Utah's legislature approved the new bill that aims to ban diversity programs in the state. Its decision on Friday, Jan. 26, made it the latest one to pass the legislation.
The new bill was already approved by the state Senate and House recently; with the legislation receiving wide margins of votes. Now, all it needs is to be signed by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.
Utah's new bill targeting diversity initiatives is the latest effort against DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs. But, will Utah's governor really approve this?
Unfortunately, Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed that he will likely the Utah bill into law. For those who are unaware, Cox shifted right on DEI as he headed into the final year of his term as the governor.
This was noticeable in 2022 when he vetoed a ban on transgender students playing sports that were supposed to be exclusive to women/girls.
In 2023, the Utah governor also approved a bill regulating religion and race discussions in public schools to ban the teaching that anyone can be racist because of their race and other similar topics.
Now, he wants to sign the new bill that is also against DEI efforts, saying that the scenario where employees need to sign diversity statements to get hired will not happen.
"I can assure you, after this legislative session, it will not be happening in the state of Utah, these diversity statements that you have to sign to get hired," he said via NBC News.
According to US News' latest report, the new Utah bill (if it becomes law) will cover government offices and universities. Its main goal is to prevent offices and other initiatives promoting diversity.
Aside from this, the government and schools will also be restricted from requiring employees to submit statements of commitment to DEI.
"It ensures academic freedom on university campuses where all voices will be heard," explained Republican Keith Grover, the legislation's Senate sponsor.
Aside from Utah, some states are also adopting policies that are against DEI efforts. These include Florida, which recently introduced legislation that aims to ban federal or state budget spending on DEI initiatives.
