Texas Leaders Defend Black Official After Lawmaker’s Public Interrogation of DEI Policies Left Her in Tears

Texas Water Development Board Chair L’Oreal Stepney wiped tears from her eyes Tuesday as a House hearing turned into a tense line of questioning over race and the future of state hiring practices.

The exchange left Stepney visibly distraught, ignited a broader discussion about political rhetoric and respect in state government and caught the eye of Texas’ “Big Three” — Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows.

During an appropriations subcommittee meeting, where state agencies present their financial requests for the next state budget, Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, pressed TWDB officials, including Stepney and another Black official, Edna Jackson, on whether the agency’s hiring policies prioritized diversity over merit.

Hours after Stepney and Democrats on the committee defended her experience and record during the hearing, the state’s three top officials also weighed in, in support of Stepney. {snip}

The hearing turned tense when Harrison pushed Stepney on the water board’s written plan favoring a diverse workforce. “I’m unaware of any statute or regulation that requires your agency to engage in race-based employment determinations that require you to mirror the diversity of society in general,” Harrison said. “…I would believe this is facially unconstitutional because we should not be discriminating on the basis of race for employment decisions, certainly not in jobs that are subsidized by my taxpayers.”

{snip}

At the hearing, the exchange drew in Rep. Nicole Collier, D-Fort Worth, who called out what she saw as an unfair and aggressive line of questioning and forcefully defended Stepney’s credentials.

{snip}

Collier and the chair of the subcommittee Rep. Armando Walle, D-Houston, stood up and brought tissues to Stepney, who was fighting back tears.

{snip}

Harrison has positioned himself in recent months as the chief opponent of anything related to DEI — for example, regularly identifying and targeting universities on social media for curriculum offerings about diversity, even though such courses are not banned under current state law. The discussion including pushback from Democrats grew intense at the Tuesday hearing.

{snip}

Harrison has asked other state agencies, including the Texas Department of Transportation, similar questions about their DEI policies. Asked in an interview with The Texas Tribune on Wednesday about the exchange at the hearing, he called his questions “perfect” and “professional.” He said he did not question Stepney’s qualifications, but just asked questions about policies.

“There clearly was a decision to coordinate a completely dishonest smear campaign because I’m exposing government sanctioned DEI,” Harrison said. “I’m not backing down. I’m going to keep fighting. Texans deserve it. Texans do not want their hard earned tax dollars used for racially discriminatory employment practices.”