INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Newly sworn-in Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) on Wednesday issued an executive order eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion practices from within the state’s government.
The order comes from abiding by the Equal Protection Clause under the Fourteenth Amendment and by “ensuring all Hoosiers have equality of opportunity by eliminating DEI in state government.”
Instead, Braun ordered the initiative be replaced with MEI, or “merit, excellence, and innovation.”
Under the order, state agencies will not:
- Support diversity, equity, and inclusion positions, departments, activities, procedures or programs if they grant preferential treatment based upon one person’s particular race, color, ethnicity, or national origin, over that of another person.
- Require any person to participate in or receive any training, instruction, procedures, or programming if they endorse preferential treatment of one person’s particular race, color, ethnicity or national origin, over that of another person.
- Require any applicant for employment to provide a statement relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion or provide any applicant …