This Ky. bill aims to shut down DEI programs across colleges statewide. What would it mean for students, staff?

FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — A member of the Kentucky House of Representatives filed a bill on Wednesday that would put an end to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies across postsecondary learning institutions across the state.

Rep. Jennifer Decker, who filed the bill, said it would prohibit discrimination based on religion, race, sex, color, or nationality and would free university campuses from DEI policies that she called misguided.

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class="wp-block-heading">When would the law take effect?

If HB 4 is passed into law, Kentucky’s public universities would be required to close their DEI offices and eliminate all officer positions by June 30.

What impact would this have on colleges in Kentucky?

Training sessions held at colleges or parts of their curriculum that involved the promotion of differential treatment of students or staff based on religion, race, sex, color, or national origin would be prohibited, according to a news release.

Instead of these courses and training sessions, the measure would reportedly require universities to work alongside the Council for Postsecondary Education (CPE) to create a “private right of action” in cooperation with the Attorney General’s Office, allowing the parties involved to seek compliance through Kentucky’s court system. The CPE would also be directed by the measure to make a yearly survey on intellectual freedom and “viewpoint diversity” on campuses across the Commonwealth.

The Kentucky House Majority Caucus told FOX 56 that Decker’s bill on Wednesday came on the heels of several public Kentucky universities announcing the elimination of DEI offices.

“DEI policies on college campuses prioritize race, gender, and identity over individual merit and access to education, contradicting our constitution and undermining true equality,” Rep. Decker said. “Our public universities exist to educate and foster intellectual growth—not to mandate conformity through DEI policies. Higher education must be a marketplace of ideas, a place where merit takes precedence over bureaucratic policies that cost millions and deliver no results.”

More information about HB 4 can be found on the Kentucky General Assembly website.