On a day that honored civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., Montana Gov. Steve Bullock took action to advance human rights in our state.
Citing the Montana Constitution’s provision “the dignity of the human being is inviolable,” Bullock on Monday issued an executive order barring discrimination in state government hiring. He also ordered that state contracts be written to ban hiring discrimination by businesses that provide goods or services to the state.
Of course, state and federal laws already aim to protect people from discrimination based on race, gender, religion and other characteristics. But Bullock expanded protections specifically to cover pregnancy, childbirth, U.S. military veterans, genetic information, and people who are gay, lesbian, transgender or bisexual.
Bullock ordered that “all hiring must be on the basis of merit and qualifications.”