CT Democrat Governor Ned Lamont issued an executive order bypassing the legislature on Tuesday. He will create a new state office on equity and inclusion (DEI – Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) to promote fairness, inclusivity and social progress in state government. The office will be funded through existing budget appropriations.
Lamont plans to appoint a chief equity and opportunity officer. Under the order, all state employees must be trained on diversity, equity and inclusion. Agencies are ordered to create an equity plan.
Republicans pushed back saying “the DEI czar is ill-conceived. Rather than installing what will surely be a mind-numbing layer of bureaucracy to manufacture illogical outcomes, Governor Lamont should prioritize a more basic yet crucial goal: bringing state employees back to the office.”
Between the lines: While the private sector, such as Microsoft and John Deere, can’t abandon it fast enough, Connecticut doubles down on DEI.