Senate advances affirmative-action planning bill after extended debate

The Utah Senate advanced House Bill 89 on Feb. 26, a measure directing the director of Human Resource Management to prepare an affirmative-action plan for state career service employees that must be reviewed by the Legislature before implementation.

Sponsor Senator Steiner told colleagues the bill does not establish quotas and would give the Legislature oversight of any plan. "Nothing contained in this section shall require the establishment of hiring quotas or preferential treatment of any identifiable group," Steiner said on the floor, noting the body would review and have a final say on any plan.

The bill prompted an extended debate on both principle and practice. A constituent letter read into the record argued affirmative action had produced reverse-discrimination outcomes at the Utah Department of Transportation; a senator who identified a constituent example said the department had hired individuals he viewed as less qualified, which he characterized as problematic.

Senator Shepherd delivered a broader, philosophical defense of the bill and recounted research showing subtle bias in hiring: "We are white, all of us," he said, urging colleagues to recognize systemic preferences and to adopt a plan that says the state is "open to people who are different from yourself." Shepherd emphasized the bill states explicitly that "the best person [will be] hired for the job."

After amendment and questions about implementation, the Senate read the bill for second and third times under suspension of the rules and held a roll-call vote. The clerk reported the result: 17 ayes, 7 nays, 5 absent. The bill passed and will be returned to the House with the Senate’s action.

What’s next: The bill’s statutory language requires the Legislature to review any plan the director prepares; further implementation details will follow at committee and rule-making stages if the House concurs.