Elrich To Sign Racial Equity And Social Justice Act Tuesday

ROCKVILLE, MD — Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) is expected to sign an ambitious bill on Tuesday that aims to combat racial inequities in the region.

The Racial Equity and Social Justice Act — spearheaded by Montgomery County Council President Nancy Navarro and co-sponsored by all nine council members — creates a legal framework that county officials will use to address systematic discriminatory policies.

More specifically, the bill establishes an Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice with an annual budget of $375,860, requires leaders to adopt a countywide racial equity and social justice action plan, and creates a Racial Equity and Social Justice Advisory Committee consisting of members of the public.

It also requires that future legislation, government programs, and public policy initiatives include a racial equity and social justice impact statement.

"The Racial Equity and Social Justice Act reinforces our commitment to being a welcoming community where all of our residents are treated with respect and dignity and provided with opportunities to succeed," Navarro said.

"Although not unique to our county," Navarro continued, "many of our community members suffer from stark disparities linked to hundreds of years of institutionalized racism, and this will persist without intentional intervention. Bill 27-19 will ensure that county government is working to dismantle inequity on an individual, institutional and structural level in an organized way with established goals and ongoing benchmarks to evaluate our progress."

Elrich is expected to sign the bill at the Executive Office Building on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 12:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

The ceremony will also be live-streamed on the county's website at montgomerycountymd.gov and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/montgomerycountyinfo.

SEE ALSO:

• MoCo Tackles Racial Inequities, Social Injustices In New Bill
• Racial Equity Bill Unanimously Passed By Montgomery Council