(4) Missouri thru North Carolina - State Contractor Reverse Discrimination and Set-Asides.

By State and City:

Nebraska: Nebraska EOC Sued for Reverse Discrimination!
Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission's Director of Operations sues agency for reverse discrimination. State Treasurer refuses to sign settlement checks for other employee's discrimination claims! Agency is out of control! (Hastings Tribune, Sept. 10, 1997)

Montana (Helena): Rep. Rick Jore Seeks End to Quotas in Montana
"Rep. Rick Jore, a Republican, wants the 1999 Legislature to consider two bills to ban programs that grant preferential treatment to an individual or group on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin or sex in public employment, public education or public contracting. The two pieces of legislation, still in draft form, are essentially the same, but one seeks to change state law and the other seeks to ask voters to amend the Montana Constitution.

"Two virtually identical measures were proposed in the 1997 Legislature, by Rep. Bill Boharski, R-Kalispell, but were unsuccessful.

"Jore said Thursday he's proposing the bills because he believes programs that give advantages to one group or individual lead to racial divisions. He said government should be 'color-blind and gender-blind.' 'The idea of preferential policies to compensate for past discrimination is the seed for animosity,' said Jore. 'Two wrongs don't make a right.' " (Billings Gazette, 01-08-99, by Erin P. Billings)
[ link http://www.billingsgazette.com/region/990108_reg009.html ]

North Carolina (Fayetteville): Gov. Jim Hunt Prefers Minority Firms! (05/07/99)
"Gov. Jim Hunt has promised to more than double the state’s goal for awarding contracts to minority-owned companies -- a recurring problem that has plagued his administration. Hunt signed an executive order last month pledging that his administration would award 8 percent of state contracts to minority-owned businesses this year and 10 percent next year.

[According to Joyce Ashby, coordinator of North Carolina’s Historically Underutilized Business program]: "We’ve been making some aggressive efforts to ensure more minority businesses are aware of what’s available to them, but for whatever reason we have not been able to get more (minority) businesses involved. This order shows we are committed to doing that.’’

"At L&L Drywall on Gillespie Street, [minority] owner Clayton Locklear has been registered with the HUB program for eight years. Since then, the company has been awarded dozens of contracts by Cumberland County for work at public schools. "It’s a good program for minorities,’’ said Locklear, who has been in business for 22 years. "I don’t think a lot of businesses know about it.’’

"[Gov. Jim Hunt’s administration] has made repeated pledges to broaden contracting opportunities for minorities, but often those promises have fallen short." (Fayettevillenc.Com, by Robert Bell 05/07/99)
[link http://www.fayettevillenc.com/foto/news/content/1999/tx99may/b07t1axx.htm ]

End State Set-Asides (4) Missouri thru North Carolina Page