The General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee approved by voice vote Tuesday the creation of a rule allowing lawmakers to consider the potential racial or ethnic impact of criminal justice legislation before it becomes law.
The rule states that whenever a legislative committee approves a bill which would increase or decrease the prison population, a majority of that committee may vote to require that a “racial and ethnic impact statement” be prepared by legislative staff to see if the bill would have a disparate impact.
If the rule is approved Wednesday on the opening day of the session, then Connecticut will become only the second state in the nation to pass such a rule. Iowa was the first.