2023 New York Laws › CVS - Civil Service › Article 2 - Civil Service Administration › Title A - Organization and Functions of State Civil Service Department › 7-A - Commission on Increasing Diversity in the State Government Workforce.

§  7-a.  Commission  on  increasing  diversity in the state government
workforce.  1.  There  is  hereby  established  in  the  department   an
independent  commission  on increasing diversity in the state government
workforce. Such commission shall not be subject to  the  supervision  or
control  of  the  department,  the  commission  or  the  president.  The
commission on increasing diversity in  the  state  government  workforce
shall  examine,  evaluate  and  make  recommendations concerning ways to
increase the number of minority workers in state service.
2. The commission on increasing  diversity  in  the  state  government
workforce  shall  be  composed  of  fifteen  members, to be appointed as
follows: nine members shall be appointed by the governor, three  members
shall  be  appointed by the temporary president of the senate, and three
members shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly. Of  the  nine
members  appointed  by the governor, at least one member shall represent
each of the following: the department, the office of employee relations,
the  governor's  appointments   office,   a   prominent   civil   rights
organization  representing blacks, a prominent civil rights organization
representing  Hispanics,  and  a  prominent  civil  rights  organization
representing   Asians.  All  the  members  appointed  by  the  temporary
president of the senate  and  the  speaker  of  the  assembly  shall  be
representatives of a protected class as established by federal statutory
or  case law. Every member of the commission shall serve at the pleasure
of the official who appointed him or her. The members shall  be  broadly
representative  of  the  geographic  areas  of the state and the diverse
minority communities of the state.  The  governor  shall  designate  the
chair and vice-chair of the commission from among his or her appointees.
Vacancies  in  the  membership  of the commission shall be filled in the
manner provided for original appointments.
3. The commission on increasing  diversity  in  the  state  government
workforce:
(a)  shall  recommend ways in which to increase the number of minority
workers in state service;
(b) shall study how to diversify the workforce in state service during
the replacement of the existing workforce as it ages out and retires;
(c) shall review the diversity hiring practices of  other  states  and
the  federal government, including reviewing the Presidential Management
Interim  Program  model  for  recruiting  and  advancing  Hispanic   and
African-American  college  graduates,  and  recommend  the  best outcome
practices;
(d) shall review and recommend changes  to  the  existing  hiring  and
promotion  practices  that  will  help  diversify  the  workers in state
service at all levels of service;
(e) shall review and recommend the means  by  which  to  best  provide
information  to students and faculty at colleges and universities in the
state on the employment and promotion opportunities in state service;
(f) shall review and recommend  recruiting  and  employment  practices
that  will  bring  Hispanics  into  jobs classified as shortage category
occupations, as well as other occupations;
(g) shall review and recommend any flexibilities  that  exist  in  the
state  civil  service system to bring minorities into jobs classified as
shortage category occupations, as well as other occupations;
(h) shall review and recommend procedures that the  department  should
take  to  develop  and  promote  the  participation  of  minority  state
employees in career development programs;
(i) may meet within and without the state, shall hold public  hearings
and shall have all the powers of a legislative committee pursuant to the
legislative law;
(j)  to  the maximum extent feasible, shall be entitled to request and
receive, and  shall  utilize  and  be  provided  with  such  facilities,
resources  and  data  of any court, department, division, board, bureau,
commission or agency of the  state  as  it  may  reasonably  request  to
properly carry out its powers and duties pursuant to this section; and
(k) (1) shall, on or before April first, two thousand seven, report to
the   governor   and  the  legislature  its  findings,  conclusions  and
recommendations,
(2) shall, on or before April first, two thousand eight, report to the
governor and the legislature on the status of and any actions  taken  on
the recommendations made pursuant to subparagraph one of this paragraph,
and
(3)  shall, on or before April first, two thousand nine, report to the
governor and the legislature on the status of and any actions  taken  on
the recommendations made pursuant to subparagraph one of this paragraph,
and  which actions have and have not been taken to provide for diversity
in the state government workforce.
4. The members of the commission on increasing diversity in the  state
government  workforce  shall receive no compensation for their services,
but shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the
performance of their duties pursuant to this section.