Over the past year, several states have rolled out plans to defund diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. While these initiatives are focused on state agencies and state-funded higher education, they may cause concern for private employers.
DEI has many definitions, but broadly, the phrase is often used to describe policies or practices that promote representation, equitable treatment, inclusion, belonging, recruitment, and retention of diverse individuals. DEI efforts often focus on valuing different backgrounds in the workplace, including age, ability, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and religion.
These efforts have come under attack in many quarters as multiple lawmakers have employed various tactics, including rolling back broad environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives by corporations as well as restricting teachers from teaching broad historical topics in their classrooms. Current anti-DEI initiatives focus on defunding DEI programs in higher education or prohibiting the use of DEI policies in hiring decisions. Below are snapshots from some of the 19 states that have introduced or passed anti-DEI legislation.
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