New York State Assembly Sub-Committee on Affirmative Action Correspondence, Reports, and Testimony on Work Force Composition…

The series consists of 3 subseries: 1. Statistical Profiles of Work Force Composition in County Governments and Questionnaires on State Agency Affirmative Action Programs; 2. Hearing Testimony and Reports on State Agency Affirmative Action Programs; and 3. Subcommittee Correspondence and Final Report.

The New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Governmental Operations' Subcommittee on Affirmative Action researched, compiled information and reported on affirmative action as it related to the employment of women, minorities, Vietnam Era veterans and the disabled in New York State government from 1981-1986.

In 1985, the subcommittee undertook an investigation of the "current crisis surrounding affirmative action in the State of New York." The investigation was partly in response to continuing complaints of the ineffectiveness of government affirmative action programs (especially in the area of employment of Hispanics) and the perceived need for changes in legislation to improve them and partly in response to the realization that the Reagan Administration was working to dismantle many of the federal affirmative action programs. New York, the subcommittee felt, would have to strengthen its own programs to lessen the negative impact of weakened federal guidelines.

The research was accomplished by obtaining completed questionnaires from state agencies and local governments describing the composition of the New York's government work force and by collecting the comprehensive affirmative action program plans and policy documents of state agencies. The Subcommittee also held public hearings in 1982, 1984 and 1985 to investigate State agencies' affirmative action efforts on behalf of women, ethnic minorities and the disabled.

Material from all these sources was compiled and the recommendations of the committee were summarized in a 243-page report, "Affirmative Action: The Crisis-Review of the Current Status of Affirmative Action Policies in the State of New York," May 1986. The report categorically states that while there had been good progress in New York at the state government level in terms of women, blacks, the handicapped and Vietnam Veterans, "the evidence also clearly demonstrated the complete failure of the past twenty years of affirmative action in terms of Latino New Yorkers."

During the span of this series, Assemblyman Victor L. Robles and then Assemblywoman Cynthia Jenkins served as chairs of the subcommittee. The subcommittee ceased operations in 1986.

The information in this series pertains to employment in state agencies and institutions and in New York City and county governments. The records primarily consist of statistical profiles, reports, correspondence, hearing testimony, and completed questionnaires on the composition of the New York's government work force. The records include plans and procedures of state government agencies for implementing comprehensive affirmative action programs. Also included here is the June 1986 report, "Affirmative Action: The Crisis, Review of the Current Status of Affirmative Action Policies in the State of New York" (B3F2) which summarizes the Subcommittee on Affirmative Action's work. The report contains nearly all the important statistics gathered during the investigation and concludes, "there had been good progress in New York at the state government level in terms of women, Blacks, the handicapped, and Vietnam Veterans… but the evidence also clearly demonstrated the complete failure of the past twenty years of affirmative action in terms of Latino New Yorkers" (B2F20).

B0546Series B0546, New York State Dept. of Civil Service Merit System Affirmative Action Office files, contains related records.

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