AG Todd Rokita intends to end race, gender rules in INDOT contracts 

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) - Attorney General Todd Rokita says he is leading an effort in support of the Indiana Department of Transportation’s (INDOT) request for a waiver from race and gender-conscious requirements of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program. Officials say DBE program regulations require INDOT to consider race and gender when hiring contractors for infrastructure projects. In many cases, the regulations require INDOT to allocate a portion of federal highway, transit and airport funds to small businesses owned by individuals who are, according to AG Rokita, socially and economically disadvantaged. According to AG Rokita, federal regulations also force INDOT to employ a presumption that businesses owned by women or members of certa