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Senate adopts bills restricting government DEI programs after floor debate
Summary
The Senate advanced companion measures prohibiting state and local government offices or policies that apply group‑based preferences described as 'DEI' and forbidding use of demographic criteria in public employment decisions; supporters cited federal guidance, opponents called the bills an attack on civil‑rights protections.
The Senate considered two companion measures that limit publicly funded diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. House Bill 6 22 (considered as amended on the floor) and Senate Bill 10 84 were debated and adopted on the floor; Senate Bill 10 84 passed with a recorded 26‑6 vote.
Sponsor Leader Johnson described the pair of measures as synchronization with federal guidance and enforcement decisions. He cited a March federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) notice that warned against DEI‑related programs that make employment decisions on the basis of protected characteristics. “This bill will align us with what is taking place at the federal level,” he said, framing the bills as prohibiting employment or service‑delivery actions by state and local government that grant benefits or employment preference on the basis of race, ***, age, or other demographic characteristics rather than individual merit or lawful eligibility.
Opponents including Senators Yarbrough, Lamar and Massey argued the bills would roll back longstanding civil‑rights and fairness protections and could hamper efforts to increase representation and access for historically excluded groups. Senator Yarbrough said the measures “go after statutes, dozens of statutes that have been passed by our predecessors in this body over decades” and warned of constitutional and legal risks.
Senate Bill 10 84’s floor amendment added an explicit prohibition on state agencies operating an office, division or department whose purpose is to promote or require preferences to increase diversity, equity or inclusion. The senator floor record shows the measure passed final consideration with 26 ayes and 6 nays; other related language in House Bill 6 22 was adopted earlier in the day.
What the bills do: They bar executive‑branch entities and local governments from maintaining offices, programs, mandates or hiring or service rules that create “discriminatory preferences” defined in the bills as rules that grant or withhold benefits, opportunities or advantages on the basis of race, ***, age or other demographic categories rather than on merit, qualification, veteran status or lawful eligibility. The sponsor and supporters said the measures do not affect existing protections for veterans, people with disabilities, or other federal/state programs that provide targeted assistance.
The Senate adopted the measures after extended debate. Opponents asked for—and received—assurances from the sponsor and from back‑and‑forth floor exchanges that the bills would not be used to roll back programs explicitly protected elsewhere in state law (for example, programs for workers with disabilities). Supporters argued the measures will protect individuals from unlawful, classification‑based employment decisions in government.
Where it stands: Senate Bill 10 84 passed on third and final consideration (vote recorded 26‑6). House Bill 6 22 also passed the Senate earlier in the day as the companion measure; the transcript records its adoption and that the motion to reconsider was tabled.
