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Condotta calls bill to
gut Initiative 200 regressive, discriminatory
Washington’s public
colleges and universities will be allowed to once again discriminate in
favor of some applicants and against others if House Bill 2700 becomes
law, according to
Rep. Cary Condotta, R-Wenatchee. Schools would be
allowed to evaluate students not only on their grades and
accomplishments, but also on their race and ethnicity, he said.
“The voters of Washington made it clear how they felt about this issue
when they said yes to Initiative 200,” said Condotta. “They told us we
shouldn’t treat people differently based on their race or heritage. This
bill flies in the face of what citizens said they wanted, and it’s
wrong.”
I-200 passed in 1998 with
support from more than 59 percent of voters – 68 percent in Condotta’s
district. It legally prohibits the state – including publicly funded
colleges and universities – from discriminating or granting preferential
treatment to an individual or group based on race, sex, color, ethnicity
or national origin. HB 2700 would effectively gut the measure and allow
the state’s higher education institutions to again take those issues
into consideration in admissions and transfer decisions. The bill is
before the Legislature by request of Gov. Gary Locke.
“The people of Washington
said no to treating people differently based on their race or ethnicity
for a very good reason: because they support equality,” Condotta said.
“Rolling back a progressive move that brought us closer to equal
treatment of every college applicant is a giant leap backward for this
state.
“For years, minorities
have been asking that they not be judged by the color of their skin.
This bill has it exactly backward, and it should not pass. The people of
Washington deserve better.”
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For more information, contact:
Bobbi Cussins, Public Information Officer: (360) 786-7252
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