The measure signed by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox had cleared the Utah state House and Senate by wide, party-line majorities.
Utah’s governor signed a bill into law Tuesday that makes the state the latest to prohibit diversity training, hiring and inclusion programs at universities and in state government.
The measure signed by
The chamber’s Democrats all voted no, citing statistics showing minority enrollment at colleges and universities trailing far behind that of white students.
Already this year, Republican lawmakers in at least 17 states have proposed some three dozen bills to restrict or require public disclosure of DEI initiatives, according to an Associated Press analysis using the bill-tracking software Plural.
The measures have a heavy focus on higher education, but Republicans are also sponsoring ones that would limit DEI in K-12 schools, state government, state contracting and pension investments. Some would bar financial institutions from discriminating against people who refuse to participate in DEI programs.
Meanwhile, Democrats in nine states have filed at least 20 bills to require or promote DEI initiatives. They include measures to reverse Florida’s recent ban on DEI in higher education and measures to require considerations in the K-12 school curriculum. Others apply to ferry workers in Washington state and a proposed offshore wind energy institute in New Jersey.
Republican-led Florida and Texas were first to enact broad-based laws banning DEI efforts in higher education last year. Other states including Iowa and Oklahoma have implemented similar measures.
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