HB1307 authorizes the Treasurer of State to divest public funds with a financial services provider due to the use of “environmental, social justice, and or governance-related (ESG) factors,” such as “diversity and inclusion (DEI) policies.”
The Arkansas State Senate passed HB1307 on March 13, 2023 by a vote of 23 to 9. We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the state’s investment decisions should be based on the financial interests of Arkansas taxpayers and pensioners—not “woke” ESG/DEI factors. As a political and ideological scam that seeks to proliferate worldwide, implement a “social credit” rating system, and advance the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, the ESG/DEI movement rejects liberty of conscience, freedom of association, and private property. Its radical proponents attempt to restrict free-market access to financial and other services by preventing both individuals and companies from entering into contracts voluntarily based on their own interests, which violates the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fifth and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
