Racial Classifications on Government Forms

The bill requires a form issued by the state or a local government that requests that the individual completing the form disclose the individual's race or ethnicity to include, in addition to spaces for any other racial or ethnic categories required by the federal office of management and budget, a space to indicate if the individual's race or ethnicity is Middle Eastern, North African, or South Asian.

The state and local governments are exempt from the bill's requirements if:

• The demographic data collected in the form is reported by the state to the federal government; and
• The federal government rejects or will reject the demographic data reported by the state because it includes Middle Eastern, North African, or South Asian as a primary demographic category.

When exercising the exemption, the state and local governments shall include Middle Eastern, North African, or South Asian as a demographic subcategory of the nonspecific racial category on the form.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)