Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Research and Resources: Arizona

In February 2023, State Sens. Jake Hoffman, Sonny Borrelli, Anthony Kern, and Justine Wadsack, and State Reps. Justin Heap, Rachel Jones, and Cory McGarr, all Republicans, introduced a bill that would prohibit public colleges from requiring employees to “engage in” diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; spending money on DEI programs; contracting with a company that participates in a DEI program; conducting a DEI program; or hiring a DEI staff member. The bill failed to pass before the end of the legislative session.

In January 2024, State Sen. Jake Hoffman, a Republican, introduced a bill that would ban public entities, including public universities and community colleges, from requiring employees to engage in diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; spending public money on such programs; employing people to create or promote such programs; adopting policies that were established on the basis of race, sex, or color; or promoting such theories as unconscious bias, cultural appropriation, allyship, transgenderism, and microaggressions. The bill would allow public employees who are required to participate in a diversity, equity, and inclusion program to sue. The Senate passed the bill on January 31, 2024.

In February 2024, State Sen. Anthony Kern, a Republican, introduced a bill that would prohibit public colleges and other political subdivisions of the state from using public money "to promote, support, or maintain diversity, equity, and inclusion or to engage in political or social activism." The bill passed the Senate in March.

In January 2024, State Rep. Barbara Parker, a Republican, introduced a bill that would prohibit public colleges from considering religion, race, sex, color, ethnicity, ancestry or national origin in admissions. The bill would prohibit public colleges from using any "facially neutral factor" that correlates with any of the characteristics previously mentioned. Public colleges would also be prohibited from collecting information about those characteristics during the admissions process unless required by federal law; if collecting the data is required by federal law, the information must be removed from application materials for anyone making admissions decisions. The bill would also require the state Department of Education to compile and publish on its website a list of the information used by the selective public colleges to evaluate students for admission.

In February 2024, State Rep. Steve Montenegro, a Republican, introduced a concurrent resolution proposing a constitutional amendment that would ban differential treatment on the basis of race or ethnicity, including for hiring and admissions, and would prohibit diversity statements. The resolution passed the House in March. If approved by the Legislature, the amendment would go before voters in the next general election.