SC House lawmakers delay vote on diversity and equity bill following pressure from Black Caucus By Nick Reynolds 3 hrs ago COLUMBIA — Statehouse Republicans delayed a vote on their proposed ban on policies boosting diversity, equity and inclusion in government amid opposition from the Democratic-led Legislative Black Caucus which is claiming even Republicans are divided on passing the bill.
The legislation would bar the state's public institutions of higher learning and other "quasi-state agencies" from implementing policies that encourage preferential or differential treatment on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation.
Covered policies would have included the consideration of diversity or equity in everything from hiring and college admissions practices to restrictions on mandatory trainings tied to DEI, which some argue help prevent discrimination in public spaces.
Entering the legislative workday March 26, most in the S.C. Statehouse chambers believed the GOP-controlled House of Representatives would be voting on the bill that day.
While a similar Republican majority easily passed anti-DEI legislation during the 2024 legislative session, this year's version is significantly pared down from that iteration of that earlier bill, which ultimately failed to gain muster in the Senate amid widespread opposition from the state's institutions of higher learning.
It was also substantially revised from a version introduced this session that some argued would have prevented state universities and research colleges from accessing millions of dollars in grant funding crucial to their mission. The Medical University of South Carolina alone, under the language in the original bill, argued it could have potentially lost access to tens of millions of dollars in grants from government agencies or private foundations if programs were determined to promote DEI, depending on legal interpretations.
And if enacted as originally written, state fiscal analysts projected the cost to the state — as well as the potential losses in grant funding — could have stretched into the millions of dollars per year.
A revised version introduced on the floor March 26, addressed those concerns, Republicans said, while backing off of programs they said were actually exacerbating inequality in society.
"Diversity, equity and inclusion are not bad words," Rep. Tim McGinnis, R-Myrtle Beach, said on the floor March 26. "They are something we should strive on. However, DEI programs as we've seen in this country are a failed experiment."
But the bill failed to move. And as McGinnis attempted to speak on the amendment revising the bill, multiple motions were made to delay debate. After several interruptions, McGinnis stepped away from the well.
After a nearly two-hour break for lunch, members of the Legislative Black Caucus — who had introduced approximately one dozen amendments to the bill — took to the well in succession to speak against it, at times accusing their Republican colleagues of being unable to define their argument and of backtracking on the state's racial progress.
"You may not all realize this, but a lot of friendships will be destroyed today," Rep. John King, R-Rock Hill, said from the floor.
Several hours later, House Republican leadership eventually voted to adjourn debate on the bill until next week. Democrats declared victory, accusing Republicans of not being in agreement on the bill's passage.
"This is bad for everybody in South Carolina," Columbia Democrat Jermaine Johnson — who said he delayed a trip to visit his ailing father to debate the bill — told reporters after the vote. "And they know this. And they're trying to figure out how they can silence the people in South Carolina right now, and we can't stand for it."
McGinnis told reporters he fully intended to take up the bill again next week.
"I was ready to move today," he said. "But I think we do want to take our time and get a bill crafted that addresses as many concerns as we can address."
McGinnis did not specify what those concerns were. But the pressure to do something has been mounting amid a push by President Donald Trump's White House to limit funding to entities that engage in what it considers discriminatory policies based on attributes such as race.
DEI, when properly implemented, promotes merit, not racial, ethnic or identity preferences, experts say. The idea is for employers to cultivate a qualified pool of candidates by casting a wider net and providing support to those who have been historically disadvantaged. By leveling the playing field and enlarging the pool of candidates, it becomes more likely that a qualified minority candidate could be selected for the job.
Nevertheless, some entities in South Carolina already have been working on their own to draw down any operations that could be perceived as relating to DEI. Recently, the College of Charleston Board of Trustees passed a resolution removing references to diversity, equity and inclusion from the college's website. It also announced plans to absorb offices providing services boosting on-campus diversity initiatives into divisions such as student affairs, admissions and human resources.
Others, including Clemson University, are currently facing federal investigation on allegations of participating in programs that limit eligibility of certain programs based on race.
| 
