COUNTY BOARD EXTENDS PROTECTION OF THE COUNTY’S HUMAN RIGHTS LAW TO ALL RESIDENTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 11, 2007

At yesterday's meeting, the County Board approved legislation introduced by County Board Chair Bill Ryan (D-IN-WF, White Plains) that gives the Westchester County Human Rights Commission (County Commission) countywide jurisdiction. Ryan said the amendment was needed to ensure that all residents had equal access to justice.

“Under current law, if you’re a victim of discrimination in Westchester, how quickly your complaint is handled depends upon where you live. It's an unfair situation in drastic need for the change the amended law provides,” Ryan commented.

Ryan explained that under the county’s Human Rights Law, nearly 460,000 residents, living in municipalities with local human rights offices must file their complaints with those local offices. Yonkers, White Plains, Mt. Vernon, Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Rye City and Peekskill all have human rights offices. But, for the most part, these local offices have scant resources and limited jurisdiction. By state law, they must transfer any cases they can’t resolve through discussion or mediation to New York State’s Division of Human Rights for action, an office that is already significantly backlogged.

“The reality is that the State Division of Human Rights is backlogged by thousands of cases and once a complaint hits that office, it can languish unresolved for years,” said Ryan. “By contrast, the County Commission has no backlog and can readily absorb the approximately 200 Westchester cases a year that are now routed to the state. Why should Westchester residents have to stand on line for years with the state when their complaints could be handled expeditiously by the county?”

The legislation gives Westchester residents the option to initiate a complaint with the County Commission. Ryan noted that Westchester is one of only two human rights commissions in the state that can handle cases from beginning to end without state involvement. “Given this, it’s only fair that all Westchester residents have access to the County Commission’s timely services,” said Ryan.

He also said extending the jurisdiction of the County Commission does not eliminate the local human rights offices. “The amendment just gives every resident the option to file a complaint with the County Commission," Ryan said. "Each local commission office can continue to exist as currently constituted. Their long years of expertise and ties to the community can only enhance the County Commission's work."

Mayo Bartlett, Esq., Chair of the County Commission, agreed. "We hope to work with the local human rights offices especially in areas of education and outreach. By working side-by-side, we will be able to reach and protect more discrimination victims," said Bartlett.