On Friday, Texas legislators introduced a bill to ban diversity, equity, and inclusion at higher education institutions. As required by the bill, each public university “shall adopt a policy detailing students’ rights and responsibilities regarding expressive activities at the institution,” with respect to “intellectual freedom” and “viewpoint diversity.”
Texas H.B. No. 1006 prohibits state-funded post-secondary schools from promoting, funding or sponsoring DEI. Rep. Carl Tepper (R-TX) introduced the bill focusing on intellectual diversity and various viewpoints.
Texas legislators introduce bill banning DEI programs at universities.
📢For those in the back:
• DEI is not the inherent enemy of viewpoint diversity
• Banning ideas you don’t like when in power allows your ideas to be banned when you’re out of powerhttps://t.co/F46WijOwDx— Nicole Barbaro (@NicoleBarbaro) December 17, 2022
As a result of the bill, higher education institutions are prohibited from “funding, promotion, sponsorship, or support of any office of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” and offices that fund, promote, or support initiatives or formulations of diversity, equity, and inclusion beyond what is necessary to uphold the equal protection of the laws.
The bill also prohibits “the endorsement or dissuasion of or interference with, any lifestyle, race, sex, religion or culture.” Moreover, the legislation declares that higher education institutions are required to support a wide variety of viewpoints and “maintain political, social, and cultural neutrality.”
To get the university to comply, anyone can sue for “injunctive relief.” According to the law, the court must give the person who wants injunctive relief “reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs.” The university would then be required to pay the fees and costs.
“The institution shall pay the fees and costs from the budget of the office of the chief executive officer of the institution or the institution’s system, as applicable,” the bill states.
The legislation comes as Texas state Republicans battle investment group BlackRock over “woke” investment practices. This concept emphasizes environmental, social, and political factors and requires businesses and governments to subscribe to left-wing social and political agendas.
