North Carolina General Assembly (File Photo)
North Carolina House Majority Leader Brenden Jones, a Republican representing Columbus and Robeson counties, filed legislation Friday to purge all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives from state and local government.
House Bill 171, titled “Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI,” would remove measures supporting DEI from state agencies and government.
The bill declares that state agencies will not “promote, support, fund, implement, or maintain workplace DEI programs, policies, or initiatives,” such as using DEI in hirings and employment, maintaining staff positions or offices dedicated to DEI, or offering or requiring DEI training, according to its text.
This follows national action via an executive order titled “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing” authorized by President Donald Trump last month upon his return to the White House.
Jones also proposes banning state agencies and local governments from using public funds to promote DEI programs.
The bill includes a provision aimed at preventing conflict with Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Additionally, the text mentions compliance with any “other applicable [s]tate or federal law,” but does not provide additional clarification.
State agencies and local governments would need to prepare for the state auditor and publicly share on their websites a report analyzing actions taken to comply with this measure, according to the bill text. This requirement would begin on Feb. 1, 2026 and take place annually in the following years.
The state auditor would then need to submit a consolidated report to the General Assembly’s Joint Legislative Commission on Government Operations by April 1, 2026, as well as annually after.
“Taxpayer dollars should fund merit, not woke agendas and identity politics,” Jones shared on social media. “This bill upholds equal opportunity and ensures employment and contracts are based on qualifications, not quotas.”
Jones told NC Newsline in a statement that “DEI policies have undermined fairness and efficiency in North Carolina’s state and local government, prioritizing political agendas over merit and qualifications.”
Republican Representatives Neal Jackson (Moore, Randolph), Jarrod Lowery (Robeson), and Blair Eddins (Alexander, Wilkes) joined Jones as primary sponsors for the bill.
Read the bill here: Jones-DEI-bill