Next up in 5
Example video title will go here for this video
Next up in 5
Example video title will go here for this video
INDIANAPOLIS — New Indiana Gov. Mike Braun on Wednesday ordered the elimination of all DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) initiatives in state government as part of 19 executive orders.
Braun, who was sworn in as the Hoosier State’s 52nd governor on Monday, Jan. 13, said in the order that all executive branch state agencies should not use state funds, property or resources to “support diversity, equity of inclusion positions, departments, activities, procedures or programs if they grant preferential treatment based upon one person’s particular race, color, ethnicity, or national origin, over that of another person.”
The agencies all also barred from using state resources to:
The order also closes the Chief Equity, Inclusion, and Opportunity Office within the governor’s office.
Braun signed a total of nine executive orders pertaining to state government operations.
RELATED: Undocumented children could be barred from school under new Indiana bill
According to a news release, these executive orders deliver on Braun’s promise to “make state government leaner and more efficient by streamlining state operations, boosting transparency, and promoting fiscal discipline while cutting red tape.”
The nine executive orders include:
Political experts 13News spoke with said it’s not unusual for a governor to hit the ground running with executive orders.
They said this is also a way for the governor to do what he wants to do right out of the gate on issues that don’t need approval from lawmakers.
“This makes more sense as a way for him to exercise his executive authority without having to involve the legislation being able, of course to do it fairly immediately having just taken office and sworn the oath two days ago,” University of Indianapolis political science professor Laura Merrifield Wilson said.
A full list of the executive orders signed by Braun can be found online here.
Here’s what the governor had to say about several of these bills:
RELATED: Legal weed is back up for debate at the Indiana Statehouse
Like the private sector, the state moved to remote work during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many employees continued to do so, but no longer. Braun said there may be some exceptions to the return to work policy, but that he thinks it makes sense overall.
“We believe in the value of in person collaboration and believe they will foster a stronger, more collaborative state work force,” Braun said.
The state of Indiana requires degrees for many positions it posts and hopes to fill. Some of those requirements are set by law and can’t be altered. For all others, Braun wants the state to remove them and focus on skill and experience.
“I can tell you in the enterprise I ran for 37 years, some of my best employees were just good at what they wanted to come do for you,” Braun said.
Braun said the move will attract a wider pool of talent of Hoosiers who want to work for the state.
To ensure quality work, many professions are governed by licensing boards. Doctors are the most famous example. But Braun feels some of the standards these boards set are too difficult.
“They’re important to make sure there’s a certain standard,” Braun said. “When they become overbearing, they start to exclude.”
The order wouldn’t apply to jobs essential to public safety like law enforcement, healthcare providers or Hoosiers who work in emergency services.
Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings.
