Governor Katie Hobbs has been put on notice after announcing she is creating a “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility Council,” that critics say could violate state law.
Arizona State Senator Jake Hoffman is concerned that the Council could inevitably “provide favored treatment to individuals based solely on race, ethnicity, and sex, rather than qualifications.”
A.R.S. 41-1494 prohibits Arizona, or any of its agencies, from using public monies for any sort of training that “presents any form of blame or judgment on the basis of race, ethnicity or sex,” which is a foundational concept of diversity, equity and inclusion theory.
“I championed legislation in 2021 to prevent exactly what Katie Hobbs is trying to do,” said Hoffman in a press release.
“Not only may the state not spend any funds on this type of training, but it cannot require state employees to be subject to this type of indoctrination. Taxpayer dollars should never be used for anything other than public good. Diversity, equity, and inclusion training is divisive and racist progressive propaganda. It will harm our good-faith efforts to serve our citizens. It will also harm the culture of a hard work ethic established within our state agencies that rewards individuals based on qualifications, experience, and merit, not skin color,” claims Hoffman.
“Instead of focusing on the real issues hurting our Arizona citizens, like soaring inflation, outrageous gas prices, a major housing shortage, water security, and a border crisis threatening the safety of our communities, Katie Hobbs is attempting to once again appeal to her radical left supporters by pushing woke garbage down the throats of our public employees through her creation of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility Council,” said Hoffman. “This move is an obvious cover for her racist past of not only nominating an anti-Semitic to lead the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, but also for her wrongful firing of a black state employee that ended up costing Arizona taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.”
Hoffman is encouraging employees of government agencies within Arizona “experiencing this propaganda being presented or enforced in your workplace, you have rights and whistleblower protections,” to reach out to his office and/or file a complaint with the Arizona Ombudsman Citizens’ Aide.