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S986Senate2025-2026 SessionSame asA1306

Study Exam Bias for Minorities

Official title

“Direct the department of civil service to conduct a study on competitive examinations for public employment to determine whether the contents of such examinations have a discriminatory effect on minority examinee”

Sponsor Samra BroukSD-55Affects Finance
Status
In Senate Committee
Civil Service And Pensions
Impact
4/10
Low
Passage
28%

Bill progress

Step 2 of 7

In committee · Civil Service And Pensions

What's happening

This bill directs the Department of Civil Service to study whether public employment exams have a discriminatory effect on minority examinees.

Why it matters

  1. The bill mandates a comprehensive review of public employment exams, including a detailed analysis of both exam results and hiring patterns by race/ethnicity, which could highlight systemic barriers to minority employment in government jobs.

  2. By requiring an investigation not only of exam content but also of factors like exam location, timing, access to prep materials, and technological barriers, the study could uncover broader structural issues impacting equal opportunity.

  3. The findings may influence future hiring practices and exam design, potentially leading to reforms that make civil service jobs more accessible and representative of New York’s diverse population.

  4. Because the bill authorizes data sharing between agencies (with confidentiality protections), it sets a precedent for transparency and accountability in public sector hiring practices, possibly prompting similar efforts elsewhere.

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Who cares

Headline styles

Study Exam Bias for Minorities

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
Samra Brouk

Senator · Senate District 55

Chair, Mental Health

No co-sponsors yet.

History

  1. Print number 986a
  2. Amend and recommit to civil service and pensions
  3. Referred to civil service and pensions
  4. Referred to civil service and pensions

Companion bill

The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.

A1306Assembly

Study Bias in Hiring Exams

In Assembly Committee · Ways And Means · Sponsor Demond Meeks

Impact 5 · Moderate35% to pass

Full text

2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

986--A

2025-2026 Regular Sessions

IN SENATE (Prefiled)

January 8, 2025

Introduced by Sen. BROUK -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions -- recommitted to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

AN ACT to direct the department of civil service to conduct a study on competitive examinations for public employment to determine whether the contents of such examinations have a discriminatory effect on minority examinees; and providing for the repeal of such provision upon expiration thereof

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. For the purposes of this act the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(a) "agency" means any department, board, bureau, commission, division, office, council, committee, public benefit corporation or public authority at least one of whose members is appointed by the governor.

(b) "competitive examination" means competitive examinations for public employment held by the state department of civil service and by municipal commissions, as such term is defined by section two of the civil service law.

(c) "minority" shall have the same meaning as "minority group member", as defined in subdivision four of section two hundred ten of the economic development law.

§ 2. (a) The department of civil service shall conduct a study on competitive examinations for public employment held by the state department of civil service and by municipal commissions to determine whether the contents of such examinations have a discriminatory effect on minority examinees.

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD02190-03-5

(b) Such study shall include, but not be limited to:

(i) the total number of minority and non-minority competitive examination examinees;

(ii) a comparison of competitive examination results for minority examinees compared to non-minority examinees;

(iii) an agency by agency, and municipality by municipality, breakdown containing the percentage of minority employees hired each year compared to non-minorities;

(iv) an investigation on the questions and other contents of competitive examinations to determine whether any such questions or other contents have or could have a discriminatory effect on minority examinees compared to non-minority examinees, and if so, the nature of such discriminatory effect;

(v) an investigation of ancillary factors contributing to competitive examinations having a discriminatory effect on minority examinees compared to non-minority examinees, including, but not limited to accessibility to competitive examination locations, times competitive examinations are held, accessibility to competitive examination preparation courses and study materials, and technological barriers; and

(vi) any other information the president of the department of civil service shall deem necessary.

§ 3. The department of civil service may request, and is authorized to receive, any information from any agency that is relevant and material to the completion of the study under section two of this act. Such information received by the department of civil service shall be subject to the same requirements for confidentiality and limitations on use, if any, as are applicable to such agency's use of such information and may only be utilized by the department and the commissioner of civil service for purposes authorized by this act.

§ 4. No later than one year after the effective date of this act, the state department of civil service shall deliver a report of its findings of the study conducted pursuant to section two of this act to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the minority leader of the senate, and the minority leader of the assembly. The contents of such report shall not contain the personally identifiable information of any individual.

§ 5. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be deemed repealed two years after such date.

Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.

Sponsor's memo

Title of bill

An act to direct the department of civil service to conduct a study on competitive examinations for public employment to determine whether the contents of such examinations have a discriminatory effect on minority examinees; and providing for the repeal of such provision upon expira- tion thereof

Purpose general idea of bill

THE LEGISLATION REQUIRES THE DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL SERVICE TO CONDUCT A STUDY ON COMPETITIVE EXAMINATIONS FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE CONTENTS OF SUCH EXAMINATIONS HAVE A DISCRIMINATORY EFFECT ON MINORITY CANDIDATES.

Summary of specific provisions

SECTION 1: SETS FORTH DEFINITIONS.

Section 2

PART (A) DIRECTS THE DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL SERVICE TO CONDUCT A STUDY ON COMPETITIVE EXAMINATIONS FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT HELD BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL SERVICE AND BY MUNICIPAL COMMISSIONS TO DETER- MINE WHETHER THE CONTENTS OF SUCH EXAMINATIONS HAVE A DISCRIMINATORY EFFECT ON MINORITY EXAMINEES. SUCH STUDY SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO: (I) THE TOTAL NUMBER OF MINORITY AND NON-MINORITY COMPET- ITIVE EXAMINATION EXAMINEES; (II) A COMPARISON OF COMPETITIVE EXAMINA- TION RESULTS FOR MINORITY EXAMINEES COMPARED TO NON-MINORITY EXAMINEES.

Section 3

THE DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL SERVICE MAY REQUEST, AND IS AUTHOR- IZED TO RECEIVE, ANY INFORMATION FROM ANY AGENCY THAT IS RELEVANT AND MATERIAL TO THE COMPLETION OF THE STUDY UNDER SECTION TWO OF THIS ACT.

Section 4

NO LATER THAN ONE YEAR AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS ACT, THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL SERVICE SHALL DELIVER A REPORT OF ITS FINDINGS OF THE STUDY CONDUCTED PURSUANT TO SECTION TWO OF THIS ACT TO THE GOVERNOR, THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY, THE MINORITY LEADER OF THE SENATE, AND THE MINORITY LEADER OF THE ASSEMBLY.

Section 5

THIS ACT SHALL TAKE EFFECT IMMEDIATELY AND SHALL EXPIRE AND BE DEEMED REPEALED TWO YEARS AFTER SUCH DATE.

Justification

WE ARE INTERESTED IN LEARNING HOW THE CIVIL SERVICE EXAM HAS LED TO THE UNDER-EMPLOYMENT OF MINORITIES. CIVIL SERVICE EXAMS ARE USED TO DETER- MINE WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR EMPLOYMENT SOLELY BASED ON KNOWLEDGE. CURRENT- LY, OUR BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES HAVE NOT BEEN GIVEN A FAIR PROCESS IN OBTAINING CIVIL SERVICE POSITIONS. WE ARE DETERMINED TO HOLD THESE AGENCIES ACCOUNTABLE BY COMPARING THE DATA BETWEEN MINORITY AND NON-MI- NORITY EXAMINATIONS.

Legisative history

2023: S7634 REFERRED TO RULES.

2024: S7634 REFERRED TO CIVIL SERVICE AND PENSIONS.

2025: S986 REFERRED TO CIVIL SERVICE AND PENSIONS.

Fiscal implications

NONE.

Effective date

THIS ACT SHALL TAKE EFFECT IMMEDIATELY AND SHALL EXPIRE AND BE DEEMED REPEALED TWO YEARS AFTER SUCH DATE.

Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.