Arizona House committee approves bill to end DEI policies

Audio By Carbonatix

(The Center Square) - A bill to permanently end DEI through constitutional reform is now going to the Arizona House of Representatives for a floor vote.

Sponsored by House Speaker Steve Montenegro, R-Surprise, HCR2044 was approved on Wednesday by the chamber's Committee on Government. All four of the panel's Republicans voted yes. The three Democrats voted no.

If the bill passes the full House and Senate, HCR2044 will be referred to voters in the Nov. 3, 2026 general election to amend the Arizona Constitution.

Before the committee vote on Wednesday, members heard testimony from people such as Matt Beienburg, director of education policy at the Goldwater Institute. The Phoenix-based think tank supports HCR2044.

“Members, in 2010, Arizona voters approved — by a 19-point margin — a state constitutional amendment to ban racial discrimination in public employment, public education and public contracting,” said Beienburg. “In 2023, the United States Supreme Court ruled that university admissions practices based upon racial discrimination are illegal under the Constitution, and this past year, through his executive order, President Trump rescinded the federal government’s decades-long support for racial discrimination that have operated under the banners of diversity, equity, and inclusion and affirmative action.”

As a result, Beienburg said, HCR2044 “builds upon these victories” and reaffirms the state’s protections against what Beienburg called state-sponsored race-based discrimination.

“This measure is not only grounded firmly in the principles of the U.S. Constitution, but reflects the values held by overwhelming majorities of the American people and the voters of Arizona,” said Beienburg. “Not only have state and national polls repeatedly shown support for prohibiting state-sponsored racial discrimination, but even in deep blue California, as recently as 2020, voters overwhelmingly rejected an effort by DEI activists to repeal the state’s affirmative action ban, upholding the state’s protections against racial discrimination  by 14 points, despite activists spending nearly 20 times as much in their campaign to promote race based discrimination.”

In Arizona, Beienburg said, “over three-quarters of voters support provisions prohibiting race-based discrimination.” 

“While the U.S. Supreme Court has given a clear signal that racial discrimination by institutions such as universities is illegal, this decision pertained narrowly to admissions,” said Beienburg. “The measure before you will ensure that the same protections are upheld throughout our public institutions, no matter who sits in the White House, and that Arizona will choose the Constitution, not an ideology of discrimination.”

In January 2023, Goldwater published a report stating that Arizona’s public universities compel job applicants to endorse progressive politics. At the time, Goldwater said that up to 80% of faculty job openings “force applicants to pledge support for progressive, racialized notions” of diversity, equity and inclusion and critical race theory terminology in order to be hired.

“DEI, or CRT, affirmative action essentially equates to endorsing, giving preferential treatment to, and classifying people differently based upon their race,” Beienburg told The Center Square Wednesday after the committee hearing. “So all of these essentially amount to state-sponsored racial discrimination.”

The Center Square sought comments from Montenegro and the committee members, but did not get a response before press time.