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PROPOSED ORDINANCE
ESTABLISHING A COOK COUNTY COMMITTEE ON ADDRESSING BIAS, EQUITY, AND CULTURAL COMPETENCY
BE IT ORDAINED, by the Cook County Board of Commissioners, that Chapter 2- Administration, Article VI, Boards, Commissions, and Committees, Division 1 - generally sections 2-480 through 2-482 of the Cook County Code, is hereby enacted as Follows:
Sec. 2-480. Short Title. This Division shall be known and may be cited as the “Cook County Committee on Addressing Bias, Equity, and Cultural Competency” (The Committee)
Sec. 2-481. - Policy and Purpose.
(a) Policy. This ordinance hereby creates a Committee to make recommendations to the President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners, as well as the Cook County Government, as a whole, regarding the need for increased training and an evaluation of policies and procedures relating to addressing bias and creating a more equitable, culturally competent Cook County Government.
(b) Purpose.
(1) Cook County shall explore ways in which to address training, policies, and procedures that decrease bias and increase cultural competency to produce a more equitable and productive government.
(2) The Cook County Human Rights Ordinance protects all people who live and work in the County from discrimination and harassment in employment, public accommodations, housing, credit transactions, and County facilities, programs and services. Cook County strives to build upon the Human Rights Ordnance to maintain that discrimination in any form will not be tolerated and seeks to make Cook County a more equitable and inclusive government that affirms the identities and humanity of all Cook County employees and residents
(3) Addressing bias and creating a more equitable government will help create a more productive workforce and allow Cook County Government to provide better public service to the residents of Cook County.
Sec. 2-482. - Cook County Committee on Addressing Bias, Equity, and Cultural Competency.
(a) This advisory Committee shall consist of:
(1) The four (4) lead sponsors of this ordinance to serve as co-chairs of the Committee.
(2) The Cook County Board President or their designee; Cook County Health and Hospital System representative(s) as determined by the Cook County Health and Hospital System Chief Executive Officer or their designee. Cook County Sheriff Department representative(s) as determined by the Cook County Sheriff or their designee. Cook County Office of the Chief Judge representative(s) as determined by the Cook County Chief Judge or their designee. Cook County State’s Attorney representative(s) as determined by the Cook County State’s Attorney or their designee. Cook County Bureau of Human Resources representative(s) as determined by the Cook County Bureau Chief of Human Resources or their designee.
(3) Community-based advocacy organizations, experts in diversity, equity, and inclusion training, government training professionals and advocates of equity within government, and other government officials as invited by the Committee members from the Cook County Board of Commissioners.
(b) The Committee members will serve for the six months, following the adoption of this ordinance, needed to research this issue and to develop a final report. The Committee can decide to meet at an agreeable time, date, and location beyond that time as it sees fit.
(c) The Committee shall review and make recommendations in writing on the success and challenges of current policies and procedures of Cook County Government and the Cook County Health and Hospital System in regard to training employees on implicit/explicit bias and cultural competency.
(d) The Committee shall review and make recommendations in writing on current best practices and proposals from similar government entities across the United States that address training, policies, and procedures that decrease bias and increase cultural competency to produce a more equitable and productive government.
(e) The Committee shall review and make recommendations in writing a plan for implementation of County-wide training on bias and cultural competency with a focus on specialized training for departments, as needed.
(f) The Committee the advisory Committee shall meet twice a month on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month or otherwise designated by the chairs of the Committee for the six (6) months following the adoption of this ordinance.
(g) The Committee shall report its findings to the President of the Cook County Board and the Cook County Board of Commissioners on or before September 30, 2019.
Effective date: This ordinance shall be in effect immediately upon adoption
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