Envisions Task Force
Bill Would Tackle Bias in Agencies

By ARI PAUL

A bill that would require all city agencies to monitor and address discrimination in hiring and services was introduced March 12 by Bronx Councilwoman Helen Foster.

JOHN COOMBS: Could level playing field.

The measure would establish the Human Rights in Government Operations Audit Law, which would require all city agencies to report on discrimination in their policies and employment to a Human Rights Task Force, in addition to requiring them to make specific plans to address such problems.

Cites Past Parks Woes

"Many city agencies actually do not track data of individuals by race, gender and other protected identities," said Diana Salas, the associate director of the Women of Color Policy Network, during a press conference with Councilwoman Foster at City Hall. "Data-driven policy is a tool that would enable city government to not only formulate policies and programs based on outcomes, but also to track and measure whether or not these things are effective."

One of the bill's main backers, the New York City Human Rights Project at the Urban Justice Center, has said that there are many agencies where women and minorities are underrepresented in the workforce. It pointed to the city's $21-million settlement last month with current and former Department of Parks and Recreation workers who claimed in a Federal class-action lawsuit that they suffered racial discrimination as proof of systemic race problems.

The Chief-Leader/Michael O'Kane 'WE ARE ASKING THE CITY TO BE PROACTIVE': During a City Hall rally, Councilwoman Helen Foster announced the introduction of legislation that would require all city agencies to report on and address discrimination in their policies and employment. Joining her at right is Bob Perry of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

"In a city as diverse as New York, our workforce should reflect that diversity," Councilwoman Foster said. "We're asking the city to be proactive."

The bill was originally introduced in 2004 by former Councilman Bill Perkins, who is now a State Senator.

'Not Radical Ideas'

"These standards looking, for example, at the effects of discrimination in addition to intentional discrimination, these are not radical or fringe ideas in the international community," said Carrie Bettinger-Lopez, a Human Rights Fellow at the Human Rights Institute at Columbia University Law School. "They're well-established and you see them in countries throughout Europe, throughout Latin America, and throughout the world."

Other agencies that the bill's backers said suffered from discrimination in terms of race and services were the Fire Department, the Police Department and the Administration for Children's Services.

"Anything that will level the playing field to make it reasonable for those who have been left out, it's going to be viewed in my opinion as progress," said John Coombs, the president of the Vulcan Society of African-American firefighters, in a phone interview.

'Forces a Deeper Look'

The Vulcans are intervening plaintiffs in a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit against the city filed last May alleging that the written entrance exams for Firefighters in 1999 and 2002 had unlawful disparate impact on African-Americans and Latinos. Those two groups currently make up slightly more than 7 percent of the city's firefighting force, a number that has largely remained static since the 1970s.

"The truth is they'd be forced to look deeper, have a more serious look at how things have been at the department," Mr. Coombs said. "Hopefully this legislation will make a difference."

The Mayor's Office did not comment on the bill.

New York Civil Liberties Union Legislative Director Bob Perry believed the proposal was in line with Mayor Bloomberg's vision of data-driven policies for the city.

"What this bill does is going to collect good data about equal opportunity in this city in the operation of governance," he said. "It's a bill that should be part of Bloomberg's legacy, a bill he should be proud to sign."