Saying the affirmative action policy of today "reinforces prejudice," Rep. Charles Canady, R-Fla., Friday defended a bill that would end racial preferences in federal hiring and contracting.
"Affirmative action as it was originally perceived included nothing about preference," Canady told attendees at a Heritage foundation-sponsored forum."It is wrong for the federal government to divide people of the U.S. into race and gender."
Canady introduced the "Civil Rights Act of 1997," in an effort to get affirmative action back to its roots. Noting that the "original concept" of affirmative action did not include "preferences," Canady said his bill would prohibit discrimination and preferential treatment on the basis of race, color, national origin, or sex in Federal actions.
"For our future it is important that we move out of this that divides us and pursue policies that respect all Americans," he said.
Canady emphasized,however, that his bill would not entirely eliminate affirmative action. Section 3 of the bill lists affirmative actions that would be permitted: recruiting qualified women and minorities into an applicant pool, encouraging participation by women and minorities in federally conducted programs and encouraging federal contractors to recruit qualified women and minorities into applicants pools.
The bill is currently awaiting action in the House's full judiciary committee. "We're really making progress in moving this legislation forward," Canady said.
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