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Capitol Notes: DEI on the ballot in Wisconsin

Several students in flourescent orange shirts from Leaders Igniting Transformation sit at a table with a Republican Legislator from Wisconsin in the state capitol.
Maayan Silver
/
WUWM
Student members of LIT or Leaders Igniting Transformation meet for advocacy day at the Wisconsin State Capitol in 2023, pushing for policies like tuition assistance for first generation college students. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that in states that have adopted measures on DEI like the ones going before voters in November, those states have seen reduced enrollment among students of color and fewer government contracts to women and minority-run businesses.

As President Donald Trump takes an ax to diversity, equity and inclusion programs and grants in the federal government, GOP legislators in Wisconsin are attempting to do the same.

They have moved forward a bill that would ask voters in November to approve a constitutional amendment banning the consideration of race, ethnicity and other factors in state government arenas like employment, education and contracts.

This week's Capitol Notes delves into that, an unexpected state budget surplus and the fate of WisconsinEye, which livestreams state Capitol happenings.

Maayan is a WUWM news reporter.