Speaker Pro Tem Rachelle Smit on Thursday presided over the House passage of a plan to end race-based hiring practices within state government. The legislation, which was approved by the House with bipartisan support, would require merit-based hiring practices for at-will state employees.

“Hiring decisions should be made based on merit, not skin color or gender identity,” said Smit, R-Martin. “Taxpayers don’t care what gender or race the person behind the phone is when they call to check the status of their Medicaid benefits or unemployment payments. They care whether someone is qualified enough to answer their questions and process their claims. Our state departments need to be focused on delivering the best possible service for the people of Michigan, not wasting time on filling make-believe diversity quotas.”

The plan, House Bill 4288, would require state agencies to base hiring on merit-based factors such as an applicant’s relevant education or work experience. Any state agency that violates the requirements could face civil fines of up to $10,000 per violation.   

The plan was introduced by Rep. Erin Byrnes, D-Dearborn, and was co-sponsored by more than 30 other House Democrats.

“When I first heard about the overwhelming Democrat support to end DEI hiring in state government, I was over the moon,” Smit said. “Finally, Democrats are coming around and seeing the connection between merit-based hiring and successful outcomes. We need more Democrats to take Gov. Whitmer’s lead and embrace President Trump’s agenda. There hasn’t been a lot from House Democrats this year, but this effort to strip DEI from state hiring practices sure is a diamond in the rough.”

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