Substitute Senate Bill No. 922
AN ACT CONCERNING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND CONTRACTING PROCEDURES FOR THE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT OF HARTFORD COUNTY.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 46a-68 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2009):
(a) Each state agency, department, board and commission shall develop and implement, in cooperation with the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, an affirmative action plan that commits the agency, department, board or commission to a program of affirmative action in all aspects of personnel and administration. Such plan shall be developed pursuant to regulations adopted by the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities in accordance with chapter 54 to ensure that affirmative action is undertaken as required by state and federal law to provide equal employment opportunities and to comply with all responsibilities under the provisions of sections 4-61u to 4-61w, inclusive, sections 46a-54 to 46a-64, inclusive, section 46a-64c and sections 46a-70 to 46a-78, inclusive. The executive head of each such agency, department, board or commission shall be directly responsible for the development, filing and implementation of such affirmative action plan. The Metropolitan District of Hartford County shall be deemed to be a state agency for purposes of this section.
(b) (1) Each state agency, department, board or commission shall designate a full-time or part-time affirmative action officer. If such affirmative action officer is an employee of the agency, department, board or commission, the executive head of the agency, department, board or commission shall be directly responsible for the supervision of the officer.
(2) The Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities shall provide training and technical assistance to affirmative action officers in plan development and implementation.
(3) The Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities and the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women shall provide training concerning state and federal discrimination laws and techniques for conducting investigations of discrimination complaints to persons designated by state agencies, departments, boards or commissions as affirmative action officers and persons designated by the Attorney General or the Attorney General's designee to represent such agencies, departments, boards or commissions pursuant to subdivision (5) of this subsection. Such training shall be provided for a minimum of ten hours during the first year of service or designation, and a minimum of five hours per year thereafter.
(4) (A) Each person designated by a state agency, department, board or commission as an affirmative action officer shall (i) be responsible for mitigating any discriminatory conduct within the agency, department, board or commission, (ii) investigate all complaints of discrimination made against the state agency, department, board or commission, and (iii) report all findings and recommendations upon the conclusion of an investigation to the commissioner or director of the state agency, department, board or commission for proper action.
(B) Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraphs (A)(i), (A)(ii) and (A)(iii) of this subdivision, if a discrimination complaint is made against the executive head of a state agency or department, any member of a state board or commission or any affirmative action officer alleging that the executive head, member or officer directly or personally engaged in discriminatory conduct, or if a complaint of discrimination is made by the executive head of a state agency, any member of a state board or commission or any affirmative action officer, the complaint shall be referred to the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities for review and, if appropriate, investigation by the Department of Administrative Services. If the discrimination complaint is made by or against the executive head, any member or the affirmative action officer of the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities alleging that the executive head, member or officer directly or personally engaged in discriminatory conduct, the commission shall refer the complaint to the Department of Administrative Services for review and, if appropriate, investigation. If the complaint is by or against the executive head or affirmative action officer of the Department of Administrative Services, the complaint shall be referred to the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities for review and, if appropriate, investigation. Each person who conducts an investigation pursuant to this subparagraph shall report all findings and recommendations upon the conclusion of such investigation to the appointing authority of the individual who was the subject of the complaint for proper action. The provisions of this subparagraph shall apply to any such complaint pending on or after July 5, 2007.
(5) Each person designated by a state agency, department, board or commission as an affirmative action officer, and each person designated by the Attorney General or the Attorney General's designee to represent an agency pursuant to subdivision (6) of this subsection, shall complete training provided by the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities and the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women pursuant to subdivision (3) of this subsection.
(6) No person designated by a state agency, department, board or commission as an affirmative action officer shall represent such agency, department, board or commission before the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission concerning a discrimination complaint. If a discrimination complaint is filed with the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against a state agency, department, board or commission, the Attorney General, or the Attorney General's designee, other than the affirmative action officer for such agency, department board or commission, shall represent the state agency, department, board or commission before the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In the case of a discrimination complaint filed against the Metropolitan District of Hartford County, the Attorney General, or the Attorney General's designee, shall not represent such district before the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
(c) Each state agency, department, board and commission shall file an affirmative action plan developed in accordance with subsection (a) of this section, with the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, semiannually, except that any state agency, department, board or commission which has an affirmative action plan approved by the commission may be permitted to file its plan on an annual basis in a manner prescribed by the commission and any state agency, department, board or commission that employs twenty or fewer full-time employees shall file its affirmative action plan biennially.
(d) The Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities shall review and formally approve, conditionally approve or disapprove the content of such affirmative action plans within ninety days of the submission of each plan to the commission. If the commissioners, by a majority vote of those present and voting, fail to approve, conditionally approve or disapprove a plan within that period, the plan shall be deemed to be approved.
(e) The Commissioner of Administrative Services and the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management shall cooperate with the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities to insure that the State Personnel Act and personnel regulations are administered, and that the process of collective bargaining is conducted by all parties in a manner consistent with the affirmative action responsibilities of the state.
(f) The Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities shall monitor the activity of such plans within each state agency, department, board and commission and report to the Governor and the General Assembly on or before April first of each year concerning the results of such plans.
(g) The Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to carry out the requirements of this section. Such regulations shall include a schedule for semiannual, annual and biennial filing of plans.
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective January 1, 2010) On or after July 1, 2010, the State Contracting Standards Board shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 of the general statutes, to apply the contracting procedures, as described in sections 4e-18 to 4e-45, inclusive, of the general statutes, to the Metropolitan District of Hartford County. Such regulations shall take into consideration circumstances and factors that are unique to said metropolitan district.
Vetoed June 8, 2009