Nebraskans voted to end state and local government discrimination and preferential treatment on November 4, 2008, as 58 percent said YES on Initiative 424.
Nebraska TV reports on the aftermath. Government-funded programs with racial and sex classifications must rewrite policies and begin hiring and recruiting without regard to skin color and sex. Colleges and universities in Nebraska with so-called affirmative action programs will have to consider factors other than race or sex when making admissions decisions. Government-funded scholarships and grants must be race- and gender-neutral.
Government entities with so-called affirmative action programs will no longer be allowed to deny someone a job because of his or her race or sex, nor can the government entity show preferential treatment to someone based on these factors.
University of Nebraska president J.B. Milliken said the new law “might affect our ability to do outreach and recruitment.” Not necessarily. Expanding outreach and recruitment efforts to blacks is not illegal under the new law. That is affirmative action. Applying different standards of hiring, contracting, and admissions to blacks is illegal. That is a racial preference, a practice that should be just as odious now as it was 50 years ago. If the university offers “outreach” funds in a racially neutral manner, the law will have no impact.
It’s not complicated, though the opposition tries to make it seem so. Read the FAQ on Initiative 424 to find out exactly what it means and what institutions and programs are affected.
As expected, the new law faces legal challenges.
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