A MOTION acknowledging receipt of the disability equity action plan as called for by Ordinance 19210, Section 19, Proviso P1.
Thank you. By your vote, you've given a deep House recommendation to version 2021 318. The next item on today's agenda is proposed Motion 2021 to 82, which would acknowledge receipt of the Disability Equity Action Plan. It was required by a proviso on the 2021 2022 biennial budget. I'm sure Receipt is our newest council central staffer, and I understand this is her first presentation to the committee. Ms.. I want to assure you that I'm saving my hazing for new central staffers for the next new central staff presentation that we have shortly in council. And with that, I would welcome you to the committee of the whole and invite you to present. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Sherrie Sue, Council Staff. The materials for this item begin on page 171 of your packet. The oppose motion 2020 1028 to acknowledge receipt of the Disability Equity Action Plan required by the 2021 2022 biennial budget and background. Council included a proviso in the 2021 2022 biannual budget ordinance with an associated expenditure restriction requiring that the executive provide a Disability Equity Action Plan with the following An assessment of county staffing needs for ADA coordination. A plan to coordinate ADA and disability equity functions with efforts to establish the King County Human and Civil Rights Commission. A proposal for ongoing engagement with the disability community. A prioritized list of recommendations for action with cost and timeline for each and any legislation necessary to implement the recommendations and the action plan. This plan indicates that it was developed by OSHA in partnership with disability community advocates. I will walk through the plan's responses to each provide the requirements jumping to the analysis section on page 175. There is additional background that I'm not going to cover, but I'm happy to answer any questions. Provides the requirement. A This is on page one. 75 is an assessment of county staffing needs for ADA coordination and disability equity functions, and recommendations for how those staffing needs will be met. The plan outlines area associated staffing across the executive branch, including eight existing FTE and two TLT positions. The plan recommends adding two additional FTE ADR coordinators and converting one grant funded TLT disability specialists to a county funded FTE. Currently, the TLT disability specialist position is funded by a grant from the National Association of County and City Health Officials. Provides a requirement. B is a plan to coordinate ED and disability equity functions with efforts to establish a King County Human and Civil Rights Commission as background in 2019, Council adopted Ordinance 19047, which would have created a new Human and Civil Rights Commission that would have assumed the current ADA related responsibilities of OSHA Civil Rights Program. The ordinance would have taken effect April 1st, 2021, only if by that date the executive transmitted a status report on the status of the feasibility study. If the executive transmitted a feasibility study and recommendations establishing a human and Civil Rights Commission and a motion approving the feasibility study. And if a move and if the motion approving the feasibility study was passed by a council. Opposed Motion 2020 10089 was introduced in council and referred to committee to approve a feasibility study and recommendations regarding the Human and Civil Rights Commission. This motion has not been adopted by Council and the timeframe for this ordinance to take effect expired on April four, 2021. Therefore, as the plan indicates, that coordination with the proposed Commission is not applicable and is not addressed in the plan to revise the requirements. E is a proposal for ongoing engagement with the disability community in carrying out ADR coordination and disability equity functions and provides a requirement be is a priority with a recommendation. The plan jointly addresses these two proviso requirements because it notes that the proposal for ongoing community engagement is also a recommendation, starting with community outreach. The plan outlines recent outreach activities to the disability community, which resulted in their recommendation that the county reactivate its Section 504 ADA Advisory Committee with an updated scope. Some background on the committee and the King County Code established the Section five or 488 Advisory Committee, which is intended to serve as the advisory body to the executive in developing strategies, systems and guidelines to implement the ADA Work Plan. According to executive staff, this committee has been inactive for approximately ten years. The plan indicates that committee members and disability advocates recommended that King County Code be amended to formalize the purpose of the Committee to Advance Justice and Equity and not just address legal compliance matters. Developing potential amendments to code would require further community engagement, and OSHA would continue to meet with advocates and leaders to address these needs. Moving on to recommendations, the plan includes seven recommendations and these are summarized in the table on page 178 of your packet. I can answer questions about any of these, but in the interest of time, I'm going to get to the ones that require further legislation in response to provide the requirement and list. Analysis starts at the bottom of page 178. The proviso requirement is any legislation necessary to implement recommendations in the plan, and the plan indicates that appropriation legislation is needed for recommendation three and six. Recommendation three calls for funding two positions. One of these positions was established but not funded in the 2021 2022 budget. The staff report notes that a request to fund two FTE is expected to be included in the 2021 mid biennial budget supplemental. And just as an update, since the time of this report, the Executive has transmitted the budget proposal with this request to fund a 32 FTE recommendation six calls for creating and funding one disability specialist, one active disability specialist when funding for the nature grant and in according to executive staff, this request may be included in the 2023 2024 proposed by annual budget. In addition to these two recommendations, five calls for reactivation of the Section five or four added advisory committee. The plan notes that developing potential code amendments would require further community engagement. The first motion 2020 1022 as transmitted appears to meet the requirements of the proviso. Thank you. I'm happy to answer questions. And we also have a saying pair and Farley and Anita Whitfield from executive staff here to answer any questions. Thank you, Michel. Are there are questions? We have a strong through breaking. I've entertained a motion to accept the report. The plan of approval, Mr. Chair. Councilmember Belden, she has moved adoption of Motion 2020 122 seating. No discussion. Mr. Chair, House Member Dombrowski. Thank you. And I'm supportive of the motion, but Sherry mentioned kind of the nexus, if you will, on the outline in this report to our work to strengthen and renew our Human and Civil Rights Commission, which resulted from an extensive process with community and the Korematsu of Seattle University School of Law. And you it was a while back, you may recall, but there was a request for some additional public process on that, which we did put in the legislation and COVID hit, which delayed the reporting back of the assess and the process and the and the council's opportunity to approve that we have worked with. And that's why we don't have today, at least, I believe, the kind of new enhanced, strengthened human and Civil Rights Commission that members supported. We've worked with for years from my colleagues and the public's understanding, we worked with legal counsel on the executive branch and others to see what could be done. And it appears that our only recourse is to introduce a fresh ordinance to bring that work into effect. And Christina Logsdon on my staff has been working with the executive branch to make that happen. So if that's of interest to folks and you want to work with us on that, let me know. But it is my hope that we can achieve the vision that was set forth in that legislation and work out the amount I would call relatively minor. Couple of things that the executive had requested be done a little differently and bring that to life. Because today, I mean, we're in Martin Luther King County. We've got incredibly pressing issues around civil and human rights, whether it be communities of color or immigrant refugee populations. We need a strong voice that's consistent with our history in the space, and I think there's an opportunity to do a little better there through that legislation, and I hope we can bring it to life. And I wanted you to know, since it was mentioned today, that we haven't forgotten about it, it's my hope that it doesn't just get put away and left out and left behind because it's too important. And I do hope to be bringing it back very soon. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you. So the discussion. I'm sorry about the orange shirt. I didn't mean to blind you. I thought you were just early for gun safety awareness. Right. I'm off by a week. See? No further discussion. Would you please call the roll. And Mr. Chair, Council member, Baluchi High Council member Ambassador. High. Council member Gunn. High. Council Member Cole's High Council Member Lambert. High. Council Member of the branch. I. Council Member one right there. I. Council members on the line. I am. Mr. Chair. Are. Mr. Chair, the Buddhist No. Nine ceremonies. Thank you by your vote. And you have given a do pass recommendation to version 2021 to 82, and it must there's objection. We will place that on the consent agenda. And it will be on the consent agenda. That concludes the items we have on today's agenda. Madam Burke, was there any are there any votes missed during the meeting? Mr. Chair. There were no votes missed then. I thank everyone for participating in today's Committee of the Hall and look forward to our next meeting. We are adjourned.