Owens Backs Bill to Ban Race-Based Preferences in the Federal Government 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) helped introduce the Fairness, Anti-Discrimination and Individual Rights Act – or FAIR Act – for short. The legislation would prohibit the Biden administration, federal contractors, or any other recipient of federal funds from intentionally discriminating against or granting a preference to any person based on race. 

“Growing up as a Black American in the Jim Crow South, I experienced firsthand the true ugliness of discrimination based on the color of my skin,” said Rep. Owens. “Our nation’s Constitution is clear: no person shall be subjected to discrimination based on religion, race, color, ancestry, national origin, sex or physical or mental disability. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration is determined to divide Americans along racial lines.  That is why I am proud to help Representative Tiffany introduce the FAIR Act to continue promoting the ideals of our nation for all Americans—regardless of their skin tone—in the federal government’s hiring, contracting, and funding process.”

The  FAIR Act would:

• Apply to federal hiring, contracting, and programming, as well as states or private entities that receive federal financial assistance.
• Bar any agency, officer, or employee of the federal government from intentionally discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to any person or group of persons based in whole or in part on race, color, or national origin in connection with federal contracting or subcontracting.
• Bar requiring or encouraging any federal contractor or subcontractor, or the recipient of any federal license or financial assistance to discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to any person or group of persons based in whole or in part on race, color, or national origin in connection with any federal contract, subcontract, license, or financial assistance.
• Bar any state or private entity that receives federal financial assistance from intentionally discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to any person or group of persons based in whole or in part on race, color, or national origin in connection with any contract, subcontract, employment, or admission to any educational institution.

The full text of the legislation is available here and a section-by-section is available here. 

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