Ethnic affairs' budget may increase

The director of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s proposed community and arts department says the ethnic affairs offices are "severely underfunded."

Yvette Diaz told members of the Economic Development and Human Resources Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Wednesday that she wants to shift $250,000 from her administrative budget to the ethnic affairs offices.

Those are the black, Asian, Pacific Islander and Hispanic affairs, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Commission.

From 1995 to 2003, the ethnic affairs offices combined had received less than 1 percent of the total Department of Community and Economic Development funding, Diaz said.

"During those same years, the population growth was astronomical," she said, pointing to a 123.7 percent combined growth in the state's Asian, black, Hispanic and Pacific Islander communities.

Diaz said the shortfalls would be made up by transferring funds internally as the department restructures. She did not ask for additional state funding for her department, which if it receives legislative approval as HB 315, will be created from DCED. DCED's economic development roles would move to Huntsman's office.

Diaz wants to see more collaboration between the ethnic offices and see themthe offices work as consultants to help state agencies better serve the communities.

To further those goals, Diaz wants to hire three new staff members: a research and public policy analyst, a centralized public information officer, and a director to oversee the ethnic offices.

Committee members asked no questions of Diaz, and were expected to vote at another meeting.

Diaz said after the meeting that other areas in her department, such as libraries, housing development and the arts council seemed to be fine funding-wise.

---

E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com