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Q&A
Discussion on CCHR funding and staffing needs
3:30:03
ยท
125 sec
Council Member Williams engages in a discussion about the Commission on Civil and Human Rights (CCHR) current hiring practices and the need for increased funding. The conversation highlights the growing importance of CCHR due to federal rollbacks in civil rights protections.
- CCHR is reportedly hiring five new attorneys, but advocates argue this is insufficient.
- The Human Rights Law Working Group is requesting a budget increase to $21 million for CCHR.
- Additional requests include exempting CCHR from budget cuts (PEG) and increasing funding for public outreach.
Nantasha Williams
3:30:03
No and they did mention that they are hiring I think three three attorneys will go to LEB and two attorneys will go to the mediation unit.
3:30:14
I mean the MMR shows like a little bit improvement but I guess from the advocacy side like what would you say would be ideal because sometimes like in these hearings especially with the agencies we're like, did you ask for more but then how much more do we think is suitable for them to actually do their job robustly and to even take on more additional complaints because the numbers really might reflect an increase considering everything else that's happening in the federal government.
Cristobal Gutierrez
3:30:48
Oh yeah.
3:30:49
The numbers will only grow.
3:30:51
We cannot go to the EEOC.
3:30:54
The Department of of Education has closed its office of civil rights.
3:31:01
Fur housing grants have been eliminated from the budget, the numbers will grow.
3:31:10
That's not a question.
3:31:12
And so we're asking for 21,000,000, the commission to be allocated 21,000,000.
3:31:19
We're also requesting them for them to be eliminated from PEG because they are a public safety agency.
3:31:29
We're asking them to be excluded from the allotment process, two for one.
3:31:37
We are also asking to increase the other than personal services, OTPS funding so that they can do public service announcements to the public.
3:31:51
And as make the road, and this is not as part of the working group, we are also asking for what Matteo will talk about which is the trans equity fund to fund it for 10,000,000 because of the same scenarios that I've just described.