Utah bans diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on campus and in government

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, R., signed a bill into law Tuesday that prohibits diversity training, hiring and inclusion programs at universities and in state government, adding to a growing list of states to ban such programs. 

The bill, known as the "Equal Opportunity Initiatives," bans preferential treatment based on a person’s race or other characteristics within Utah government and educational institutions.

The new law will bar universities and the government from having offices dedicated to promoting diversity. They also can’t require employees to submit statements of commitment to DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion).

Utah Governor Spencer Cox welcomes U.S. President Joe Biden before he spoke at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center on August 10, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah. President Biden was celebrating the first anniversary of the PACT Act.  (George Frey/Getty Images)

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The measures ban requiring an individual, individuals to provide certain submissions or attend certain training that promotes differential treatment.

"We’ve been concerned about some DEI programs and policies, particularly with hiring practices, and this bill offers a balanced solution," Cox said in a statement Tuesday night.

"We firmly believe that Utah is stronger because of our diversity and we remain committed to keeping our state a place where everyone can thrive. Over the past three years, our administration has worked very intentionally with many community stakeholders to expand opportunities for all Utahns and we will continue to do so."

The bill passed the Senate in a 23-6 vote last Thursday.

The University of Utah. (Google Maps)

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The chamber’s Democrats all voted no, citing statistics showing minority enrollment at colleges and universities trailing far behind that of white students. The House passed the final vote 60-14, along party lines with one lawmaker absent. 

The signing of the bill comes as DEI is under fire on college campuses in Utah and across the country.

Proponents of the DEI say that it combats inequality, while critics say the policies are divisive and promote woke ideology. 

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.

Meanwhile, Democrats in nine states have filed at least 20 bills to require or promote DEI initiatives.

The passage of the bill comes just a few weeks after the University of Utah said it will no longer use DEI statements in hiring. Cox had blasted Utah's colleges and universities for employing DEI statements in hiring practices, claiming that they foster divisiveness rather than inclusivity.

A Utah player's helmet during a game between Southern Utah Thunderbirds and the University of Utah Utes  on September 10, 2022, at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Boyd Ivey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Cox previously called requiring employees to sign statements in support of workplace and campus diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, "awful, bordering on evil."

He also signed a separate law Tuesday requiring people to use bathrooms and locker rooms in public schools and government-owned buildings that match the sex they were assigned at birth.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.