborate with the Office of Financial Management, rather than Results Washington to establish data standards and performance measures. (9) Removes the limitations regarding the collection of personally identifiable information of vulnerable populations. (10) Removes the requirement that the Office process for reporting on agency performance be established by rule. (11) Requires the Office to establish procedures to hold agencies accountable which may include conducting performance reviews related to agency compliance with Office performance measures, rather than adopting rules to develop accountability and enforcement mechanisms which may include the Office to conduct audits in collaboration with the office of the state auditor. (12) Requires the office to report to the Governor and the Legislature by October 31, 2022, and every year thereafter, rather than by July 1, 2022, and every two years thereafter. (13) Requires the director to review the Task Force final report and report back to the Governor and the Legislature with recommendations, rather than requiring the Office to consider the final report when carrying out its duties. (14) Allows the director to collaborate with the existing commissions, Governor's Office of Indian Affairs, and any other agency the Office deems necessary, to find individuals with diverse representation by geography and identity for the community advisory board. (15) Allows the Office to develop legislative proposals, rather than initiatives. The Office is also granted authority to: Consider ways to promote investment in DEI projects; and provide a forum where DEI issues can be reviewed. (16) Removes general rule-making authority to implement the chapter.
The amendment passed by voice vote in the Senate on March 5, 2020
Amendment offered by Sen. Mark Schoesler (Ritzville) (R) on March 5, 2020
Limits the total full-time employees for the Office of Equity to 6.0 FTEs.
The amendment failed by voice vote in the Senate on March 5, 2020
Amendment offered by Sen. Keith Wagoner (Sedro-Woolley) (R) on March 5, 2020
Removes the requirement that the data for which the office must establish standards be disaggregated. Removes the requirement that the Office of Equity work with the Office of Financial Management to identify subcategories of workforce data for disaggregation to track disparities in public employment.
The amendment failed by voice vote in the Senate on March 5, 2020
Amendment offered by Sen. Judy Warnick (Grant) (R) on March 5, 2020
Requires the director and the Office of Equity comply with the Civil Rights Act when developing or facilitating policy and systems change to promote equitable policies, practices, and outcomes under this chapter.
The amendment failed by voice vote in the Senate on March 5, 2020
Amendment offered by Sen. Lynda Wilson (Clark County) (R) on March 5, 2020
Requires the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee to make a recommendation to the appropriate committees of the legislature by October 31, 2025, regarding the effectiveness of the Washington state office of equity.
The amendment failed by voice vote in the Senate on March 5, 2020
Amendment offered by Sen. Hans Zeiger (Puyallup) (R) on March 5, 2020
Requires the State Auditor to conduct a comprehensive performance audit of the Office of Equity by October 31, 2025.
The amendment failed by voice vote in the Senate on March 5, 2020
Received in the House on March 9, 2020
Signed with partial veto by Gov. Jay Inslee on April 3, 2020
Veto Message: Section 6 creates a community advisory board, which is given certain duties. Section 7 directs each state agency to, among other things, develop plans and policies and provide data and information pursuant to the bill. Circumstances have changed dramatically since the 2020 supplemental operating budget was approved by the Legislature last month. The COVID-19 pandemic is having catastrophic effects on the health and welfare of Washingtonians. It will also have a major impact on the economic health of our state. I have conferred with leaders in the House of Representatives and Senate, and we agree that we must prepare for the effects of the lost revenue that will result from this pandemic. For these reasons I have vetoed Sections 6 and 7 of Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill No. 1783.