Texas lawmakers send anti-DEI bill to Abbott’s desk

Texas lawmakers have moved to ban diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts at publicly funded universities in the state.

Both chambers approved final language of a broad anti-DEI bill Sunday and sent it to Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) desk for his signature. If he signs the bill, Texas would become the second state in the country to enact such legislation, joining Florida.

The legislation, titled Senate Bill 17, would require Texas universities to get rid of their DEI offices, programs and mandatory trainings in the next six months. It would also require that all hiring practices be “color-blind and sex-neutral.”

The bill would not, however, affect admissions, course curriculum, student organizations, faculty research or data collection. In the final version of the measure, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is mandated to conduct a study every two years documenting the effect the changes have on enrollment, retention and graduation of students, broken down by race, sex and ethnicity.

“The days of political oaths, compelled speech, and racial profiling in university hiring are behind us,” state Sen. Brandon Creighton (R), who sponsored the measure, said in a statement to The Texas Tribune. “Moving forward, Texas will prioritize the advancement of the most qualified individuals and endorse policies that promote diversity and equality for our great state.”

The final version of the bill is similar to the version the Texas House approved a week ago. The conference committee eliminated a provision that would ensure DEI employees be reassigned to other positions with similar pay. The final version struck that provision, instead saying universities may provide letters of recommendation to DEI employees.

“Our lawmakers fundamentally misunderstand the role of DEI in reconciling a longstanding history of systemic exclusion in Texas’s institutions of higher learning. DEI represents a dedication to create and maintain an open and supportive environment for all students regardless of background,” members of Texans Students for DEI said in a statement to the Tribune.

In February, Abbott instructed state agencies to stop considering diversity in hiring and and warned public university leaders that using DEI policies are illegal, arguing they violate anti-discrimination laws.

—Updated at 6:52 p.m.

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