Please Note: This Task Force is no longer meeting. Information on this page is for reference only.
Authorizing Legislation
A proviso in the 2019-2021 biennial operating budget, ESHB 1109 (section 221, subsection 7), directs the Governor’s Interagency Council on Health Disparities to convene and staff an Office of Equity Task Force. The proviso outlines the task force’s membership and reporting requirements to the Legislature.
Purpose
The purpose of the task force is to develop a proposal for the creation of a state office of equity. The office of equity is intended to promote access to equitable opportunities and resources that reduce disparities, including racial and ethnic disparities, and improve outcomes statewide across all sectors of government.
Recommendations
The task force must submit a preliminary report to the Governor and Legislature by December 15, 2019 and a final report by July 1, 2020. The final proposal must include the following recommendations:
- A mission statement and vision statement for the office;
- A definition of “equity,” which must be used by the office to guide its work;
- The organizational structure of the office, which must include a community liaison for the office;
- A plan to engage executive level management from all agencies;
- Mechanisms for facilitating state policy and systems change to promote equity, promoting community outreach and engagement, and establishing standards for the collection, analysis, and reporting of disaggregated data regarding race and ethnicity;
- Mechanisms for accountability to ensure that performance measures around equity are met across all agencies, including recommendations on audits of agencies and other accountability tools as deemed appropriate; and
- A budget proposal including estimates for costs and staffing.
News
- 08/26/2019 - A Successful First Meeting for the Office of Equity Task Force
- 01/30/2020 - Announcing the Equity Office Task Force's Preliminary Report
- 06/12/2020 - Letter to the Governor - Office of Equity In This Moment
- 6/15/2020 - Letter to House of Representatives - Office of Equity In This Moment
- 6/15/2020 - Letter to Senate - Office of Equity In This Moment
Reports
- Community Forum Report – Everett, September 2019
- Preliminary Report to the Governor and Legislature – December 2019
- Summary Sheet of Recommendations from Preliminary Report
- Focus Group Report - April 2020
- Final Proposal to the Governor and Legislature
- Final Proposal – Appendices
- Final Proposal Summary
Bylaws
Operating Principles
Membership
| Representing | Member | Alternate Member |
|---|---|---|
| Governor's Interagency Council on Health Disparities | Benjamin Danielson (Chair) | |
| HDC Designee | Jan Olmstead (Co-chair) | |
| WA State House of Representatives | Representative Jeremie Dufault Representative Melanie Morgan |
Alec Regimbal |
| WA State Senate | Senator Manka Dhingra | Representative Mia Gregerson |
| Office of the Governor | RaShelle Davis | |
| Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council (OFM) | Karen A. Johnson | |
| Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises (OMWBE) | Lisa van der Lugt | Marika Barto |
| Commission on African American Affairs (CAAA) | Ed Prince | |
| Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA) | Toshiko Hasegawa | Carrie Huie Pascua |
| Commission on Hispanic Affairs (CHA) | Maria Siguenza | |
| Governor's Office of Indian Affairs (GOIA) | Craig Bill | Mistique Hurtado |
| WA State Women’s Commission (WSWC) | Michelle Gonzalez | |
| Human Rights Commission (HRC) | Sharon Ortiz | Laura Lindstrand |
| Disability Community | Elizabeth Gordon | Mandeep Kaundal |
| LGBTQ+ Community | Allison Spector | Manny Santiago |