(a) State officials and supervisory personnel shall recruit, appoint, assign, train, evaluate and promote state personnel on the basis of merit and qualifications, without regard for race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, intellectual disability, mental disability, learning disability, physical disability, including, but not limited to, blindness, or status as a veteran unless it is shown by such state officials or supervisory personnel that such disability prevents performance of the work involved.

(b) All state agencies shall promulgate written directives to carry out this policy and to guarantee equal employment opportunities at all levels of state government. They shall regularly review their personnel practices to assure compliance.

(c) All state agencies shall conduct continuing orientation and training programs with emphasis on human relations and nondiscriminatory employment practices.

(d) The Commissioner of Administrative Services shall insure that the entire examination process, including qualifications appraisal, is free from bias.

(e) Appointing authorities shall exercise care to insure utilization of minority group persons.

(1969, P.A. 790, S. 1; P.A. 73-279, S. 7; P.A. 77-614, S. 66, 610; P.A. 78-148, S. 2; P.A. 80-422, S. 18; P.A. 90-330, S. 6, 11; P.A. 01-28, S. 2; P.A. 04-171, S. 2; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 04-2, S. 37; P.A. 11-55, S. 29; 11-129, S. 20; P.A. 17-127, S. 8.)

History: P.A. 73-279 prohibited discrimination on basis of physical disability including blindness unless it is shown that nature of work required sighted person or person without disability; P.A. 77-614 replaced personnel commissioner with commissioner of administrative services; P.A. 78-148 prohibited discrimination on basis of mental retardation; P.A. 80-422 created Subsecs. (b), (c) and (d) from former Subsec. (b), changing wording slightly and designated former Subsec. (c) as (e); Sec. 4-61c transferred to Sec. 46a-70 in 1981; P.A. 90-330 amended Subsec. (a) to include persons with learning disabilities; P.A. 01-28 amended Subsec. (a) by adding references to “marital status” and “mental disability”; P.A. 04-171 added new Subsec. (d) re confidentiality of the name and address of a sexual harassment complainant in an internal sexual harassment investigation conducted on behalf of a state agency and redesignated existing Subsecs. (d) and (e) as new Subsecs. (e) and (f), respectively, effective June 1, 2004; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 04-2 repealed provisions enacted by P.A. 04-171, effective May 12, 2004; P.A. 11-55 amended Subsec. (a) to add reference to gender identity or expression; pursuant to P.A. 11-129, “mental retardation” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “intellectual disability” in Subsec. (a); P.A. 17-127 amended Subsec. (a) to add “status as a veteran”, and make technical changes.