Dallas’ Office of Equity and Inclusion, which was heavily featured in the region’s human rights proposal required to host next year’s FIFA World Cup, could be on the chopping block if a Texas Senate bill intended to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion departments in local governments becomes law.
“The core of this is getting back to the fundamentals of hiring and having the best person for the job,” said Rep. Stan Gerdes, R-Bastrop, who introduced the bill on Monday in the House’s State Affairs Committee. The bill was advanced out of committee.
The legislation seeks to ensure governments hire, train and promote employees based on “merits and qualifications” instead of “things like race, gender, background and other social context,” Gerdes said.
In Dallas, the equity office has been at the helm of data analysis, guiding where and how the City Council invests money to progress efforts in southern Dallas, south of Interstate 30, to bring parity in the quality of life and infrastructure development neighbors in the northern half of the city are more accustomed to.
The department also investigates discrimination in housing and employment and oversees the implementation of a plan to improve ADA infrastructure.
Opponents of the bill say its language is vague and broad and could go beyond just eliminating the department.
They worry that the bill’s language will reverse the progress local governments have made in addressing disinvestment and neglect in underserved and underrepresented communities, which have been exacerbated by local redlining policies.
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Adam Bazaldua said the bill imposes administrative burdens on the city and creates confusion regarding compliance.
At the same time, the city is looking for ways to balance its budget, and eliminating the office could make that job a bit easier.
In the city’s current budget, officials reduced funding for the department by 25% from the previous year’s allocation. The department at the moment has 19 positions, according to the city’s budget, and at least three positions were reclassified into other departments.
Andrew Hendrickson with the ACLU of Texas said the bill was anti-democratic because voters can easily hold their government accountable if local bodies create programs they dislike. “That is the ultimate level of accountability to democracy, and what we would like to see these local policies be based on, what the voters best think is serving their communities,” he said.
Some lawmakers questioned if the law would bar cities from celebrating events related to Juneteenth and Black History Month. They were also concerned the language would affect outreach aimed at addressing health disparities in neglected communities.
Rep. Rafael Anchía, D-Dallas, questioned the impact of anti-equity and inclusion policies in attracting talent to the private sector. “You adopt policies that will get you the best talent pool, and oftentimes that talent pool is asking for diversity, equity and inclusion because those terms, until very recently, are seen very positively in the marketplace by the employee pool. Is that not right?” Anchía asked.
“That is right,” Bazaldua responded.
Rep. Richard Raymond, D-Laredo, asked how the bill would materially change the city’s work — can the city do what it needs to do without the department?
Bazaldua said the equity office isn’t responsible for just hiring diverse candidates. “It’s also about equitable spending,” he said.
Bazaldua’s district encompasses South Dallas and the neighboring communities around Fair Park, and has been the subject of decadeslong city policies, such as redlining and seizure of land through eminent domain, that contributed to the erosion of hundreds of Black families. Those communities “are just now catching up,” he said.
