The Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) released two sweeping audits revealing significant failures in the tracking, accountability, and oversight of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within Wisconsin’s state government and the University of Wisconsin (UW) System.
The reports, requested by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, examined compliance with Gov. Tony Evers’ Executive Order 59 and the financial and operational scope of DEI efforts. What they found was alarming: agencies often didn’t know how much they spent, couldn’t demonstrate results, and failed to meet core legal and administrative requirements.
Massive Spending with Minimal Tracking
According to LAB, the UW System spent over $40 million on DEI-related efforts in FY 2023-24, including $12.5 million on salaries for 170 DEI staff positions. State agencies spent an estimated $2.2 million on salaries for 47 DEI-related roles. However, the report underscores a key issue: “None of the agencies tracked the amounts they spent specifically on diversity, equity, and inclusion.” LAB had to estimate costs using fragmented data, warning that overlaps in spending categories made total expenditures impossible to quantify precisely.
State agencies also spent an additional $705,300 on employee time for required DEI training, $444,300 on select action items in DEI plans, and $200,200 on meeting time for DEI committees. In total, thousands of hours were devoted to DEI activities—often with little clarity on purpose or impact.
Weak Outcomes, Missed Goals
Of the 192 action steps listed in agency DEI plans for FY 2023-24, only 42% were completed. Worse, even among those completed, fewer than half (49%) achieved the expected outcomes. Anticipated results often lacked substance or clear metrics. For example, one agency’s outcome was to “write at least one relevant social media post per month.” Another vague goal aimed to “build a sense of community.”
Some agencies failed to meet any of their listed goals. According to Sen. Eric Wimberger (R-Oconto), “The Departments of Justice and Public Instruction did not complete any of the DEI-related actions they had planned.”
Oversight Agencies Also Fell Short
The Department of Administration (DOA), which oversees implementation of EO 59 and monitors agency compliance, was also cited for failures. LAB found that DOA did not ensure agencies corrected known compliance issues, failed to enforce open meetings laws for affirmative action committees, and did not consistently collect required annual progress reports from agencies between 2021 and 2023.
Moreover, DOA did not ensure all required affirmative action plans were submitted, nor did it report necessary updates to the governor and legislature as mandated by law. LAB issued 22 formal recommendations for corrective action, ranging from improved training oversight to strict enforcement of statutory reporting duties.
Legislative Response
Sen. Wimberger and Rep. Robert Wittke (R-Caledonia), co-chairs of the Audit Committee, announced a public hearing on April 23 to examine Reports 25-05 and 25-06. “These new reports show millions of dollars spent to propagate divisive rhetoric without oversight,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. “It’s time for transparency and accountability.”
The hearing is expected to include testimony from agency heads and UW officials.
