And Opportunities*
At a Glance
R. HAMISI INGRAM, Executive Director
Established - 1943
Statutory authority - CGS
Chapter 814c
Central office -
Number of positions - 98 authorized
Recurring Operating
Expenses 2005-2006: $6,834,722.00
Organizational structure - Nine Member Commission Establishes Policy, Executive
Director Manages Administrative Office and Four Regional Offices; Independent Office
of Public Hearings.
Website: http://www.state.ct.us/chro/
Toll Free Telephone No. (800) 477-5737
*Historical and
Statistical Data as of June 30, 2006
The mission of the
Statutory
Responsibility
The Commission’s statutory
responsibilities are to:
·
Eliminate illegal
discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and
credit transactions through enforcement of the
prohibitions against discrimination contained in
Chapter 814c of the general
statutes,
·
Monitor
compliance with state contract compliance laws and small contractor set-aside
provisions
by state agencies, contractors, and subcontractors,
·
Review, approve, and
monitor state agency affirmative action plans for compliance with laws
requiring
affirmative action and equal opportunity in state government, and
·
Establish equal
opportunity and justice for all persons in
education
and outreach activities.
Public Service
The
Commission is a policy-making body consisting of nine members. The Governor appoints five of the members and
the leadership of the General Assembly appoints four.
All appointments require the advice and consent of the House and Senate. The Commission conducts regular monthly
meetings. The Commission conducts
special meetings and fact-finding hearings, as it deems necessary.
There were nine commissioners serving at
the end of the 2006 fiscal year as follows: Chairman Andrew M. Norton,
Commissioners Lillian H. Brown, Cheryl Lynn Clarke, Larry D. Conaway, Jimmie L.
Griffin, John Lobon, Edward Mambruno, George A. Marshall and Gloria Mengual.
An Executive Director is appointed by the
Commission to oversee the operations of the agency. R. Hamisi Ingram has served as Executive
Director since August of 2004. The agency has four regional offices located in Hartford , Waterbury , Bridgeport , and Norwich Hartford
Improvements/Achievements 2005-06
·
Proactive Outreach. Last summer, the
Commission filed a formal letter of protest with the ABC Television Network,
and its local affiliate, over plans to air a reality show entitled “Welcome to
the Neighborhood.” This highly offensive
show pitted ethnically and sexually diverse families against one another in a
contest to win the approval of a conservative, white neighborhood to move into
their neighborhood. Bowing to public
pressure spearheaded by the Commission, ABC cancelled the show prior to its debut
last September.
·
Awards Banquet. In
August, the Commission held its North Star awards celebration, honoring area
leaders in the civil rights field and commemorating
·
Affirmative
Action Training. The Commission is mandated, in conjunction
with the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, to provide training
annually to those persons designated by state agencies as affirmative action
officers and those persons designated by the attorney general to represent
agencies in complaints filed with CHRO or the EEOC. The subject of this training is the reach of
state and federal laws addressing discrimination in employment, and techniques
in investigating complaints of discrimination.
Newly appointed designees receive an initial course of ten hours of
training. Thereafter, all designees receive an annual supplemental training of
five hours.
- Case Processing:
Field Operations: During the past fiscal
year, the Commission received 2,251 complaint affidavits and closed 2,167 complaints. Through the conciliation process, a total of
$2,382,083 in known settlements was returned to complainants who alleged they
had encountered discrimination. A number
of complaints were also withdrawn, following a settlement between the Complainant
and Respondent to which the Commission was not a party. A total of 165 requests for reconsideration
(internal appeal) of the dismissal of a complaint were received, and a total of
245 reconsideration decisions were issued.
Of these, 64 requests were granted.
Unique complaint issues that were addressed during the fiscal year
included the status of alleged acts of discrimination occurring at non- Indian
enterprises located on tribal land, and whether a rent security deposit
guarantee constituted a lawful source of income class basis in housing
discrimination cases.
Litigation: In FY 2006, 70 cases were dismissed from
the public hearing process, either by decision or by settlement. The dollar value of settlements and awards to
complainants was $702,962 excluding complaints that were settled between the
parties for undisclosed amounts. In
addition, five housing cases that were being litigated in court were settled or
withdrawn, for an additional $51,500. Lastly, one public hearing case was
settled on appeal to the superior court, for a total of $5,000.
During the fiscal year the legal division received 14 requests for reopening, and made recommendations to the commission on 17 pending reopening requests.
- Training: During the last
fiscal year, Commission staff attended the annual EEOC training
conference, as well as a HUD Policy Summit on housing issues. Staff of the fair housing unit continues
to receive training at the
- Affirmative Action
and Contract Compliance: During the past fiscal year, the Commission
reviewed a total of 65 affirmative action plans submitted by state
agencies. Of these 51 were recommended
for approval, 11 for disapproval and three for conditional approval. In addition, 86 technical assistance
reviews were conducted by Commission staff with agencies that sought
assistance in addressing weak or deficient areas of their affirmative action
plans. Staff also participated in a
program sponsored by DCF to train affirmative actions officers.
Agency
staff also reviewed 81 affirmative action plans submitted by contractors who
were awarded public works and construction contracts. One-hundred six technical assistance reviews
were conducted to assist contractors in complying with contracting and set-aide
provisions. Staff also assisted in
programs with the Department of Administrative Services to train agencies in
setting reasonable and realistic small and minority business set aside
goals.
- Diversity and
Education: By statute, the Commission serves as
secretariat for the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Additionally, members of the agency’s senior staff made over 20
presentations to various organizations on the role of the agency and its
statutory functions.
Information Reported as Required by State Statute
Affirmative
Action
The Commission is committed to the
principles of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity. The Commission’s affirmative action plan for
its most recent reporting period was conditionally approved. Some goals were achieved despite only a small
number of hires, and good faith efforts were made to achieve hiring and
promotion goals. Contact was maintained with recruitment sources and
organizations directed towards underrepresented classifications. Set-aside program goals were achieved. The Commission’s program complies with state
non-discrimination laws pertaining to the protected class of sexual
orientation.
Freedom
of Information
The Commission takes seriously its
responsibility to comply with the provisions of the state’s Freedom of
Information Act. The Legal Division is
responsible for responding to all freedom of information (FOI) requests except
those received directly in a regional office requesting a file being processed
by that office. The Legal Division also
responds to subpoenas for documents and testimony related to agency procedures
and documents. Support staff handles
most requests; complex requests are referred to the Managing Director. The legal division in fiscal year 2006
received a total of 267 FOI requests.
The Assistant Director responded to an additional five requests. The Managing Director ensures that all regular
and special Commission meetings are properly noticed and filed with the Office
of the Secretary of State in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of
Information Act.
Additional
Information: Individuals seeking additional information about the Commission,
the laws it enforces, and its services and programs are encouraged to contact
the Commission’s website http://www.state.ct.us/chro/ or to call us
at our toll free number (800) 477-5737.