Bill to prohibit discrimination passes split Arkansas House panel after much public opposition

KUAR | By Tess Vrbin / Arkansas Advocate

A bill that a slew of critics say would impede minorities’ opportunities for success in Arkansas passed a legislative panel on a split voice vote Wednesday after nearly three hours of debate.

Senate Bill 3 would “prohibit discrimination or preferential treatment” by public entities and eliminate required minority recruitment and retention plans and reports from public school districts and higher education institutions.

The bill would also repeal language in state procurement proposals that encourage minority participation or require bidders to adopt an equal opportunity hiring program designed to increase the percentage of minority employees.

Bill to prohibit discrimination passes split Arkansas House panel after much public opposition

Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate

Rep. Denise Ennett, D-Little Rock, criticizes Senate Bill 3, which would “prohibit discrimination or preferential treatment” by public entities during a House Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs meeting on Wednesday, February 5, 2025.

Affirmative action ban advances through Arkansas Senate

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].”

Affirmative action ban advances through Arkansas Senate

Image by John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate

Bill to ban affirmative action passes Arkansas Senate committee

KUAR | By Maggie Ryan

A bill to end affirmative action programs in the state has passed its first hurdle to becoming law Tuesday.

Senate Bill 3 to “prohibit discrimination or preferential treatment” in state entities is sponsored by Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro. The bill strikes terms such as “equity,” “civil rights,” “minority,” and “diversity” from Arkansas law and repeals sections creating scholarships, support services, and retention programs for minorities.

The bill says “the state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, an individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in matters of state employment, public education, or state procurement,” and creates a pathway for people who believe their rights have been impacted under the legislation to sue.

Bill to ban affirmative action passes Arkansas Senate committee