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Gov. Greg Abbott tells state agencies to stop considering diversity in hiring


anna_gari_maata

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Gov. Greg Abbott’s office is warning state agency and public university leaders this week that the use of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — policies that support groups who have been historically underrepresented or discriminated against — is illegal in hiring.

In a memo written Monday and obtained by The Texas Tribune, Abbott’s chief of staff Gardner Pate told agency leaders that using DEI policies violates federal and state employment laws, and hiring cannot be based on factors “other than merit.”

Pate said DEI initiatives illegally discriminate against certain demographic groups — though he did not specify which ones he was talking about.

 

“The innocuous sounding notion of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) has been manipulated to push policies that expressly favor some demographic groups to the detriment of others,” Pate wrote.

Diversity, equity and inclusion is a moniker used for policies developed to provide guidance in workplaces, government offices and college campuses intended to increase representation and foster an environment that emphasizes fair treatment to groups that have historically faced discrimination. DEI policies can include resources for underrepresented groups, which can include people with disabilities, LGBTQ people and veterans. In hiring, it can include setting diversity goals or setting thresholds to ensure that a certain number of diverse candidates are interviewed. At universities, DEI offices are often focused on helping students of color or nontraditional students stay in school and graduate.

The governor’s directive represents the latest effort by Republican leaders fighting back against policies and academic disciplines that Republicans nationwide have deemed “woke.” DEI, along with critical race theory, has become a target of conservatives who argue that white people are being unfairly treated or characterized in schools and workplaces.

“Rebranding this employment discrimination as ‘DEI’ doesn’t make the practice any less illegal,” Pate wrote. “Further, when a state agency spends taxpayer dollars to fund offices, departments, or employee positions dedicated to promoting forbidden DEI initiatives, such actions are also inconsistent with the law.”

Andrew Eckhous, an Austin-based lawyer for Kaplan Law Firm, which specializes in employment and civil rights litigation, said the governor’s office is “completely mischaracterizing DEI’s role in employment decisions” in an apparent attempt to block initiatives that improve diversity.

“Anti-discrimination laws protect all Americans by ensuring that employers do not make hiring decisions based on race, religion, or gender, while DEI initiatives work in tandem with those laws to encourage companies to solicit applications from a wide range of applicants, which is legal and beneficial,” Eckhous said in an email.

“The only piece of news in this letter is that Governor Abbott is trying to stop diversity initiatives for the apparent benefit of some unnamed demographic that he refuses to disclose,” he added.

 

The letter cites federal and state anti-discrimination laws as the underpinning for why Pate says DEI initiatives are illegal. Those laws notably have come about as a response to discrimination over several decades.

President Lyndon B. Johnson prohibited employment discrimination based on race, sex, religion and national origin as part of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, during a time when people of color, especially Black Americans, were excluded from higher-wage jobs based on race.

Across the country, state leaders, most recently Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, decried DEI offices and their efforts on college campuses, arguing their work is an attempt to impose “woke” liberal ideologies on students.

Two conservative think tanks, the Manhattan Institute and the Goldwater Institute, recently published a legislative roadmap for state legislatures to “abolish DEI bureaucracies” in higher education, which DeSantis has used to craft his agenda.

 

In Texas, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has been more critical of liberal indoctrination in public universities, proposing to end tenure and restrict certain conversations about race and racism in the college classroom.

Late last year, state Rep. Carl Tepper, R-Lubbock, filed a bill prohibiting state funding toward “any office of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” or an office that supports DEI goals.

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1 hour ago, anna_gari_maata said:

 

Gov. Greg Abbott’s office is warning state agency and public university leaders this week that the use of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — policies that support groups who have been historically underrepresented or discriminated against — is illegal in hiring.

In a memo written Monday and obtained by The Texas Tribune, Abbott’s chief of staff Gardner Pate told agency leaders that using DEI policies violates federal and state employment laws, and hiring cannot be based on factors “other than merit.”

Pate said DEI initiatives illegally discriminate against certain demographic groups — though he did not specify which ones he was talking about.

 

“The innocuous sounding notion of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) has been manipulated to push policies that expressly favor some demographic groups to the detriment of others,” Pate wrote.

Diversity, equity and inclusion is a moniker used for policies developed to provide guidance in workplaces, government offices and college campuses intended to increase representation and foster an environment that emphasizes fair treatment to groups that have historically faced discrimination. DEI policies can include resources for underrepresented groups, which can include people with disabilities, LGBTQ people and veterans. In hiring, it can include setting diversity goals or setting thresholds to ensure that a certain number of diverse candidates are interviewed. At universities, DEI offices are often focused on helping students of color or nontraditional students stay in school and graduate.

The governor’s directive represents the latest effort by Republican leaders fighting back against policies and academic disciplines that Republicans nationwide have deemed “woke.” DEI, along with critical race theory, has become a target of conservatives who argue that white people are being unfairly treated or characterized in schools and workplaces.

“Rebranding this employment discrimination as ‘DEI’ doesn’t make the practice any less illegal,” Pate wrote. “Further, when a state agency spends taxpayer dollars to fund offices, departments, or employee positions dedicated to promoting forbidden DEI initiatives, such actions are also inconsistent with the law.”

Andrew Eckhous, an Austin-based lawyer for Kaplan Law Firm, which specializes in employment and civil rights litigation, said the governor’s office is “completely mischaracterizing DEI’s role in employment decisions” in an apparent attempt to block initiatives that improve diversity.

“Anti-discrimination laws protect all Americans by ensuring that employers do not make hiring decisions based on race, religion, or gender, while DEI initiatives work in tandem with those laws to encourage companies to solicit applications from a wide range of applicants, which is legal and beneficial,” Eckhous said in an email.

“The only piece of news in this letter is that Governor Abbott is trying to stop diversity initiatives for the apparent benefit of some unnamed demographic that he refuses to disclose,” he added.

 

The letter cites federal and state anti-discrimination laws as the underpinning for why Pate says DEI initiatives are illegal. Those laws notably have come about as a response to discrimination over several decades.

President Lyndon B. Johnson prohibited employment discrimination based on race, sex, religion and national origin as part of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, during a time when people of color, especially Black Americans, were excluded from higher-wage jobs based on race.

Across the country, state leaders, most recently Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, decried DEI offices and their efforts on college campuses, arguing their work is an attempt to impose “woke” liberal ideologies on students.

Two conservative think tanks, the Manhattan Institute and the Goldwater Institute, recently published a legislative roadmap for state legislatures to “abolish DEI bureaucracies” in higher education, which DeSantis has used to craft his agenda.

 

In Texas, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has been more critical of liberal indoctrination in public universities, proposing to end tenure and restrict certain conversations about race and racism in the college classroom.

Late last year, state Rep. Carl Tepper, R-Lubbock, filed a bill prohibiting state funding toward “any office of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” or an office that supports DEI goals.

What a thing 

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Futile effort , diversity hiring is everywhere in America now. Practically all private sector companies are forced to do this , otherwise it will result in witch hunt by the media 

Govt jobs are extremely small part of the job market and minorities are already over represented in govt jobs except police department 

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16 minutes ago, anna_gari_maata said:

Since the question is about merit...both are failed

fake resume -> if the candidate doesnt perform manager is free to kick him out

diversiry -> manager is forced to hire from that pool even if he knows that it is not suitable candidate and cannot take action because of this LGBTQ laws

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1 hour ago, mettastar said:

Way to go .. lekapothe idi kuda india lo reservations laaga avuthayi inka .. 

Hiring should be only based on merit 👌

Diversity hiring is not quota based, quotas are illegal in US and many such moves got struck down when they mandated some quotas in senior positions.

diverity  is not quota based but diversity in hiring, candidates have equal qualifications and the philosophy is to hire people from diverse backgrounds, racial and gender etc. just because they want to have a diverse team doesn’t mean they are going to reserve that position and hand over to an unqualified person. Low level Tech positions in companies are 80-90% filled  with Indians, had there been a quota system we wouldn’t be see so many Indians. The selection is still done on merit and wherever they find a suitable candidate they will try to diversify 

the fundamental ethos of this country and the progression  they made has been because of diversity, be it universities, corporate or political . Even for India what it is because of diversity. Diversity brings in a lot of perspectives other wise any country will end up hilter worshiping nazis who thought themselves as superior to everyone 

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3 minutes ago, hyperbole said:

Diversity hiring is not quota based, quotas are illegal in US and many such moves got struck down when they mandated some quotas in senior positions.

diverity  is not quota based but diversity in hiring, candidates have equal qualifications and the philosophy is to hire people from diverse backgrounds, racial and gender etc. just because they want to have a diverse team doesn’t mean they are going to reserve that position and hand over to a unqualified person.

the fundamental ethos of this country and the progression  they made has been because of diversity, be it universities, corporate or political . Even for India what it is because of diversity. Diversity brings in a lot of perspectives other wise any country will end up hilter worshiping nazis who thought themselves as superior to everyone 

This is coming from a person who supports kcr who wanted to kick andhras out of tg with his rhetoric..lol

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7 minutes ago, hyperbole said:

Diversity hiring is not quota based, quotas are illegal in US and many such moves got struck down when they mandated some quotas in senior positions.

diverity  is not quota based but diversity in hiring, candidates have equal qualifications and the philosophy is to hire people from diverse backgrounds, racial and gender etc. just because they want to have a diverse team doesn’t mean they are going to reserve that position and hand over to an unqualified person. Low level Tech positions in companies are 80-90% filled  with Indians, had there been a quota system we wouldn’t be see so many Indians.

the fundamental ethos of this country and the progression  they made has been because of diversity, be it universities, corporate or political . Even for India what it is because of diversity. Diversity brings in a lot of perspectives other wise any country will end up hilter worshiping nazis who thought themselves as superior to everyone 

lol anna

nuvvu real experience cheyalefemo

one example i saw my friends daughter studied day and night to crack medical seat at one of the reputed meducal school

but was denied seat because it has to be given to diversity quota despite she havingbetter score

the dept head told herself

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