Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ethnicity Data Integration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
State task force urges agencies to prepare for updated federal race and ethnicity standard
Summary
Members of the state Data Task Force reviewed plans to align agency data collection with the Office of Management and Budget's updated Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 (SPD 15), noting the federal compliance timeline, likely resource needs, and the preference for piloting changes across one or two agencies before statewide rollout.
Members of the state Data Task Force reviewed work to align state agency race and ethnicity data with the Office of Management and Budget's updated Statistical Policy Directive No. 15, and discussed resource needs, timelines and next steps.
The task force heard an overview from Derek, chief data officer for the Department of Health, who said the committee limited its recommendations to SPD 15 because it is the federal standard and was updated in 2024. "We were looking at what the potential issues were in trying to come up with standards in particular for race, ethnicity," Derek said, and added that agencies receiving substantial federal funds will need to comply with the updated guidance.
Task force members said aligning state systems to SPD 15 could reduce duplication and improve the accuracy of services delivered to Hawaii's diverse population. Rebecca, a staff member with Enterprise Technology Services (ETS), described the aim of sharing guidance with departments and noted that individual agencies will have to assess how many systems are affected and whether they need additional resources to implement the standard.
Lisa, a task force member, stressed that SPD 15 sets a minimum and that states can collect more granular categories. "States can actually do more than that," she said, noting questions about whether systems should permit respondents to select multiple races and how programs with different business rules might approach that choice.
Representative Amy Peruso asked whether the federal guidance applies to local governments. Derek replied that application depends on how federal agencies attach requirements to funding streams and that jurisdictions drawing federal grants could be affected. He and other members recommended piloting the approach with one or two agencies before broader adoption, to demonstrate efficacy and estimate costs.
Task force members noted the federal compliance timeline of five years from March 2024 and said agencies should report progress so the task force can monitor implementation. Rebecca and Derek said resource needs will vary by agency and recommended that agencies document system impacts and potential budget requests in the next budget cycle.
The discussion closed with the task force asking agencies to assess systems, estimate resource needs and report back to the group so ETS and the task force can coordinate potential central support or future budget requests.
