The technology industry is committed to promoting an inclusive workforce that reflects the diversity of our country and our customers. We support education, workforce development, and immigration policies that empower all people to continue making important contributions to our nation and communities.
In the majority of states, there are no clear state laws banning discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. In recent years, there have been hundreds of bills and ballot initiatives proposed that would eliminate non-discrimination protections or that explicitly authorize discrimination by individuals, businesses, and state and local agencies.
We oppose any legislation, by any name, that would legalize discrimination on any basis, including nationality, race, religion, age, disability, natural hair texture, sexual orientation, and gender identity, and that would therefore impact workforce recruitment efforts, complicate human resources administration, and undermine the technology community’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. We recognize the opportunity for and responsibility of the technology industry to lead in the creation and implementation of more inclusive policies nationwide.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies are essential to corporate missions as we seek talented individuals diverse in age, race, gender, geography, and points of view to work in an environment where employees are valued and have opportunities to contribute, advance, and succeed. Policy proposals should not restrict corporate programs or intervene with prescriptive requirements or liability.
We recognize the valuable contributions immigrants make to our economy and country as a whole. For example, immigrant entrepreneurs have started more than half (319 of 582) of America’s startup companies valued at $1 billion or more. We oppose state policies that unfairly target immigrant communities and support action at the federal level to reform our high-skilled immigration system to curb abuses and ensure that more green cards and visas are available to help fuel innovation at our research institutions and universities and address the high-skilled labor shortage facing the U.S. economy. We also support a permanent federal legislative solution for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, or “Dreamers.”
As millions of Americans express deep frustration over long-simmering racial disparities, we urge policymakers to listen to communities of color and develop proposals that will help to remove institutional barriers to opportunity and reverse racial inequities in our society. TechNet supports efforts to combat systemic racism, including investing in underrepresented communities to close entrepreneurship and wealth opportunity gaps, supporting reforms to reduce racial inequalities in the criminal justice system, and promoting efforts to close the gaps in racial disparities in education.
Other Policy Agendas
