CHRO tells Appropriations it needs more staff as federal workload rises, reports near-$200,000 deficit

The Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities told the Appropriations Regulation and Protection Subcommittee on Feb. 14 that it needs additional staff and budget changes to meet rising workload from state and federal partners.

CHRO Executive Director Tanya Hughes and Deputy Executive Director Cheryl Sharp told the panel the agency was “appropriated for 91 positions, but we currently have 92 staff people, and 6 vacancies, which then brings us to, 98,” and described a personal services deficit and heavy overtime use. “We only have so many salaried employees, and so we grant comp time when we’re able,” Hughes said, adding that leadership is working long hours to fill gaps.

Sharp said the agency is seeing increasing intake and investigation work stemming from HUD and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, both of which have reduced federal staffing and are relying more on state agencies to process dual‑filed complaints. “We recently have received an influx of complaints from them over the past year, and we anticipate receiving probably double that amount this year,” Sharp said.

Why it matters: CHRO enforces state civil‑rights statutes in housing, employment, credit and public accommodations and also performs contract compliance and affirmative‑action oversight of public contracting. Sharp said the agency’s statutory responsibilities outpace its staffing, and that the combination of dual filings and federal staffing reductions is increasing workload at a time when some durational positions are expiring.

Key details and next steps: the agency disclosed a projected personal‑services deficit that was reported in differing amounts during testimony — “close to $200,000” in one exchange and $391,000 in earlier material — and said overtime expenditures approach the same scale as the deficit. Hughes and Sharp told lawmakers they plan to bring a staffing accounting and position list to a working session, and appropriations staff said they would coordinate with OPM to reconcile the apparent position‑count discrepancies stemming from durational positions that expire June 30, 2025.

Agency representatives also highlighted a multiyear initiative to create a civil‑rights museum and requested that lawmakers consider funding expansion positions in a future budget cycle. No formal vote or transfer was proposed at the hearing; CHRO was asked to provide a detailed staffing roster, vacancy list and the recent two‑year complaint/inquiry counts for the committee’s review.

Ending: Committee members asked CHRO to deliver the requested staffing detail and workload metrics so OFA and OPM can reconcile headcount and funding lines in forthcoming budget work sessions.