State Legislature Equity Impact Statement

ECONorthwest worked with the newly formed Washington State Office of Equity and the Office of Financial Management to identify potential processes and tool options for a Legislative Equity Assessment (LEA). The purpose of the LEA is to identify potential unintended and unanticipated adverse consequences that may be the result of proposed legislation and to identify potential opportunities for proposed legislation to promote social justice, equity, and access. We developed our recommendations based on research of common practices in other states as well as several interviews and some focus groups with a steering committee, community organizations, and legislative staff. The steering committee was composed of agencies with relevance to topics that the LEA may address and staff with equity expertise. The community organizations that participated in our engagement process included staff from South Cove Strategies, The Arc King County, Transportation Choices Coalition, Disability Rights Washington, and Partners for Social Change.