REGULAR MEETING of the JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE (JIC) WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24TH, 2024, at 3:00 P.M. CST CITY HALL, BOARDS & COMMISSIONS RM #1101 301 W. 2ND STREET, AUSTIN, TX 78701 MEETING AGENDA Some members of the Joint Inclusion Committee may be participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, call or email Alejandra Mireles (Community Services Program Coordinator, Equity Office) at (512) 974-8045 or alejandra.mireles@austintexas.gov. CURRENT JIC MEMBER COMMISSIONS & REPRESENTATIVES: Member Commission: African American Resource Advisory Commission Asian American Quality-of-Life Advisory Commission Commission for Women Commission on Aging Commission on Immigrant Affairs Early Childhood Council Hispanic/Latino Quality-of-Life Resource Advisory Commission Human Rights Commission LGBTQ+ Quality-of-Life Advisory Commission Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities CALL TO ORDER: Primary Representative: Serita Fontanesi Alternate Representative: Antonio Ross Sonny Sin Nayer Sikder Julie Glasser Richard Bondi (Vice-Chair) Teresa Ferguson Melissa Ortega Rebecca Austen Jose Caceres Leonor Vargas Amanda Afifi (Chair) Eliza Gordon Ivana Neri Morgan Davis Charles Curry Muneeb "Meebs" Aslam Melissa Taylor Jennifer Powell Lira Ramirez AGENDA 1 PUBLIC COMMUNICATION The first ten speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the COMMITTEE’s REGULAR MEETING on March 27th, 2024. Fausto Rodriguez, Lieutenant – APD, Presenting to Commission on City of Austin Procedures and Policies for Senate Bill 4. STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. KB Brookins, Author and Poet. Proposal for a City of Austin Poet Laureate Program. Discussion to avoid quorum during May 7th Virtual City Department Follow Up FY25 Budget Recommendations event. Discussion on future recommendation regarding Senate Bill 4. 5. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 6. Conduct officer elections for the Chair. Conduct officer elections for the Vice Chair. Approve amending the bylaws to include the Commission on Veteran Affairs as a member of the Joint Inclusion Committee. Approve presenting amended bylaws with Commission on Veteran Affairs as a member of the Joint Inclusion Committee to the Office of the City Clerk and the Audit and Finance …
Board and Commission Recommendation Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities Recommendation Number 20240322-002 Approve a point-in-time count for people with disabilities in Austin WHEREAS, the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities is authorized by Austin City Code 2-1-108 to serve as an advisory body to the city council and city manager regarding problems affecting the persons with disabilities in the Austin area; WHEREAS, the Committee serves in an advisory and consultative capacity to the Human Resources Department and the city council to ensure effective compliance and enforcement of Chapters 5-6 (Discrimination against a person with a disability); WHEREAS, the Committee has tried to get a proper count of Austinites with disabilities and has found that no city has tracked Austinites with disabilities. WHEREAS, a point-in-time count is necessary to provide information to the mayor, city council, city manager, and heads of all city departments and agencies to achieve the purposes of Chapters 5-6 (Discrimination Against A Person With A Disability); We recommend a point- in-time count be done at the earliest time possible, and that the proper funds to achieve this be researched and set aside to achieve this goal in a most expedient manner possible. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities support of a point-in-time count the City Council review, support, and take action to approve a point-in-time count. Date of Approval: March 22, 2024 Record of the vote: Unanimous on a 6-0 vote For: Vice Chair Meyer, Commissioners Chang, Fetonte, Powell, Ramírez and Salazar Absent: Chair Franks, Commissioners Hogan and Vassallo Attest: Elisabeth Meyer, Vice Chair
Board and Commission Recommendation Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities Recommendation Number 20240322-003 Electronic Community Participation and Information Sharing Whereas: To be effective AMCPD requires a coordinated way to get information to people with disabilities in the Austin community. Whereas: Austin has a large but fragmented web of services for various populations within the disability community making it impossible for the AMCPD to collaborate effectively with the population we serve. Whereas: The AMCPD tried to use personal channels to disseminate an important survey about experiences of transportation and safety, but this resulted in only three responses. Whereas: Due to lack of opportunities in education, transportation, and a centralized information point, people with disabilities are not currently able to participate or self-advocate in city processes affecting them in any meaningful way. Now Therefore Be It Resolved the city will update the AMCPD web page to include the following. First a section to highlight ways people with disabilities can participate at the city level. This could include up to date important information, links to surveys, and items of interest relating to city community activities, policy changes, and opportunities to participate in various open comment periods that have an impact on the experience of citizens with disabilities in the Austin community. Second, an opportunity for Austinites with disabilities to enter their email information and the subsequent creation of an email list that can be used by the AMCPD Chair or Vice Chair to communicate important information and opportunities for participation within the Austin community. Date of Approval: March 22, 2024 Record of the vote: Unanimous on a 6-0 vote For: Vice Chair Meyer, Commissioners Chang, Fetonte, Powell, Ramírez and Salazar Absent: Chair Franks, Commissioners Hogan and Vassallo Attest: Elisabeth Meyer, Vice Chair
LGBTQ QUALITY OF LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 20240415‐2 Transgender and Sexual Identity Protections WHEREAS, the City of Austin has been one of the fastest‐growing cities in the United States for over a decade, resulting in rapidly increasing demands on housing, infrastructure, public safety, and other city resources; and WHEREAS, in 2023, the Texas state legislature passed legislation restricting or criminalizing access to gender‐affirming healthcare across Texas, which was subsequently signed by the governor and became law effective September 1, 2023; and WHEREAS, as a home‐rule city, the City has the authority and responsibility to prioritize the use of its limited resources and taxpayer dollars to address the most urgent needs of all residents, including focusing the use of public safety resources on substantive and broad threats to residents’ safety and livelihood; and WHEREAS the City Council recognizes that families and healthcare providers in Austin are living in uncertainty and fear, and many are considering moving away or have already moved to other states to access medical care for their children or to be able to practice medicine freely in accordance with professional and ethical standards; and WHEREAS multiple healthcare providers in Texas have scaled back healthcare services in response to legal challenges, perception of legal risk, harassment, or threats of violence; and WHEREAS gender‐affirming healthcare has been proven to be evidence‐based, medically necessary, and lifesaving by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatricians, the Endocrine Society, the American Psychiatric Association, and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, amongst other institutions; and WHEREAS, studies have shown that gender transition, including access to gender‐affirming healthcare, improves the overall well‐being of transgender people and that access to gender‐affirming healthcare for youth is associated with better mental health outcomes and lower risks of suicide; and WHEREAS over 94 percent of LGBTQ+ youth surveyed by the Trevor Project in late 2021 said recent politics have negatively impacted their mental health, and 93 percent of transgender and nonbinary youth surveyed by the Trevor Project in 2022 said they have worried about transgender people being denied access to gender‐affirming medical care due to state or local laws; and WHEREAS, a majority of U.S. adults agree that transgender minors should have access to gender‐ affirming care; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin has consistently declared its commitment to furthering transgender equity and supporting its transgender and nonbinary …
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 BYLAWS OF THE Joint Inclusion Committee ARTICLE 1. NAME. The name of the board is Joint Inclusion Committee. ARTICLE 2. PURPOSE AND DUTIES. The purpose of the board is to advise the council on issues pertaining to equity, diversity and inclusion and to promote close cooperation between the council, City management, City boards, commissions, committees and task forces to increase and sustain equity, diversity and inclusion in the city. ARTICLE 3. MEMBERSHIP. (A) The board is composed of 10 members representing their respective board appointed by the city council from the African American Resource Advisory Commission, the Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission, the Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission, the Commission on Immigrant Affairs, the Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities, the Commission on Seniors, the Commission for Women, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Quality of Life Advisory Commission, the Human Rights Commission and the Early Childhood Council. (B) A member serves at the pleasure of the city council. (C) Board members serve for a term of four years beginning March 1st on the year of appointment. (D) An individual board member may not act in an official capacity except through the action of the board. (E) A board member who is absent for three consecutive regular meetings or one-third of all regular meetings in a “rolling” twelve month timeframe automatically vacates the member’s position subject to the holdover provisions in Section 2-1-27 of the City Code. This does not apply to an absence due to illness or injury of the board member, an illness or injury of a board member’s immediate family member, active military service, or the birth or adoption of the board member’s child for 90 days after the event. The board member must notify the staff liaison of the reason for the absence not later than the date of the next regular meeting of the board. Failure to notify the liaison before the next regular meeting of the board will result in an unexcused absence. (F) At each meeting, each board member shall sign an attendance sheet which indicates that the member …
JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE (JIC) REGULAR MEETING MINUTES The JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE convened a REGULAR meeting on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27th, 2024 at 3:00 P.M. CST in the CITY OF AUSTIN at the Boards and Commission Rooms #1101 in City Hall (301 W. 2nd Street, Austin, Texas 78701). Chair AMANDA AFIFI called the JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE meeting to order at 3:03 p.m. Commissioners in Attendance: Hispanic/Latino Quality-of-Life Resource Advisory Commission: Amanda Afifi (Chair) LGBTQ Quality-of-Life Advisory Commission: Charles Curry Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: African American Resource Advisory Commission: Serita Fontanesi Asian American Quality-of-Life Advisory Commission: Sonny Sin Commission on Aging: Richard Bondi (Co-Chair) Commission on Immigrant Affairs: Melissa Ortega Commission for Women: Rebecca Austen Human Rights Commission: Morgan Davis Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities: Jennifer Powell Commissioners Absent: Early Childhood Council: Eliza Gordon or Leonor Vargas Staff in Attendance: Alejandra Mireles, Community Services Program Coordinator, Equity Office MEETING AGENDA PUBLIC COMMUNICATION None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the COMMITTEE’s REGULAR MEETING on February 28th, 2024. 1 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. The minutes were approved on COMMISSIONER REBECCA AUSTEN’s motion, COMMISSIONER RICHARD BONDI’s second on a 9-0 vote (Absent: Early Childhood Council Commissioners Leonor Vargas or Eliza Gordon) DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Approve a recommendation for an Austin Board and Commission Budget Recommendations Tracker. Commissioners discuss and edit. Recommendation PASSESS on COMMISSIONER RICHARD BONDI’s motion, COMMISSIONER SERITA FONTANESI’s second on a 9-0 vote (Absent: Early Childhood Council Commissioners Eliza Gordon and Leonor Vargas). Approve a recommendation for joint endorsement of the Commission for Women’s recommendation on the FY 2024-25 Budget for Funding Collective Sex Crimes Response Model (CSCRM) Action. Commissioners discuss and edit. Recommendation PASSESS on COMMISSIONER REBECCA AUSTEN’s motion, COMMISSIONER RICHARD BONDI’s second on a 9-0 vote (Absent: Early Childhood Council Commissioners Eliza Gordon and Leonor Vargas). Approve a recommendation for joint endorsement of the Early Childhood Council’s recommendation on the FY 2024-25 Budget for Current Early Childhood Investments. Commissioners discuss and edit. Recommendation PASSESS on COMMISSIONER RICHARD CURRY’s motion, COMMISSIONER RICHARD BONDI’s second on a 9-0 vote (Absent: Early Childhood Council Commissioners Eliza Gordon and Leonor Vargas). Approve a recommendation for joint endorsement of the Commission on Aging’s recommendation on the FY 2024-25 Budget for Funding for the GO Repair Program. Commissioners discuss and edit. Recommendation PASSESS on COMMISSIONER RICHARD BONDI’s motion, COMMISSIONER MELISSA ORTEGA’s second on a 9-0 vote (Absent: Early Childhood Council Commissioners …
APD’s Response to SB4 April 23, 2024 SB 4 Summary Creates 3 new offenses: Illegal Entry from Foreign Nation Illegal Reentry Refusal to Comply with Order to Return to Foreign Nation Safe Harbors Public, private, primary or secondary school Church, synagogue or other established place of worship Healthcare facility SAFE-ready facility Summary continued… Not in effect at this time No current or anticipated changes to APD’s internal policies APD’s Existing Policy General Order 330 Overview Interactions with Foreign Nationals APD will not consider race, color, religion, language or national origin when deciding whether to inquire into status APD will not inquire into status of a person who is a victim or witness to a crime, except under special circumstances All inquiries are documented and include the officer’s reason for asking, including in follow up investigations Overview continued… APD must inform detainee or arrestee that they are not compelled to respond to the inquiry and will not be subjected to additional action if they do not respond APD must comply with orders and requests for assistance from ICE and federal officials. This includes notification to an APD supervisor and confirmation of validity of detainer APD’s Response to the Community on SB4 Statements to the public regarding updates on status of SB4 Explanation to public that APD is unlikely to have probable cause to make warrantless arrests under SB4 Encouragement to victims and witnesses of crime to continue reporting to APD APD’s Response to the Community on SB4 Commitment to monitor ongoing litigation and keep community informed Continued engagement with immigrant communities while maintaining awareness of and sensitivity to SB4’s impact Questions…
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Inclusion Committee RECOMMENDATION 20240424-12 Transgender, Sexual Identity, and Gender Identity Protection WHEREAS, the City of Austin has been one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States for over a decade, resulting in rapidly increasing demands on housing, infrastructure, public safety, and other city resources; and WHEREAS, in 2023, the Texas state legislature passed legislation restricting or criminalizing access to gender-affirming healthcare across Texas, which was subsequently signed by the governor and became law effective September 1, 2023; and WHEREAS, as a home-rule city, the City has the authority and responsibility to prioritize the use of its limited resources and taxpayer dollars to address the most urgent needs of all residents, including focusing the use of public safety resources on substantive and broad threats to residents’ safety and livelihood; and WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes that families and healthcare providers in Austin are living in uncertainty and fear, and many are considering moving away or have already moved to other states to access medical care for their children or to be able to practice medicine freely in accordance with professional and ethical standards; and WHEREAS, multiple healthcare providers in Texas have scaled back healthcare services in response to legal challenges, perception of legal risk, harassment, or threats of violence; and WHEREAS, gender-affirming healthcare has been proven to be evidence-based, medically necessary, and lifesaving by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatricians, the Endocrine Society, the American Psychiatric Association, and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, amongst other institutions; and Page 1 of 4 WHEREAS, studies have shown that gender transition, including access to gender-affirming healthcare, improves the overall well-being of transgender people and that access to gender-affirming healthcare for youth is associated with better mental health outcomes and lower risks of suicide; and WHEREAS, over 94 percent of LGBTQIA+ youth surveyed by the Trevor Project in late 2021 said recent politics have negatively impacted their mental health, and 93 percent of transgender and nonbinary youth surveyed by the Trevor Project in 2022 said they have worried about transgender people being denied access to gender-affirming medical care due to state or local laws; and WHEREAS, a majority of U.S. adults agree that transgender minors should have access to gender- affirming care; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin has consistently declared its commitment to furthering transgender equity and …
