KUAR | By Daniel Breen
Members of the Arkansas Senate have approved a bill that would ban state-supported affirmative action programs.
Senate Bill 3, sponsored by Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro, would prohibit “discrimination or preferential treatment” in state entities. Senators voted on the proposal Wednesday, following more than two hours of debate in committee Tuesday.
Speaking on the Senate floor, Sullivan said the bill wouldn’t impact hiring practices in the private sector.
“Preferential treatment and discrimination have always existed… but to say that we’re trying to get rid of that nationwide and statewide is just a straw man and not true,” he said. “This bill only affects procurement, hiring and higher [education].”
Image by John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate