Missouri sues Kansas City over diversity contracting program
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Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway is suing Kansas City over a diversity program for awarding public contracts, saying it violates discrimination protections.
Why it matters: Hanaway says the lawsuit, filed Wednesday, is about ensuring equal treatment under the Fourteenth Amendment, but Mayor Quinton Lucas says the AG is taking part in a "culture war."
Zoom in: At the center of the lawsuit is the city's Minority and Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) program, which works to meet the city's diversity goals for awarding business contracts.
- The city has codified goals of contracting 14.7% minority-owned businesses and 14.4% women-owned businesses annually.
- Hanaway says the "unlawful quotas violate the core promise of equal protection."
The intrigue: Hanaway also points to a recent disparity study commissioned by the city that recommended transitioning away from MWBE programs and focusing on the city's more neutral small business contracting program to "mitigate legal risk."
- The results were presented to the City Council in a May business session, but Hanaway says no action was taken.
The other side: The AG's office is "spending time on another political stunt rather than the safety of Missourians," Lucas said in a statement.
City staff told Axios Thursday afternoon that they had not been served a lawsuit and declined to comment on the litigation.
- They pointed out that the city's MWBE programs go back as far as 1991.
- City leaders did not answer Axios' questions about their response to the disparity report.
What we're watching: Whether the city lawyers will "handle it," as Lucas states, or if City Council will adjust the program to avoid a legal battle as they did with Kansas City's conversion therapy ban.