Massachusetts lawmakers are advancing legislation to establish a permanent Muslim commission that would prioritize recommending Islamic Americans for appointed state government positions.
The proposed bill would create an 11-member panel appointed by Democratic Governor Maura Healey and other state officials to represent Muslim Americans across areas including business, economy, and healthcare.
The commission would directly influence government recruiting by identifying qualified Muslim candidates for roles at all levels of state government, including boards and commissions.
Senate Bill S.2134 has cleared initial committee markups and votes, and currently sits in the state’s Senate Ways and Means Committee awaiting further action.
Democratic State Senator Jamie Eldridge, the bill’s primary sponsor, framed the initiative as a continuation of the state’s civil rights legacy.
“Massachusetts has always prided itself on being a leader in equality and civil rights, a legacy this bill builds upon,” Eldridge said in a press release accompanying the proposal.
Eldridge further argued that Muslim Americans contribute meaningfully to the state’s civic and economic fabric as students, healthcare workers, educators, small business owners, and community leaders.
Muslims account for an estimated 2% to 3% of Massachusetts’ total population, according to approximate figures from Pew Research Center and the U.S. Census.
The state-level push arrives in direct tension with the Trump administration’s aggressive effort to dismantle DEI programs across federal agencies and the private sector.
White House spokesperson Allison Shuster told Fox News Digital that “President Trump was resoundingly elected with a mandate to end divisive, racist policies and restore merit and efficiency.”
Shuster added that “DEI ran rampant during the Biden Administration, and Americans ultimately paid the price for these destructive policies with a restricted labor pool, higher operational costs, and workforce inefficiencies.”
The Trump administration has already terminated federal DEI-related contracts and eliminated diversity programs embedded within the federal government’s hiring infrastructure.
Part of the administration’s early agenda, pursued alongside the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, focused on ending hiring practices based on applicants’ protected class status.
Many Republicans, including the president and Musk, have described DEI as a form of “reverse discrimination” that disadvantaged majority groups in the American workforce.
Governor Healey’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the legislation, leaving the state’s official position on the bill publicly unclear.
