Committee advances Equal Rights Commission appointments, adopts ordinance giving commission formal adjudication process

The Milwaukee Judiciary and Legislation Committee on Feb. 3 confirmed mayoral appointments to the City Equal Rights Commission and adopted an ordinance (file 241-499) establishing formal procedures for investigations, probable-cause panels and administrative hearings under Chapter 109.

The ordinance and appointments were taken up in committee after Tony Snell Rodriguez, chair of the City of Milwaukee Equal Rights Commission, described gaps in the commission's ability to accept and adjudicate discrimination complaints. "This is a toolkit that we have," Snell Rodriguez told the committee, saying the measure creates a three-member panel to oversee investigations, probable-cause determinations and hearings while preserving a full hearing record for administrative or judicial review.

The measure implements procedures the commission and city attorney's…