[HISTORY: Adopted by the Rockland County
Legislature as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
[Adopted 3-21-2006 by L.L. No. 8-2006]
This article shall be known as "The Rockland
County Service Opportunity and Accessibility Act."
A.
There exist in Rockland County numerous official boards
and commissions. These boards and commissions are critical to the
effective and informed operation of County government.
B.
However, there is no comprehensive listing of all
boards and commissions or who serves on them, their terms of office,
and the process by which membership is approved or appointed.
C.
The Legislature determines that there ought to be
a way for Rockland County residents to view a comprehensive listing
of such boards and commissions. In addition, all Rockland residents
should be afforded the opportunity to apply for appointment to such
official boards and commissions. This way, all interested residents
may step forward to serve the County as members of an official board
or commission.
D.
Therefore, the Rockland County Legislature determines
as policy that Rockland County shall undertake to provide a comprehensive
listing of all official boards and commissions serving Rockland County
government, and post it in such places that the public will be able
to view it.
A.
Within three months from the effective date of this
article, there shall be created in Rockland County a "directory of
official boards and commissions.
B.
Such list shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(1)
The official name of every official board and commission
created by resolution, local law, executive order, and charter or
administrative code. This includes all boards and commissions in existence
as of the effective date of this article.
(2)
Under each official board or commission name, the
total number of seats on such official board or commission and a list
of each and every member serving.
(3)
Next to each person so serving, the term of the office
for each member, and if there be no term, it shall so state.
(4)
The contact information for each board, including
an address, telephone number and email address. Contact information
for individual board members is not required and will not be posted
on the list.
C.
Such list shall be updated on a regular basis, but
in no event less than semi-annually.
The Rockland County Executive, or his/her designee,
shall make available to the public the directory of boards and commissions
as follows:
The Rockland County Executive, or his/her designee,
shall make available to the public an application, in a form to be
created by the Rockland County Executive's designee, for the public
to use to apply for appointment to the official boards and commissions
serving Rockland County government, as follows:
The Rockland County Executive shall designate
a person in his/her administration as the contact person, available
to the public, for questions about appointments to boards and commissions
and to express interest in seeking such appointments. Such person's
contact information shall be made available to the public on the application
form as required by this article.
The Rockland County Executive's designee shall
collaborate with local entities to effectuate the intent of this article.
This article shall apply to all official Rockland
County government boards or commissions created by resolution, local
law, executive order, and charter or administrative code. This includes
all boards and commissions in existence as of the effective date of
this article.
[Adopted 11-17-2020 by L.L. No. 6-2020]
A.
Rockland County is home to one of New York State's most diverse
populations. According to the U.S. Census Bureau statistics, Latinos
make up 18.4% of the overall population, followed by African Americans
at 13% and Asians at 6.2%. Rockland is home to a rich, diverse, and
thriving immigrant community. Nearly 20% of Rockland residents are
foreign born and hail from all parts of the globe. Latin American
immigrants make up nearly half of the immigrant population in Rockland
County, and women make up 51% of the total population.
B.
Studies have shown that boards and commissions are not always reflective
of local demographics, and recently there has been a trend, both in
the corporate world and in the public sector, to encourage boards
and commissions to become more diverse. Research has shown that the
success of a board is increasingly determined by its ability to draw
on a wide range of viewpoints, backgrounds, skills and experiences.
As a result of these studies, numerous states, including New York,
have implemented laws to promote and improve diversity on corporate
boards. Others have introduced such legislation.
C.
Rockland County has a total of 26 boards and commissions, including,
but not limited to, the Agricultural and Farm Protection Board, the
Board of Electrical Examiners, the Community Services Board, the Disability
Advisory Council, the Human Rights Commission and the Rent Guidelines
Board. To date, there has been no in-depth review or assessment of
the diversity of current board and commission members. On average,
County-appointed boards and commissions are 60.4% male, 39.6% female,
and 16.6% vacant. Of a total of 260 filled seats, men currently hold
157 seats, while women hold 103 seats, a fifty-four-seat difference.
Of the 26 boards, three are exclusively male, while none are exclusively
female. In short, while women make up more than half the population,
they are underrepresented on County boards and commissions with some
entirely lacking any female members.
D.
The Legislature finds that women and people from communities of color
are still largely underrepresented on County boards and commissions
and increased representation of these individuals on County boards
and commissions is a priority. The Legislature further recognizes
that these boards and commissions are critical to the effective and
informed operation of County government and should be reflective and
representative of the County's rich diversity. Creating opportunities
for women, especially women of color, to participate, serve and share
their expertise is essential to developing equitable and representative
practices and policies that can have a positive and lasting impact
on our local communities. Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature
to gather more data and study this issue within the County so that
effective policy changes can be implemented to eliminate the gender
and diversity gaps that currently exist on County boards and commissions.
E.
To date, members of County boards and commissions are not required
to participate in diversity training, an oversight that fails to address
the potential influence of implicit bias on how public policy is made
in the County of Rockland. The Legislature believes that such a training
for new and current members of County boards and commissions is critical
to effectuate fair and equitable policies and is establishing a required
diversity training component for all board and commission members
through this article.
For the purpose of this article, the following definitions shall
apply to the following terms:
The report submitted annually to the Legislature pursuant
to this article.
All official Rockland County government boards or commissions
created by New York State Law, and/or County charter, local law, resolution,
and executive order, in existence as of the effective date of this
article or created by any of these methods in the future.
A training delivered to make members more aware of diversity
and inclusion in the County and understanding the impact of implicit
bias on public policy decisions that are made by County boards and
commissions.
Includes actual or perceived sex, gender identity, and gender
expression, including a person's actual or perceived gender-related
self-image, appearance, behavior, expression, or other gender-related
characteristic, regardless of the sex assigned to that person at birth.
A person who self-identifies as any of the following races
and/or ethnicities:
AMERICAN INDIAN or ALASKAN NATIVEA person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South American, including Central America, and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment).
ASIANA person who identifies with one or more nationalities or ethnic groups originating in the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including but not limited to Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.
BLACK or AFRICAN AMERICANA person having origins with one or more nationalities or ethnic groups of the black racial groups of Africa, including but not limited to, African American, Jamaican, Haitian, Nigerian, Ethiopian, Somali, Ghanaian, South African, Barbadian, Kenyan, Liberian, and Bahamian.
HISPANIC, LATINO, OR SPANISH ORIGINA person who identifies with one or more nationalities or ethnic groups originating in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central and South America, and other Spanish cultures. Examples of these groups include, but are not limited to Mexican or Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Salvadoran, Dominican, Colombian, Ecuadorian or Venezuelan.
NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDERA person who identifies with one or more nationalities or ethnic groups originating in Hawaii, Guam, Samoa or other Pacific Islands.
A separate document that will accompany any and all proposed
appointments to County boards and commissions requiring Legislative
confirmation.
A.
On or before March 1 of each year, the County Executive, or his/her
designee, must make an annual report to the County Legislature for
the immediately preceding calendar year, containing the following
information:
(1)
Data on the specific qualifications, skills and experience that the
County Executive considers for the County boards and commissions;
(2)
The self-identified gender of each member of County boards and commissions;
(3)
Whether each member of the boards and commissions self identifies
as a person from a community of color and, if so, the race/s or ethnicity/ies
to which the member belongs;
(4)
Aggregate data on the demographic characteristics of the County's
boards and commissions;
(5)
A description of the County's process for identifying and evaluating
nominees for County boards and commissions, including whether demographic
diversity is considered and, if so, how it affects the appointment
process;
(6)
A description of the County's policies and practices for promoting
diversity, equity and inclusion among its boards and commissions;
and
(7)
Strategies for promoting diversity and inclusion among County boards
and commissions.
B.
Information reported under this subsection must be updated in each
annual report filed with the Legislature thereafter.
C.
Beginning no later than March 1, 2021, and every March thereafter,
the County must publish this report and post such report on the County's
website.
A.
A Race, Ethnicity and Gender Form must accompany the proposed resolution
for any appointment to a County board or commission that requires
Legislative confirmation. The Form must include, but not be limited
to, the following:
(1)
The following explanatory statement: "Pursuant to the Rockland County
Boards and Commissions Diversity and Inclusion Act, all nominees for
Rockland County Boards and Commissions are being asked to complete
a Race, Ethnicity and Gender Form. The information obtained will be
used for statistical purposes only and to assess the diversity of
Rockland County's Boards and Commissions. A nominee will not
be penalized for declining to complete the voluntary form and all
information will be kept confidential."
(2)
The self-identified gender of the nominee to the County board or
commission.
(3)
Whether the nominee to the County board or commission self-identifies
as a person from a community of color and, if so, the race/s and/or
ethnicity/ies to which the individual belongs.
B.
All information provided as part of the Race, Ethnicity and Gender
Form must be kept confidential.
This article applies to all official Rockland County government
boards and commissions. This article, however, does not apply to those
board and commission members who in that role would be considered
an "employee" of the County of Rockland as that term is defined in
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, codified at 42 U.S.C.S. § 2000e.
