HB1365
To Remove Racial And Gender Quotas And Qualifications Of Membership For Certain Boards, Committees, Councils, And Commissions.
AI-Generated Summary
This bill proposes to remove or amend provisions in Arkansas law that mandate racial and gender qualifications for membership on various state boards, committees, councils, and commissions. It specifically targets existing requirements for diverse representation on entities such as the Arkansas Financial Education Commission, the State Board of Education, the Commission on Closing the Achievement Gap, local task forces on closing the achievement gap, local community college boards, the Professional Bail Bond Company and Professional Bail Bondsman Licensing Board, the State Athletic Commission, the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling, health-related agencies and boards, the Arkansas State Occupational Therapy Examining Committee, the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy, the State Interagency Council, the Child and Adolescent Service System Program Coordinating Council, the Board of Developmental Disabilities Services, the Rita Rowell Hale Prenatal and Early Childhood Nurse Home Visitation Program Advisory Council, and the Capitol Zoning District Commission. The intent is to eliminate these specific demographic quotas and qualifications from the appointment processes for these bodies.
Potential Impact Analysis
Who Might Benefit?
Individuals and groups who would likely benefit from this bill are those appointed to state boards, committees, councils, and commissions based solely on their qualifications, experience, or merit, without the consideration of specific racial or gender quotas. Appointing authorities, such as the Governor, the Treasurer of State, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, would have broader discretion in selecting members based on criteria other than mandated demographic representation. This could also benefit individuals who may not have met specific racial or gender qualifications but possess other relevant expertise or experience that could contribute to the effectiveness of these bodies.
Who Might Suffer?
Groups and individuals who would be most directly negatively impacted are those who have historically benefited from or relied upon explicit racial and gender quotas to ensure their representation on state boards and commissions. This includes racial minorities and women who may have been appointed to these positions specifically to meet demographic targets. The elimination of these mandates could potentially reduce opportunities for such individuals to serve on these bodies, and could also impact organizations that advocate for and support the inclusion of diverse perspectives in state governance, as the explicit mechanisms for ensuring such diversity would be removed.