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Merger of the Human Relations Commission with the Civil Rights Division Would Yield Limited Cost Savings (October 2012)

Summary

The General Assembly directed the Program Evaluation Division to evaluate the Department of Administration's Human Relations Commission and the Office of Administrative Hearing's Civil Rights Division to determine whether there is duplication of services. Although both entities investigate discrimination claims, there is no duplication of duties and services between them. Moving the Commission's fair housing activities to the Division could generate some recurring savings, but these savings may be offset by transfer costs. The General Assembly should require the Commission and Division to report annually on their activities and should amend two employment discrimination laws to clarify each entity's enforcement authority.

Final Report

Executive Summary

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Relevant Legislation:

     

Agency Actions:

  • The Human Relations Commission has not reported annually to the General Assembly or to the general public on its community relations and fair housing activities. However, in July 2013 the Human Relations Commission began tracking community relations inquiries and responses in a spreadsheet posted on its shared network drive. Staff members populate fields, including name of inquirer, nature of inquiry, response, and agency referral, as a means of capturing the commission’s Community Relations performance metrics. Also, as part of its programmatic requirements in the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Fair Housing Assistance Program, the Human Relations Commission submits annual performance reports.
  • The Office of Administrative Hearings is prepared to report the results of its fair employment activities to the General Assembly. The Office of Administrative Hearings will make this information available to government agencies and government employees on its website.

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