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RDAP chair tells committee last session damaged trust with BIPOC communities; urges equity impact assessments
Summary
Dr. Eitan Nasred Longo, chair of the Racial Disparities Advisory Panel, told the committee the 2023–24 legislative session harmed relations with BIPOC communities and urged mandatory equity impact assessments and structural fixes so RDAP can meaningfully review bills.
Dr. Eitan Nasred Longo, chair of the Racial Disparities Advisory Panel (RDAP), warned the Joint Justice Oversight Committee that recent legislative activity has left BIPOC communities mistrustful and urged institutional changes to ensure equity concerns are addressed early in the bill process.
Speaking from illness, Dr. Nasred Longo gave a detailed account of RDAP’s work and the panel’s frustration that its input was not solicited or incorporated during the last session. He said community members felt excluded and described the repeal of RDAP’s sunsetting as a mixed signal when community consultation seemed absent from consequential bills.
He urged mandatory equity impact assessments for a defined class of bills and recommended clarifying whether sponsors or RDAP should prepare those assessments. He described practical institutional incompatibilities: a part‑time legislature operating on a compressed schedule and a statutorily mandated panel that cannot reliably examine multi‑page legislative materials in the time available.
Committee members thanked Dr. Nasred Longo and asked him to provide written testimony to jurisdictional committees when the legislature reconvenes in January.
Next steps: RDAP will produce written testimony and work with legislators on options to ensure timely, enforceable equity assessments for bills under consideration.
