A new Connecticut Office of Equity and Opportunity will oversee the state’s efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across state government, Gov. Ned Lamont announced this week.
Lamont on Tuesday announced he signed Executive Order No. 24-2 that establishes the new office, which will be held within the governor’s office and funded through existing appropriations. The office will be led by a governor-appointed chief equity and opportunity officer, and state officials said they’ll post a job listing for the position in the coming weeks.
The new officer will be tasked with coordinating the state’s overall diversity, equity and inclusion strategy and host training sessions for state employees. Per Lamont’s office, the officer will also:
- Conduct assessments of policies and practices of state agencies to identify areas where disparities or barriers to service access exist
- Develop equity-oriented systems, policies, and procedures and benchmarks to measure their progress
- Integrate equity considerations into the budget process and assess the impact of budget decisions
- Provide strategies to promote equitable contracting and purchasing practices
The executive order also directs all state agencies to develop an equity plan in collaboration with the chief equity and opportunity officer. State agencies and the equity office will work together on resident outreach and communication efforts, Lamont said.
Lamont’s executive order comes after a legislative session that saw a few diversity, equity and inclusion-related bills come up in discussion. Senate Bill 414, introduced by Democrats on the Labor and Public Employees Committee, would have required 24 state government departments to each establish a diversity, equity and inclusion division led by a full-time, salaried director.
The bill received some pushback from the Lamont administration, which was pitching a different plan outlined in this new executive order.
