The measure, signed by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox, cleared the Utah House and Senate with large party majorities.

Utah’s governor signed a bill Tuesday that makes the state the latest to ban diversity training, hiring and inclusion programs at universities and state government.

The bill, signed by Spencer Cox, a Republican who had previously said he supported the idea, cleared the state House and Senate on large party-line votes.

As he approaches the final 12 months of his first term, Cox has moved to the right on the issue of “diversity, equity and inclusion.” After vetoing a ban on transgender students participating in girls’ sports in 2022, Cox signed laws in 2023 regulating the discussion of race and religion in public schools to prohibit, for instance, teaching that anyone could be a racist just because of their race.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill Tuesday that makes the state the latest to ban diversity training, hiring and inclusion programs at universities and state government. (Photo by Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP, Pool, File)

On Tuesday, he also signed a separate bill requiring children to use bathrooms and locker rooms in public schools and government buildings that correspond to their gender assigned at birth.

Cox previously called requiring employees to sign statements supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace and on campus, or DEI, “horrible, bordering on evil.”

“We have been concerned about some DEI programs and policies, particularly regarding hiring practices, and this bill offers a balanced solution,” Cox said in a press release Tuesday evening.

The recent law prohibits universities and governments from having offices dedicated to promoting diversity. They also cannot require employees to declare their commitment to DEI.

“It ensures academic freedom on college campuses where all voices are heard,” Republican Keith Grover, the bill’s sponsor in the state Senate, said shortly before the body’s final passage of the bill 23-6 last Thursday.

All Democrats in the chamber voted “no,” citing statistics showing that the variety of minority students in colleges and universities lags far behind the variety of white students.

Already this 12 months, Republican lawmakers in not less than 17 states have proposed about three dozen bills to limit or require public disclosure of DEI initiatives, according to an Associated Press evaluation that used Plural bill-tracking software.

These measures place a heavy emphasis on higher education, but Republicans are also sponsoring ones that restrict DEI in K-12 schools, state government, state contracts and retirement investments. Some would prohibit financial institutions from discriminating against individuals who refuse to participate in DEI programs.

Meanwhile, Democrats in nine states have filed not less than 20 bills requiring or promoting DEI initiatives. These include measures to repeal Florida’s recent ban on DEI in higher education and measures to require inclusion in the K-12 curriculum. Others involve ferry employees in Washington state and a proposed offshore wind institute in New Jersey.

Last 12 months, Republican-led Florida and Texas became the first to pass sweeping laws banning DEI efforts in higher education. Other states, including Iowa and Oklahoma, have implemented similar measures.

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