Bill 44-20 requires the Office of Legislative Oversight to submit a racial equity and social justice impact statement for each zoning text amendment. The bill encourages the Office of Legislative Oversight to work with the planning department to develop the impact statement. Montgomery County already had this requirement in place for bills and this new bill is an extension of that.

The county’s Racial Equity and Social Justice (RESJ) statements can be found here. One is also included here. After RESJ statements are completed, the bill is sent back to the council with the statement.

An example of a racial impact statement from Montgomery County, Maryland is also included below. For each bill the Office of Legislative Oversight prepares one of these impact statement and declares whether the bill will have a favorable or unfavorable impact on equity. The statement starts with a summary, background, and general description of rent regulations. It continues with demographic data, methodologies used, and anticipated racial equity and social justice impact statement. Lastly, it gives a suggestion about how the relevant bill should be amended.