A bill to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs in Utah’s K-12 schools, public universities and government agencies has flown through the House of Representatives. On just the fourth day of the session, it’s headed to the Senate.
The Equal Opportunity Initiatives passed on a party-line 58-14 vote with three members absent. HB0261 also sailed through a lengthy hearing in the House Education Committee on Jan. 17.
Bill sponsor, Republican Rep. Katy Hall told her House colleagues that although the legislation does target DEI initiatives, “discrimination should be prevented. Free speech and viewpoint diversity are essential for quality education and for quality communities.”
“People should have access to higher ed to pursue their journey of personal growth,” she said. “The disagreement comes in how we want to achieve this.”
The bill also takes aim at DEI hiring practices and training at other publicly-funded institutions and diversity offices at universities, replacing them with “student success offices.”
Many conservatives believe DEI initiatives unfairly discriminate and foster ideological conformity — effectively doing the opposite of their stated purposes.
Under the current version voted on by the House, affected hiring managers would no longer be able to ask job applicants for a statement on their views or work experience with DEI. Doing so would put their state funding at risk.
Democrats have repeatedly warned of potential repercussions the bill could have on underrepresented communities.
“As long as I can remember on a university campus, there has always been a vice president for diversity,” said Minority Leader Rep. Angela Romero. “For me, I'm afraid that we're erasing people, we’re erasing identities, we're erasing experiences and I know people's intent isn't that.”
Although the bill has passed through the House, the exact details could still change in the Senate.
