House committee advances evolving local DEI ban

The House Commerce Committee is moving forward with a bill by Rep. Dean Black (HB 1001) that would ban counties and cities from funding or promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), albeit with some changes from its original filing.

Black said the bill targeted “the behavior of DEI” in a lengthy discussion ahead of the bill’s advancement.

Its previous committee of reference included language allowing a county or municipality to fund, promote, or take official action for civic or community events relating to DEI through June 2027, allowing community and civic events targeted to minority groups, safeguarding access to public health, and clarifying that local officials would only be punished for “willful” violations of the proposed law.

“Anything with a religious aspect is going to be protected. You don’t have anything to worry about with Jewish celebrations or even St. Patrick’s Day,” he said.

More changes came in this committee, with Black filing a strike-all amendment.

“The strike all provides numerous exceptions. These exceptions have been adopted subsequent to many discussions over the last two years with various stakeholders. It also adds exceptions from Chapter 267.0722 and Chapter 267.0724 to explicitly protect Black History Month,” Black said.

DEI would be defined, per the bill, as any effort to “manipulate or otherwise influence the composition of employees with reference to race, color, sex, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation other than to ensure that hiring is conducted in accordance with state and federal antidiscrimination laws.”

Democrats peppered the Jacksonville Republican with questions and comments expressing consternation, including urging Black to differentiate between “race” and “color,” and to explain what the “preferential treatment” language meant in the bill.

“Race refers to race, and color refers to pigmentation,” he explained.

Rep. Michele Rayner pointed out the opposition to the “overbroad and vague” bill ran far and wide, saying the measure’s “blissful ignorance” was “maddening” to her and that it didn’t make “legal sense.”

“I just feel like we’re not listening. You have had all these people come up here and say that they oppose it. You have cities and County Commissioners have come up here. I received a letter from one of my mayors, Mayor Kenneth T. Welch, who indicated that he is not in favor of it. And y’all, we don’t listen. We don’t listen,” she said.

Rep. Felicia Robinson called the proposal “evil” and said it was “the most un-American bill” she had seen in the Legislature.

Morality aside, Black says it’s been improved by the process, with exceptions added at the suggestion of members to “help us come together and heal as a people.”

“And I would love to see us focused on taking care of real problems in our society. You know, we have no problem with equal opportunity. It’s when we try to enforce equal outcomes that we get in trouble,” he said.

The companion measure from Sen. Clay Yarborough (SB 1134) is on 2nd Reading in the Senate.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has praised the bill, leaving no doubt that it will become law if it reaches his desk.