Wisconsin Republicans launch audit of state government diversity efforts

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Legislature’s audit committee voted Tuesday to launch a comprehensive review of diversity and inclusion efforts across state government after the Assembly’s top Republican vowed to eliminate equity initiatives.

The committee voted 6-4 to order the Legislative Audit Bureau to conduct the review, with all four Democrats on the panel voting against the proposal.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed an executive order in 2019 requiring each state agency to create and monitor equity and inclusion plans to address employment barriers, assess workplaces to ensure they’re equitable and promote inclusion and expand professional development to encourage a more inclusive culture.

State Auditor Joe Chrisman said in a memo to committee members that the review could show what agencies have done to comply with the order, how much compliance has cost and outcomes. The probe will include cabinet-level agencies, other executive branch agencies, the state Department of Justice and the state university system, Chrisman said.

Conservatives across the country have been working to limit diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Republican lawmakers in about two dozen states have filed bills this year looking to restrict DEI initiatives. Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who is white, has pledged to end diversity efforts in state government, saying that such initiatives are “cancerous” and that he wants a society that is “truly colorblind.”

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