Texas Governor Says Using Diversity-Equity Principles for State Hires is Illegal; Gov. Abbott Warns State Agencies that Race-based Hiring Practices Violate Texas Law

Texas governor says using diversity-equity principles for state hires is illegal

The administration of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is telling state agencies and public universities that using diversity, equity and inclusion in hiring decisions is illegal.

The Republican governor’s chief of staff, Gardner Pate, wrote in a memo over the weekend that the DEI initiatives may sound innocuous, but are actually an underhanded way to “push policies that expressly favor some demographic groups to the detriment of others.”

“When a state agency adjusts its employment practices based on factors other than merit, it is not following the law,” Mr. Pate wrote. “Rebranding this employment discrimination as ‘DEI’ does not make the practice any less illegal.”

The memo was first reported Monday by the Texas Tribune. One of the memos was obtained by KHOU in Houston, and was sent to Porter Wilson, the head of the state’s Employees Retirement System.

Mr. Pate didn’t clarify which demographic groups are being discriminated against as a result of DEI initiatives. But he did say that spending taxpayer dollars to fund DEI offices, departments and positions are outside the scope of the law.

The memo didn’t cite any specific laws that were being violated by DEI practices. It did use language that suggested the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which bars employment discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion and national origin. —>READ MORE HERE

Gov. Abbott Warns State Agencies that Race-based Hiring Practices Violate Texas Law:

Launching another attack against critical race theory, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office warned state agency leaders that using Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion criteria when hiring employees violates state law.

Gardner Pate, Abbott’s chief of staff, sent a letter to all Texas state agencies, including public universities, informing them that DEI programs lead to discriminatory hiring practices.

Over the past few years, universities and other public institutions have created DEI departments and councils to promote divisive racial policies. Although seemingly innocuous, DEI initiatives are commonly associated with CRT, and activists in these departments often push for equal outcomes instead of equal opportunities.

In his memo to agency leaders, Pate warned state officials that filtering potential employees through DEI initiatives would lead the agencies to favor “some demographic groups to the detriment of others.”

“Indeed, rather than increasing diversity in the workplace, these DEI initiatives are having the opposite effect and are being advanced in ways that proactively encourage discrimination in the workplace,” wrote Pate. “Illegally adding DEI requirements as a screening tool in hiring practices or using DEI as a condition of employment leads to the exclusion and alienation of individuals from the workplace.”

Pate explained that hiring employees based on factors other than merit violates Texas’ anti-discrimination laws. —>READ MORE HERE

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