Constitutional Law

Mass. Gov. Launches Equality Effort In State Government Work

Building on an executive order issued last year, Mass. Gov. Deval L. Patrick (D) has launched an initiative aimed at ensuring equal opportunity in state jobs and contracts.

Called, the “Access and Opportunities” initiative, Patrick’s plan includes the goals of ensuring that small businesses, owned by minorities and women, are able to compete on a level playing field for state contracts and eradicating state programs and practices that may impinge on the ability of individuals to achieve economic advancement.

“The people of Massachusetts deserve transparency and accountability from their government,” Patrick said in a May 22 statement about the initiative. “By helping to ensure that rights, protections, privileges and responsibilities of citizenship are accessible to all whom live here, this effort will help us to continue to build a better Commonwealth.”

The governor’s statement added that the initiative would help ensure “all individuals, no matter their race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or physical disability, have an equal opportunity to work and contract with state government.”

Patrick’s equality plan buttresses an executive order issued last year that reaffirmed Massachusetts’ commitment to ensuring equal opportunity and promoting diversity in all aspects of state government.

Full post as published by ACS Blog on May 28, 2008 (boomark / email).