H.B. 4439 & 4440: COMMITTEE SUMMARY                        “MULTIRACIAL” IDENTIFICATION

House Bills 4439 and 4440

Sponsor: Representative Harold Voorhees House Committee: Judiciary and Civil Rights Senate Committee: Government Operations

Date Completed: 5-23-95

SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILLS 4439 and 4440 as passed by the House:

House Bill 4439 would amend the Elliot-Larson Civil Rights Act and House Bill 4440 would amend the Management and Budget Act to require that the category “other” be eliminated and the category “multiracial” be included on certain documents that request individuals to designate race or ethnicity. House Bill 4439 would apply to an employer or an educational institution, and House Bill 4440 would apply to a State agency, that listed racial or ethnic classifications in a document requesting that an individual select a classification to designate his or her race or ethnicity. In including the term “multiracial”, the employer, educational institution, or State agency would have to include a definition of “multiracial” that substantially provided that the term meant having parents of different races. The bills would apply to documents that were printed or developed 90 days or more after the effective date of the bills.

Further, the bills provide that if a Federal agency required an employer, educational institution, or State agency to transmit information obtained from an individual, but rejected the classification “multiracial”, the employer, educational institution, or State agency would have to redesignate the individuals identified as multiracial by allocating them to racial or ethnic classifications approved by the Federal agency in the same ratio that those classifications occur within the general population of the group from which the information was solicited.

Proposed MCL 37.2202a & 37.2402a (H.B. 4439)                           Legislative Analyst: G. Towne Proposed MCL 18.1206a (H.B. 4440)

FISCAL IMPACT

House Bill 4439 would result in minimal costs to the State and local units associated with changing forms.

House Bill 4440 would result in minimal administrative costs associated with the printing of new forms and possible redesignation of individuals who classified themselves multiracial when the State dealt with Federal agencies.

Fiscal Analyst: L. Nacionales-Tafoya

S9596\S4439SA

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.

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