Bill Text: NY A10610 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Directs the department of civil service in consultation with the division of human rights to establish a racial equity, social justice, and implicit bias training program for all civil service appointees.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-06-06 - referred to governmental employees [A10610 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-A10610-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 10610 IN ASSEMBLY June 6, 2020 ___________ Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Peoples- Stokes) -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Employees AN ACT to amend the civil service law, in relation to establishing a racial equity, social justice, and implicit bias training program for all civil service appointees The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The civil service law is amended by adding a new section 2 153 to read as follows: 3 § 153. Racial equity, social justice, and implicit bias training. 1. 4 a. The department shall consult with the division of human rights to 5 produce a model training program on racial equity, social justice, and 6 implicit bias. 7 b. Such model racial equity, social justice, and implicit bias train- 8 ing prevention policy shall be interactive and include: 9 (i) a definition, explanation, and examples of racial equity, social 10 justice, and implicit bias consistent with guidance issued by the 11 department in consultation with the division of human rights; 12 (ii) examples of conduct that would be examples of violating equity, 13 social justice, race, or implicit bias principles; 14 (iii) information concerning best practices to avoid inequity, social 15 injustice, racial, or implicit bias by a civil service appointee in 16 actions connected to their professional work; 17 (iv) information regarding the impact of racial equity, social 18 justice, and implicit bias may have on individuals across the state; 19 (v) examples of racial inequities and their impact on communities of 20 color; 21 (vi) information concerning employees' rights of redress and all 22 available forums for adjudicating complaints; and 23 (vii) any other information the department and the division of human 24 rights deems relevant and appropriate for such a course. 25 c. The department shall include information in such model training 26 program addressing conduct by supervisors that are contrary to any state EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD16597-02-0A. 10610 2 1 policy on racial equity, social justice, and implicit bias, and shall 2 include information as to how to report concerns regarding supervisor 3 conduct. 4 d. Every employer with employees subject to this chapter shall utilize 5 the model training program pursuant to this subdivision or establish a 6 training program for employees that equals or exceeds the minimum stand- 7 ards of this section, and such training program has been approved by the 8 department and the division of human rights. 9 e. The model training program created pursuant to this section, and 10 any equivalent program shall be reviewed and reapproved by the depart- 11 ment and the division of human rights on a biennial basis. 12 2. Every person who is a civil service appointee on the effective date 13 of this section shall be required to complete the model racial equity, 14 social justice, and implicit bias training program, produced pursuant to 15 subdivision one of this section, or an equivalent approved by the 16 department and the division of human rights, within one year of the 17 effective date of this section. Each person who is appointed to a civil 18 service position after the effective date of this section, shall be 19 required to complete the model racial equity, social justice, and 20 implicit bias training program produced pursuant to subdivision one of 21 this section, or an equivalent approved by the department and the divi- 22 sion of human rights, within one month of appointment to such civil 23 service position. A civil service appointee shall be required to take 24 such training once while actively employed as a civil service appointee. 25 Any prior civil service appointee who leaves civil service employment 26 after the effective date of this section and later returns to any civil 27 service appointed position shall be required to complete the model 28 training program or an equivalent approved by the department and the 29 division of human rights within one month of returning to civil service 30 employment. 31 3. The department may promulgate any regulations necessary for the 32 purposes of carrying out the provisions of this section. 33 4. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the follow- 34 ing meanings: 35 (a) "Equity" means fair and just opportunities and outcomes for all 36 individuals. 37 (b) "Social justice" means every individual deserves to benefit from 38 the same economic, political and social rights and opportunities, free 39 from health disparities, regardless of race; socioeconomic status; age; 40 sex, including on the basis of gender identity or orientation; religion; 41 disability; or other characteristics. 42 (c) "Race" means a social construct that artificially divides people 43 into distinct groups based on characteristics such as physical appear- 44 ance, including color; ancestral heritage; cultural affiliation; 45 cultural history; ethnic classification; and the social, economic and 46 political needs of a society at a given period. 47 (d) "Implicit bias" means the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our 48 understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. 49 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 50 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the department of 51 civil service, in consultation with the division of human rights, is 52 authorized to create the racial equity, social justice, and implicit 53 bias training program required to be created and published pursuant to 54 section 153 of the civil service law as added by section one of this 55 act.