Posted: | December 9, 2022 10:10 AM |
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From: | Representative Donna Bullock and Rep. Leanne Krueger |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Equity Impact Statements |
As legislators it is our duty to pass legislation that benefits and improves the lives of all Pennsylvanians. Unfortunately, whether intentional or unintentional, the bills that ultimately become laws can often have a disproportionate effect on people of color, the LGBTQ community, and women. These inequities in income, health, and other indicators of social and economic well-being are not inevitable. They have been created and perpetuated over time though systemic bias, public policy decisions, and institutional practices. Eliminating these inequities requires thoroughly analyzing existing and proposed polices to root out bias and promote equity, opportunity, and inclusion. For this reason, we will be introducing legislation that would establish the Joint Legislative Equity Committee and provide legislators the ability to request a racial, ethnic, sex and gender equity impact assessment for any legislation. These impact statements would examine whether a pending bill, if enacted, would be likely to create or increase disparate outcomes among people of different races, ethnicities, sexes, and gender identities. These assessments would be a valuable tool to have as lawmakers to evaluate potential disparities of proposed legislation prior to adoption and implementation. Please join us in co-sponsoring this legislation to help prevent us from creating further inequities in our communities. Your consideration is greatly appreciated. |
Introduced as HB97