What is the 'Dismantle DEI Act'? How Tennessee lawmakers are targeting hiring initiatives with legislature
Tennessee lawmakers are looking to further dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the Volunteer State.
House Bill 622, known as the "Dismantle DEI Act," would mandate that local governments and publicly funded colleges and universities get rid of their DEI programs. The bill is sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, and Rep. Aron Maberry, R-Clarksville.
If passed, the legislation would take away all DEI hiring initiatives in county, municipal and metropolitan governments in the state of Tennessee. It would also eliminate any diversity and inclusion programs for hiring at public institutions of higher education, including the University of Tennessee.
"The general assembly finds that local governments are at their most effective when the employees of the local government are the most highly qualified candidates for employment with the local government and that hiring decisions should be based on merit rather than any other metric," the bill reads.
Simultaneously, Tennessee Republicans are pushing another anti-diversity initiative that would eliminate affirmative action programs on state regulatory and health-related boards and commissions where the governor appoints the members. This would include the Board of Medical Examiners, Board of Nursing, Board of Occupational Therapy, Board of Dietitian/Nutritionist Examiners and more than 20 others.
Under House Bill 1237, such boards would no longer allow "racial preferences or racial quotas" in the composition of board members. The boards that currently are required to have at least one member of a racial minority or woman could get rid of that clause.
The governor would have fewer restrictions as to whom he could appoint under the proposed legislation.
The bill is sponsored by Sen. Paul Rose, R-Covington, and Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Knoxville.
Stronger calls to eliminate DEI programs in Tennessee come as President Donald Trump looks to dismantle diversity programs at a federal level. On his first day back in office, Trump revoked a 1965 civil rights executive order to roll back authority long used to prevent employment discrimination by federal contractors, subcontractors and grant recipients.
The president has signed executive orders to eliminate DEI policies across much of the federal government. A number of the efforts are facing legal challenge in the courts.
Most recently, Trump targeted the Smithsonian Institution with a March 27 executive order that pulls federal funding from "exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy."
Trump has reversed decades of DEI initiatives in just a few months. But why?
According to the Trump administration, the president is "putting merit first," according to a recent news release. The administration called the federal DEI programs "radical and wasteful."
"President Trump is restoring fairness and accountability in federal hiring, and terminating DEI across the federal government," the news release said.
Cutting DEI programs was a key pillar of Trump's 2024 reelection campaign and a promise he has made good on in the early months of his second administration.
DEI stands for diversity, equity and inclusion. It has a fairly open-ended definition and can be construed differently depending on a person's political ideology.
Generally, DEI is a conceptual framework that promotes the fair treatment and full participation of all people, especially populations that have historically been underrepresented or subject to discrimination because of their background, identity and disability, according to the American Psychological Association.
Supporters of these diversity programs say they help companies hire and retain top talent and boost innovation and profits. Others consider the policies to be "woke," saying that they allow companies to hire based on race instead of merit. Critics believe DEI programs propagate 'reverse discrimination," that is, discrimination against white people.
USA TODAY reporter Jessica Guynn contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee lawmakers target DEI with two new bills. What to know
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Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump aides want Texas to redraw its congressional maps to boost the GOP. What would that mean?
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The Hill
19 minutes ago
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ICE raids accelerate, protests spread
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Yahoo
20 minutes ago
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Musk regrets some of his Trump criticisms, says they 'went too far'
Musk regrets some of his Trump criticisms, says they 'went too far' Elon Musk, the world's richest person and Donald Trump's former advisor, says he regretted some of his recent criticisms of the US president (Kevin Dietsch) (Kevin Dietsch/GETTY IMAGESvia AFP) Elon Musk, the world's richest person and Donald Trump's former advisor, said Wednesday he regretted some of his recent criticisms of the US president, after the pair's public falling-out last week. "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far," Musk wrote on his social media platform X, in a message that was received favorably by the White House. Musk's expression of regret came just days after Trump threatened the tech billionaire with "serious consequences" if he sought to punish Republicans who vote for a controversial spending bill. Their blistering break-up -- largely carried out on social media before a riveted public since Thursday last week -- was ignited by Musk's harsh criticism of Trump's so-called "big, beautiful" spending bill, which is currently before Congress. ADVERTISEMENT Some lawmakers who were against the bill had called on Musk -- one of the Republican Party's biggest financial backers in last year's presidential election -- to fund primary challenges against Republicans who voted for the legislation. "He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that," Trump, who also branded Musk "disrespectful," told NBC News on Saturday, without specifying what those consequences would be. Trump also said he had "no" desire to repair his relationship with the South African-born Tesla and SpaceX chief, and that he has "no intention of speaking to him." But after Musk's expression of regret, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump was "appreciative," adding that "no efforts" had been made on a threat by Trump to end some of Musk's government contracts. "The president acknowledged the statement that Elon put out this morning, and he is appreciative of it," Leavitt said. ADVERTISEMENT According to the New York Times, Musk's message followed a phone call to Trump late on Monday night. Vice President JD Vance and Chief of Staff Susan Wiles had also been working with Musk on how to broker a truce with Trump, the report said. - 'Wish him well' - In his post on Wednesday, Musk did not specify which of his criticisms of Trump had gone "too far." The former allies had seemed to have cut ties amicably about two weeks ago, with Trump giving Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But their relationship cracked within days, with Musk describing the spending bill as an "abomination" that, if passed by Congress, could define Trump's second term in office. Trump hit back at Musk's comments in an Oval Office diatribe and from there the row detonated, leaving Washington stunned. ADVERTISEMENT Trump later said on his Truth Social platform that cutting billions of dollars in subsidies and contracts to Musk's companies would be the "easiest way" to save the US government money. US media have put the value of the contracts at $18 billion. With real political and economic risks to their falling out, both already appeared to inch back from the brink on Friday, with Trump telling reporters "I just wish him well," and Musk responding on X: "Likewise." Trump had spoken to NBC on Saturday after Musk deleted one of the explosive allegations he had made during their fallout, linking the president with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of sex trafficking. bur-arp/aha
