On Friday, June 12, the Arizona legislature passed the strongest protection against race-based discrimination in the nation.
House bill HCR2044 passed both chambers on party-line votes, which will allow voters to enact a state constitutional amendment prohibiting the use of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) anywhere in the state. House Speaker Steve Montenegro was the sponsor of this bill.
Arizona is one of the states that allows the legislature to place state statutes and state constitutional amendments on the general election ballot. This is accomplished by passing special bills referred to as concurrent resolutions, which may originate in the House (HCR) or the Senate (SCR). The process is an exercise in direct democracy because it enables voters to approve or reject the submitted measures.
By going directly to the voters, this measure bypasses the governor and avoids a certain veto by her.
The official summary of HCR2044 reads as follows:
“Subject to voter approval, constitutionally prohibits the state from compelling or spending public monies on promoting or giving preferential treatment to or discriminating against any individual on the basis of race or ethnicity.”
The Goldwater Institute helped write this bill and lobbied for its approval. The Institute has published a list of HCR2044’s main provisions:
- Close an existing loophole in the state constitution that allows the federal government to push Arizona institutions to adopt DEI measures.
- Permanently shut down DEI offices and trainings throughout state government.
- Prohibit public educational institutions from requiring students to take DEI courses in order to graduate.
Once approved by the voters, this bill will become part of the Arizona constitution, which cannot be altered or amended, except by another vote of the people.
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