UPDATE
For the last few months, we have been working with Assemblymember Kamlager-Dove’s office to develop three bills that at least begin to address the pervasive impact of implicit bias in policing, healthcare and the courts.
The bills will be heard in their respective policy committees on Tuesday (April 23) and we are reaching out far and wide to garner support.
There are three ways you can help:
- Sign the sample letters and send them to me (yoana@equaljusticesociety.org) by TODAY (April 19) at 4:00pm noon PST. Our apologies for the short timeframe!
- Check out the list of members of the Assembly Judiciary, Public Safety, and Business and Professions committees and reach out to any members you have contacts with.
- Share this media advisory for Monday’s press conference with any media contacts that you have.
Here is a quick summary of the bills:
AB 241 highlights how implicit bias contributes to health disparities by affecting the behavior of doctors, nurses and other medical personnel. It requires that all health professionals in the state receive implicit bias training as part of their Continuing Medical Education requirements. Read the latest version of the bill here.
AB 242 tackles implicit bias in the legal system by: 1) authorizing the Judicial Council to develop comprehensive implicit bias training for all judges in the state that meets certain content requirements; 2) requiring all clerks and court personnel to complete two hours of implicit bias training every two years; and 3) requiring the State Bar to adopt regulations that expand the current “elimination of bias” MCLE requirement for all attorneys to include training on implicit bias and strategies for reducing the impact of bias. Read the latest version of the bill here.
AB 243 begins by highlighting the historical roots of implicit racial bias and then substantively adds implicit bias training and testing to the POST training that police officers are already required to complete in order to avoid engaging in racial and identity profiling. It further modifies the existing statute to require all officers in the state to complete the expanded POST training every two years, instead of every five. Read the latest version of the bill here but keep in mind that we have offered more edits on what the implicit bias portion of the training should cover.
Even though we at EJS did not get all the terms we advocated for, we believe these bills are an important step in the right direction.
Thank you in advance for your support!
Yoana Tchoukleva (pronouns: she/her/hers)
Judge Constance Baker Motley Civil Rights Fellow
Equal Justice Society