§ 7-A — Commission on increasing diversity in the state government workforce

§ 7-a. Commission on increasing diversity in the state government\nworkforce. 1. There is hereby established in the department an\nindependent commission on increasing diversity in the state government\nworkforce. Such commission shall not be subject to the supervision or\ncontrol of the department, the commission or the president. The\ncommission on increasing diversity in the state government workforce\nshall examine, evaluate and make recommendations concerning ways to\nincrease the number of minority workers in state service.\n 2. The commission on increasing diversity in the state government\nworkforce shall be composed of fifteen members, to be appointed as\nfollows: nine members shall be appointed by the governor, three members\nshall be appointed by the temporary president of the senate, and three\nmembers shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly. Of the nine\nmembers appointed by the governor, at least one member shall represent\neach of the following: the department, the office of employee relations,\nthe governor's appointments office, a prominent civil rights\norganization representing blacks, a prominent civil rights organization\nrepresenting Hispanics, and a prominent civil rights organization\nrepresenting Asians. All the members appointed by the temporary\npresident of the senate and the speaker of the assembly shall be\nrepresentatives of a protected class as established by federal statutory\nor case law. Every member of the commission shall serve at the pleasure\nof the official who appointed him or her. The members shall be broadly\nrepresentative of the geographic areas of the state and the diverse\nminority communities of the state. The governor shall designate the\nchair and vice-chair of the commission from among his or her appointees.\nVacancies in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the\nmanner provided for original appointments.\n 3. The commission on increasing diversity in the state government\nworkforce:\n (a) shall recommend ways in which to increase the number of minority\nworkers in state service;\n (b) shall study how to diversify the workforce in state service during\nthe replacement of the existing workforce as it ages out and retires;\n (c) shall review the diversity hiring practices of other states and\nthe federal government, including reviewing the Presidential Management\nInterim Program model for recruiting and advancing Hispanic and\nAfrican-American college graduates, and recommend the best outcome\npractices;\n (d) shall review and recommend changes to the existing hiring and\npromotion practices that will help diversify the workers in state\nservice at all levels of service;\n (e) shall review and recommend the means by which to best provide\ninformation to students and faculty at colleges and universities in the\nstate on the employment and promotion opportunities in state service;\n (f) shall review and recommend recruiting and employment practices\nthat will bring Hispanics into jobs classified as shortage category\noccupations, as well as other occupations;\n (g) shall review and recommend any flexibilities that exist in the\nstate civil service system to bring minorities into jobs classified as\nshortage category occupations, as well as other occupations;\n (h) shall review and recommend procedures that the department should\ntake to develop and promote the participation of minority state\nemployees in career development programs;\n (i) may meet within and without the state, shall hold public hearings\nand shall have all the powers of a legislative committee pursuant to the\nlegislative law;\n (j) to the maximum extent feasible, shall be entitled to request and\nreceive, and shall utilize and be provided with such facilities,\nresources and data of any court, department, division, board, bureau,\ncommission or agency of the state as it may reasonably request to\nproperly carry out its powers and duties pursuant to this section; and\n (k) (1) shall, on or before April first, two thousand seven, report to\nthe governor and the legislature its findings, conclusions and\nrecommendations,\n (2) shall, on or before April first, two thousand eight, report to the\ngovernor and the legislature on the status of and any actions taken on\nthe recommendations made pursuant to subparagraph one of this paragraph,\nand\n (3) shall, on or before April first, two thousand nine, report to the\ngovernor and the legislature on the status of and any actions taken on\nthe recommendations made pursuant to subparagraph one of this paragraph,\nand which actions have and have not been taken to provide for diversity\nin the state government workforce.\n 4. The members of the commission on increasing diversity in the state\ngovernment workforce shall receive no compensation for their services,\nbut shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the\nperformance of their duties pursuant to this section.\n