Directs the president of the state civil service commission to publish reports annually relating to diversity within state government

1 Co-sponsor

• Antoine M. Thompson

Title of bill

An act in relation to directing the president of the state civil service commission to publish reports relating to diversity within the state government

Summary of provisions

Section One. The president of the state civil service commission within the department of civil service is hereby directed to study and publish annual reports recording data relating to diversity within the state and civil divisions thereof as well as appointments to all state agencies, authorities, boards, bureaus, commissions, departments and divisions. The president of the state civil service commission shall annually publish such reports and findings. Such reports shall be sent to the chair of the senate standing committee on investigations and government operations and to the chair of the assembly standing committee on governmental employees no later than the first of February in each year.

Justification

In previous years the State Civil Service commission published data relating to diversity within the State Civil service system. For reasons left unexplained, the Commission has stopped publishing such reports, thereby leaving the State Legislature uninformed regarding the statistical makeup of the Civil service sector.

This legislation also requires publication of this data in addition to data previously unrecorded. This bill also requires for the acquisition and publication of data from all sectors of the State Government, including appointments. It simply seeks solid data which can be used to measure minority and women hiring's by the New York State Government.

A recent study by the Center for Women in Government, entitled 'Democracy unrealized', has shown that Policy Level appointees within the State of New York are grossly devoid of both minorities and women. Out of sixty-three (63) policy level appointees, only eighteen (18) are women and of that eighteen only three (3) are persons of African-American or Latino background. Of the remaining forty-five (45) male appointees, only four (4) are men of African-American or Latino backgrounds. Conspicuously absent from these appointments are persons of Asian or Native American backgrounds. This leaves New York State, one of the most diverse states in the Nation, with one of the lowest races of diversity for Policy-Level appointees.

This legislation seeks not to remedy this gross lack of diversity, but to obtain data that can be used to study and mediate this problem in the future.

Legislative history

2006, S.6969; 2007: S.2475

Fiscal implications

To be determined.

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.