Santa Catarina Lawmakers Vote to Ban Racial Quotas in State-Funded Universities

Overview

• The Alesc-approved bill bars race-based reservations for admissions and hiring at state universities and institutions receiving state funds while preserving quotas for people with disabilities, public-school graduates and economic criteria.
• Noncompliance would trigger a R$100,000 fine per call for applications and possible suspension of state transfers, with administrative proceedings against public officials who disregard the rule.
• The measure would directly affect Udesc, institutions in the Acafe system and private colleges supported by state scholarship programs, and it would not apply to federal universities and institutes governed by federal law.
• The vote was symbolic, with seven deputies named in opposition, and author Alex Brasil (PL) defended shifting prioritization to economic vulnerability and criticized what he called ideological quotas.
• The Ministry of Racial Equality labeled the proposal unconstitutional and is studying responses, while the state prosecutor’s office, public defender and universities issued repudiations and signaled court action or a veto appeal.