Bill Text: CA AR30 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relative to Middle Eastern or North African data.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 52-16)
Status: (Passed) 2023-06-08 - Read. Adopted. (Ayes 66. Noes 0. Page 2191.). [AR30 Detail]
Download: California-2023-AR30-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION
House Resolution
No. 30
| Introduced by Assembly Member Essayli |
April 19, 2023 |
Relative to Middle Eastern or North African data.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
HR 30, as introduced, Essayli.
Digest Key
Bill Text
WHEREAS, The federal government does not currently collect or produce data on the race and ethnicity of Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) populations and has not updated its standards for data collection on race and ethnicity since 1997; and
WHEREAS, The nation’s diversity has changed significantly since 1997 and, at the same time, conditions have worsened for marginalized groups and especially for those not recognized in federal data, like individuals from the MENA region; and
WHEREAS, Demographic data on MENA populations is currently aggregated under the “White” racial category on the decennial census and other federal information collection forms; and
WHEREAS, The United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sets the standards for all federal data collection on race and ethnicity under Statistical Policy Directive Number 15 (SPD 15) and is considering a revision to SPD 15 that would require all federal agencies to collect data on race and ethnicity through a single question that includes a “Middle Eastern or North African” response; and
WHEREAS, The systematic exclusion of MENA populations from federal data bars MENA communities from accessing equal protection from discrimination and equal opportunity to benefit from federal programs that serve culturally specific or linguistically isolated groups; and
WHEREAS, Data on race and ethnicity is a critical tool for communities to advocate for protection under the federal Voting Rights Act, assistance under the federal Small Business Act, and health care services under the federal Public Health Service Act, to name just a few federally supported programs that reference race and ethnic data in their enforcement; and
WHEREAS, The Assembly has taken steps to promote equality in its provision of services and protections for all communities through additional language access initiatives, and would benefit greatly from being able to identify inequalities, such as health, education, or employment, experienced by MENA populations in all federal surveys and information collections; and
WHEREAS, The Arab American Civic Council, among many other organizations, is advocating for the OMB to require that all federally conducted and supported data collection activities, including the decennial census, collect data on race and ethnicity through a combined question that includes a “Middle Eastern or North African” response category; and
WHEREAS, Collecting racial and ethnic data on MENA populations will ensure that federal, state, and local governments recognize and meet the needs of all communities; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly urges the OMB to include MENA as a response option across all federal information collection activities and encourages residents to make public comments in support of the proposed revision to SPD 15; and be it further
Resolved, That this resolution serves as a letter of support for the OMB to revise SPD 15 to include a MENA response category as part of a combined race and ethnicity question; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States, to every Member of the California State Legislature, and to the United States Office of Management and Budget.
