PHOENIX — A Republican lawmaker won preliminary approval in the Senate Monday to make it illegal to use public funds for programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
Sen. Jake Hoffman’s Senate Bill 1694, awaiting a final roll-call vote, would cover state and local governments and universities and community colleges.
Also forbidden under the proposal would be requiring workers for any of those entities to participate in such programs.
It also would preclude any requirement that companies contracting with the government have such diversity programs.
Hoffman said his measure to outlaw diversity, equity and inclusion training is simply an extension of a bill he got the Republican-controlled Legislature to approve and then-Gov. Doug Ducey to sign two years ago banning training, orientation or therapy “that presents any form of blame or judgment on the basis of race, ethnicity or sex.” He said SB 1694 is necessary to pick up where that 2021 legislation left off.
“These have become a prevalent tactic of the left to shame employees and to shame folks within the trainings,” Hoffman said in pushing his measure through the Senate Government Committee earlier this year. He said eliminating such training “gets us back to doing the job that they’ve been hired to on behalf of the people.”
The list SB 1694 would prohibit is comprehensive.
It would cover any description of methods to identify, dismantle or oppose systems, privilege or subordination on the basis of race, sex, color, gender, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation.
Also barred would be “advancing theories of unconscious or implicit bias, cultural appropriation, allyship, transgenderism, microaggressions, microinvalidation, group marginalization, anti-racism, system oppression, ethnocentralism, structural racism or inequality, social justice, intersectionality, neopronouns, inclusive language, heteronormality, disparity impact, gender identity or theory, racial or sexual privilege or any concept substantially related to any of these theories.”
The legislation also would specifically bar public entities from adopting policies designed to influence the composition of their workforces on the basis of race, sex or color — except as required by federal law.
However, public agencies still could employ licensed attorneys and legal support staff whose sole purpose is to ensure compliance with federal law or a court order. And agencies could offer training to preclude sexual harassment.
Hoffman, of Queen Creek, chairs the Government Committee that approved the measure. At that time he only allowed limited testimony, with each speaker — and all who sought to testify were opposed to the bill — given only 60 seconds to express concerns.
Erica Keppler, who has lobbied for years on transgender and related issues, said the measure is another example of antipathy to “wokeness,” which she said is “a term created by the right-wing media for the purpose of being derogatory to something that, is in fact, good.”
“Woke is to be kind, woke is to be respectful, woke is to wish well of others,” Keppler said. “Woke is to recognize the hurt and pain of others and want it to stop. Woke is to believe in justice. Woke is to believe that all men are created equal.”
Anthony Sheedy told lawmakers about his experience with inclusion and diversity training while in the Army. And he said it works.
For example, Sheedy said, when someone gets promoted their photo is excluded from the process. “So there is no more issue of looking at a photo and making some sort of opinion based on the picture that you see,” he said.
It also would preclude any requirement that companies that contract with the government have such diversity programs.
Sen. Priya Sundareshan, D-Tucson, called Hoffman’s measure “incredibly hurtful.”
“Diversity inclusion training is what helps people and employees and students feel comfortable where they are,” she said.
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