PRINTER'S NO. 32
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
48
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY KENYATTA, JANUARY 28, 2019
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, JANUARY 28, 2019
A RESOLUTION
Urging the executive, judicial and legislative branches of the
Commonwealth to implement implicit bias training for all
current and future government State employees and contractors
in order to create a more inclusive workplace environment.
WHEREAS, An implicit bias is an unconscious association that
an individual makes between a group of individuals and the
stereotypes about those groups; and
WHEREAS, Implicit bias affects our understanding, actions and
decisions in an unconscious manner; and
WHEREAS, Implicit bias can impact behavior and relationships
in many areas including, but not limited to, political
preferences and biases about alcohol and drug use; and
WHEREAS, Implicit bias can influence people making decisions
at the societal level and the decisions one person makes on an
individual level; and
WHEREAS, Implicit bias should be addressed in this
Commonwealth because of statistics and incidents charged by
behavior resulting from implicit bias; and
WHEREAS, Researchers from the University of Connecticut and
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the University of California at Davis ranked Pennsylvania among
the country's top 11 most racially prejudiced states; and
WHEREAS, In April 2018, two African-American men were
arrested while waiting to meet a friend at a Philadelphia
Starbucks; and
WHEREAS, The incident in Philadelphia incited a national
outcry which led to the temporary closure of 8,000 Starbucks
locations nationwide for racial sensitivity training in order to
promote diversity and inclusion; and
WHEREAS, Training on implicit bias is a form of diversity
education that addresses how people ascribe certain
characteristics to individuals based on their upbringing and
shows how people make and sometimes act on judgments based on
another person's race without consciousness; and
WHEREAS, Implicit bias training helps individuals develop
strategies, including recognizing factual information to help
counter stereotypes and unconscious biases; and
WHEREAS, Implicit bias training, when utilized, has the
ability to build awareness which is the first step in reducing
bias and creating individual and organizational change; and
WHEREAS, Implementing implicit bias training will allow the
Commonwealth to better understand, protect and serve our
employees and constituents; and
WHEREAS, The Commonwealth must not merely respond to crisis
events but create a culture that is safe and inclusive of all
people; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge the
executive, judicial and legislative branches of the Commonwealth
to implement implicit bias training for current and future State
employees and contractors in order to create a more inclusive
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workplace environment.
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