Lawmakers announce initiative to increase diversity on Capitol Hill

[The Straight Story]

Lawmakers announce initiative to increase diversity on Capitol Hill
By Dawn Lim [email protected] April 16, 2010

Lawmakers have launched an initiative to increase diversity among House staff after a recent report spotlighted the lack of minorities working on Capitol Hill.

The plan, announced on Tuesday by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Administration Committee Chairman Rep. Robert Brady, D-Pa., will require House officers and legislative agencies to report on minority participation and submit plans on how to boost diversity at all staff levels.

The committee, which oversees daily operations in the House, will work with an advisory council made up of the congressional Asian Pacific American, Black, and Hispanic caucuses, to boost training and build job and resume banks for candidates of color.

A diverse pool of talent in the House would bring "innovative solutions to our complex national challenges," Pelosi said in a statement.

The move by House leaders follows longtime efforts by the federal government to boost diversity rates, particularly at senior levels of the executive branch. Those efforts have produced mixed results.

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