PRINTER'S NO. 1192
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
1140
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY ROZZI, KINSEY, D. WILLIAMS, SANCHEZ, N. NELSON,
A. DAVIS, HARKINS, SCHWEYER, HOHENSTEIN AND SCHLOSSBERG,
APRIL 7, 2021
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, APRIL 7, 2021
AN ACT
Providing for social bias and cultural competence training for
public employees and licensees and imposing duties on the
Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Race,
Discrimination and Forms of Bias Training Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Commission." The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
"Cultural competence." The ability to understand,
communicate with and effectively interact with individuals of
different races, ethnicities, identities and cultures.
"Employee." An individual who holds public office or is
employed by one of the following:
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(1) The Commonwealth.
(2) A political subdivision.
(3) A school district.
(4) A private school.
(5) A charter school.
(6) An institution of higher education.
(7) A trade school.
"Licensee." An individual who receives certification from
one of the following State boards:
(1) The State Board of Accountancy.
(2) The State Board of Chiropractic.
(3) The State Board of Dentistry.
(4) The State Board of Massage Therapy.
(5) The State Board of Medicine.
(6) The State Board of Nursing.
(7) The State Board of Examiners of Nursing Home
Administrators.
(8) The State Board of Occupational Therapy, Education
and Licensure.
(9) The State Board of Optometry.
(10) The State Board of Osteopathic Medicine.
(11) The State Board of Pharmacy.
(12) The State Board of Physical Therapy.
(13) The State Board of Podiatry.
(14) The State Board of Psychology.
(15) The State Board of Examiners in Speech-Language
Pathology and Audiology.
(16) The State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and
Family Therapists and Professional Counselors.
(17) The State Real Estate Commission.
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"Political subdivision." A county, city, borough or
township.
"Public office." Every public office to which an individual
can be elected by a vote of the electors under the laws of this
Commonwealth.
"Social bias." A belief or set of associations about an
individual or a group of individuals based upon physical
characteristics, race, ethnicity, gender, age, religious creed
or sexual orientation which can result in the inaccurate
attribution of particular qualities to the individual or group
of individuals.
Section 3. Training.
(a) General rule.--The commission shall develop training
which, at a minimum, shall include the understanding of social
bias, including practical techniques to mitigate social bias and
improve cultural competence. Employees and licensees shall be
required to complete the training every two years.
(b) Documentation.--The following apply:
(1) The commission shall provide documentation to the
employee or licensee of their successful completion of the
training under subsection (a).
(2) The commission shall provide documentation of the
successful completion of the training to employers of the
employees and licensees upon request.
(c) Online training.--The training shall be conducted over a
secure online course through the commission's publicly
accessible Internet website.
(d) Continuing education requirements.--The commission shall
develop a program that meets continuing education requirements
for licensees and the number of credit hours to be earned for
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the completion of the training.
(e) Notification.--The commission shall send notification by
United States mail and electronic mail of the need to renew the
required training to employees and licensees within 60 days of
the training expiration.
Section 4. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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